Deck 13: Acquiring Information Systems and Applications

Question 1

Systems maintenance includes debugging and updating a system.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Insourcing application development is usually less time consuming and less expensive than buying or leasing.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The IT infrastructure delineates the way an organization's information resources should be used to accomplish its mission.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The IS operational plan is a set of projects that will be executed by the IS department and by functional area managers.

Question 5

The return on investment (ROI) method of cost-benefit analysis measures the effectiveness of management in generating profits with its available assets.

Question 6

Software rental is a method of delivering software in which a vendor hosts the applications and customers use them over a network, typically the Internet.

Question 7

In a direct conversion, the new system is turned on, and the old system is turned off at a later time.

Question 8

The SDLC is relatively inflexible.

Question 9

Costs are harder to quantify than benefits.

Question 10

The buy option is particularly attractive if the software vendor allows the company to modify the package to meet its needs.

Question 11

The earlier in the development process that errors are detected, the less expensive they are to correct.

Question 12

Technical feasibility determines if the project is an acceptable financial risk and if the organization can afford the expense and time needed to complete the project.

Question 13

Systems analysis describes how a system will solve the business problem, and systems design describes what the system must do to accomplish the task.

Question 14

The application portfolio in an organization is a set of recommended applications resulting from the planning and justification process in application development.

Question 15

Open-source applications are basically the same as a proprietary application except for licensing, payment, and support.

Question 16

Adding functions after a project has been initiated is called scope creep.

Question 17

Organizations typically move slowly to acquire new information technologies due to the risks involved.

Question 18

The SDLC encourages changes to user requirements once they have been established.

Question 19

IT architecture focuses only on the technical aspects of information resources.

Question 20

Pilot conversion is the process in which the new system is introduced in one part of the organization.

Question 21

A key principle of the scrum approach for agile development is that users cannot change their minds during a project.

Question 22

A company's IT application portfolio is

A) A list of existing application the company owns.
B) A list of applications that need to be updated.
C) A list of applications that need to be removed.
D) A list of applications that need to be replaced.
E) A list of application to be added or modified.

Question 23

The most difficult task in evaluating a vendor and a software package is to determine the vendor's financial health and "staying power."

Question 24

Which of the following statements about determining the costs and benefits of IT investments is false?

A) Some costs are fixed.
B) Costs do not end when the system is installed.
C) Many IT projects end up being over budget.
D) Benefits are hard to quantify because implementing new technology could be used for multiple purposes.
E) Benefits are hard to quantify because they are tangible.

Question 25

Which of the following are disadvantages of the buy option for acquiring IS applications?

A) The software may not exactly meet the company's needs.
B) The software may be impossible to modify.
C) The company will not have control over software improvements.
D) The software may not integrate with existing systems.
E) All of the above

Question 26

A service-level agreement (SLA) outlines how work is divided between the company and its vendors.

Question 27

Which of the following is not an advantage of the buy option for acquiring IS applications?

A) Few types of off-the-shelf software are available, thus limiting confusion.
B) The software can be tried out.
C) The buy option saves time.
D) The company will know what it is getting.
E) All of the above

Question 28

Which of the following systems acquisition methods saves the company's time, enables the company to select software that has been used for similar problems in other organizations, and allows the company to try out the software?

A) Systems development life cycle
B) Prototyping
C) End-user development
D) Buy option
E) Object-oriented development

Question 29

Maintenance ends when the new system is implemented and has run long enough for a systems audit.

Question 30

Prototyping allows the users to clarify their information requirements as they use the prototype.

Question 31

Outsourcing is the use of outside contractors or external organizations to acquire IT services.

Question 32

Evaluating the benefits of IT projects is more complex than evaluating their costs for all of the following reasons except:

A) Benefits are harder than costs to quantify.
B) Benefits tend to be more tangible than costs.
C) IT can be used for several different purposes.
D) The probability of obtaining a return from an IT investment is based on the probability of implementation success.
E) The proposed system may be "cutting edge."

Question 33

Which of the following systems acquisition methods can result in a company's acquiring software that is controlled by another company, may be difficult to enhance or modify, and may not support the desired business processes?

A) Systems development life cycle
B) Prototyping
C) End-user development
D) Buy option
E) Component-based development

Question 34

Which of the following is not a part of the typical IS operational plan?

A) The mission of the IS function
B) The organizational mission
C) The IT architecture
D) The application portfolio
E) The IS function's estimate of its goals

Question 35

Joint application design is used to collect user requirements.

Question 36

With agile development, a company develops only what it needs right now to be successful.

Question 37

A company's IT architecture includes all of the following except:

A) Hardware and software
B) Networks
C) Database management systems
D) The members of the IT staff
E) How IT decisions will be made

Question 38

Object-oriented development focuses on properties and operations.

Question 39

The information systems planning process proceeds in which order?

A) Organization mission - organization strategic plan - IS strategic plan - new IT architecture
B) Organization mission - IS strategic plan - organization strategic plan - IS operational plan
C) Organization strategic plan - organization mission - IS strategic plan - new IT architecture
D) IT architecture - IS strategic plan - organization strategic plan - organization mission
E) IS development projects - IS operational plan - new IT architecture - organization mission

Question 40

A request for proposal (RFP) is sent to potential customers.

Question 41

Which of the following statements is false?

A) Companies that use Software-as-a-Service are running applications on the vendor's hardware.
B) Application service providers are similar to Software-as-a-Service providers.
C) Companies that purchase open-source software cannot modify it.
D) Outsourcing refers to acquiring IT applications from outside contractors.
E) Insourcing refers to building IT applications in-house.

Question 42

In the _____ stage of the systems development life cycle, the design specifications are translated into computer code.

A) Systems analysis
B) Programming
C) Systems design
D) Prototyping
E) Feasibility study

Question 43

_____ feasibility addresses the human issues of an information systems project.

A) Technical
B) Economic
C) Organizational
D) Behavioral
E) Time

Question 44

A firm implements a new information system in one of its plants, assesses the new system's performance, and then implements the new system in its other plants. This is an example of __________ conversion.

A) Phased
B) Direct
C) Parallel
D) Pilot
E) Timely

Question 45

A firm shuts down its old COBOL legacy system and immediately starts up its new PeopleSoft ERP system. This process is called __________ conversion.

A) Phased
B) Direct
C) Parallel
D) Pilot
E) Timely

Question 46

Which of the following is not a part of systems analysis?

A) Defining the business problem
B) Identifying the causes of, and solutions to, the business problem
C) Identifying the information requirements that the solution must satisfy
D) Identifying the technical specifications of the solution
E) Gathering information about the existing system

Question 47

________ conversion is the riskiest type of conversion process.

A) Parallel
B) Direct
C) Pilot
D) Phased
E) They all have equal risk.

Question 48

Place the stages of the systems development life cycle in order:

A) Investigation - analysis - design - programming/testing - implementation - operation/maintenance
B) Investigation - design - analysis - programming/testing - implementation - operation/maintenance
C) Analysis - design - investigation - operation/maintenance - programming/testing - implementation
D) Investigation - analysis - design - programming/testing - operation/maintenance - implementation
E) Investigation - implementation - analysis - programming/testing - design - operation/maintenance

Question 49

_____ is a method of delivering software in which a vendor hosts the applications and customers access these applications over the Internet.

A) Software-as-a-Service
B) Prototyping
C) Leasing the application
D) Service-oriented architecture
E) The buy option

Question 50

As systems age, maintenance costs _____.

A) Decrease
B) Increase
C) Remain the same
D) Are negligible
E) Are not considered

Question 51

In the traditional systems development life cycle, users:

A) Are important and ongoing members of the development team throughout the life of the project.
B) Are important only in the testing phases of the project.
C) Have no input.
D) Are important only in the maintenance phase of the project.
E) Provide information requirements.

Question 52

Which of the following statements about scope creep is true?

A) Scope creep is relatively cheap, regardless of when it occurs in a project.
B) Because scope creep is relatively cheap, successful project managers allow it.
C) Because scope creep is expensive, successful project managers will not allow it.
D) Because scope creep is expensive, successful project managers limit it.
E) Scope creep means that user requirements are being successfully taken care of.

Question 53

Which of the following systems acquisition methods requires staff to systematically go through every step in the development process and has a lower probability of missing important user requirements?

A) Systems development life cycle
B) Prototyping
C) End-user development
D) External acquisition
E) Object-oriented development

Question 54

_____ feasibility determines if the project is an acceptable financial risk and if the organization can afford the expense and time needed to complete the project.

A) Technical
B) Economic
C) Organizational
D) Behavioral
E) Time

Question 55

_____ feasibility concerns a firm's policies and politics, power structures, and business relationships.

A) Technical
B) Economic
C) Organizational
D) Behavioral
E) Time

Question 56

The deliverable of the systems design stage is:

A) User requirements.
B) Technical system specifications.
C) The prototype.
D) The source code.
E) A working application.

Question 57

The _____ that changes are made in the systems development life cycle, the _____ expensive these changes become.

A) Sooner, less
B) Later, less
C) More frequently, more
D) More extensively, more
E) Sooner, more

Question 58

Which of the following systems acquisition methods is time consuming, costly, and may produce excessive documentation?

A) Systems development life cycle
B) Prototyping
C) End-user development
D) External acquisition
E) Object-oriented development

Question 59

Systems design answers the question, _____:

A) How will the information system resolve the business problem?
B) How much will the information system cost?
C) What is the problem the information system must address?
D) Who will benefit from use of the information system being developed?
E) What is the effective operational life of the system?

Question 60

When users ask for added functionality during a systems development project, this is called:

A) User-defined software.
B) Scope creep.
C) Bloatware.
D) An out-of-control project.
E) A runaway project.

Question 61

_____ is a software development methodology that delivers functionality in rapid iterations, usually measured in weeks.

A) Agile development
B) Prototyping
C) The systems development life cycle
D) Joint application development
E) Component-based development

Question 62

Which of the following is the most difficult and crucial task in evaluating a vendor and a software package?

A) Identifying potential vendors
B) Determining the evaluation criteria
C) Evaluating vendors and packages
D) Choosing the vendor and package
E) Negotiating a contract

Question 63

As an MIS analyst, you have decided to use a prototyping methodology for a small, Web-based design project. What is the order of steps that you will follow in the project?

A) Develop the prototype; use the prototype; revise and enhance the prototype.
B) Identify user requirements; develop the prototype; use the prototype; revise and enhance the prototype.
C) Develop the prototype; identify user requirements; use the prototype; revise and enhance the prototype.
D) Identify user requirements; develop solutions; select the best prototype; implement the prototype.
E) Identify user requirements; develop the prototype; revise and enhance the prototype.

Question 64

Refer to Opening Case - GE Healthcare Switches from Waterfall to Agile: Which of the following statements concerning GE Healthcare's Imaging Solutions' experience with agile development is not true?

A) Imaging Solution started with a cross-functional team and a pilot project.
B) Because Imaging Solutions operates in a regulated industry, they needed to do more initial planning and testing than they initially thought necessary.
C) They needed to identity cross-team dependencies early in the process.
D) The development teams remained independent.
E) Imaging Solutions had to transform its culture.

Question 65

Agile development

A) Takes a long time.
B) Requires little user input.
C) Delivers functionality in rapid interactions.
D) Focuses on all required functionality at each step of the way.
E) Uses the scrum approach to design the system.

Question 66

Differentiate between the IT strategic plan and the IS operational plan.

Question 67

Refer to IT's About Business 13.1 -- Anniston Orthopaedics and Greenway Medical Technologies: Assuming that a contract can be reached and Anniston decides to install Greenway's software, which is the best implementation approach?

A) Pilot
B) Piecemeal
C) Direct
D) Parallel
E) Any one of the above will be fine.

Question 68

Refer IT's About Business 13.3 - State of Virginia's Outsourcing Contract: Which of the following statements concerning the contract the State of Virginia signed with Northrop?

A) Virginia outsourced its entire IT function to Northrop.
B) Northrop was to deploy new applications to improve services to Virginia residents.
C) The implementation was done using the direct approach.
D) Many of the problems cited were network and telephone problems.
E) Virginia did not provide very strong oversight of Northrop.

Question 69

The _____ approach to systems development is a group-based tool for collecting user requirements.

A) Integrated computer-assisted software engineering
B) Joint application design
C) Rapid application development
D) Prototyping
E) Systems development life cycle

Question 70

Which of the following systems acquisition methods helps clarify user requirements, promotes genuine user participation, and may produce part of the final system?

A) Systems development life cycle
B) Prototyping
C) End-user development
D) External acquisition
E) Component-based development

Question 71

Refer to Closing Case - A tale of Two Software Upgrades: Both JetBlue and WestJet used which implementation approach when they implemented Sabre Holding's reservation software?

A) Pilot
B) Piecemeal
C) Direct
D) Parallel
E) Planned

Question 72

A _____ is sent to potential vendors inviting them to describe their product and how it would meet the firm's needs.

A) Prototype
B) Request for proposal
C) Technical specification
D) Request for bid
E) Request for requirements

Question 73

Which of the following systems acquisition methods may encourage inadequate problem analysis, is not practical with large numbers of users, and may result in a company's purchasing a lower-quality system?

A) Systems development life cycle
B) Prototyping
C) End-user development
D) External acquisition
E) Component-based development

Question 74

_____ specify how work is to be divided between the company and its vendors.

A) Service-level agreements
B) Prototypes
C) User requirements
D) Vendor requirements
E) Feasibility studies

Question 75

Contrast the tangible and intangible benefits of a proposed information system.

Question 76

When systems are created rapidly, without a formal development methodology:

A) End users can take over the work of MIS analysts.
B) The organization quickly outgrows the new system.
C) Hardware, software, and quality standards are less important.
D) Testing and documentation may be inadequate.
E) The organization saves money.

Question 77

Object-oriented development

A) Is similar to traditional development approaches.
B) Focuses on the original task to be handled.
C) Focuses on the processes that must be modeled to perform that task.
D) Focuses on data.
E) Identifies the subjects of the new system.

Question 78

Which of the following systems acquisition methods may eventually require maintenance assistance from the IT department, can produce inadequate documentation, and might result in a company's acquiring a system with inadequate interfaces to existing systems?

A) Systems development life cycle
B) Prototyping
C) End-user development
D) External acquisition
E) Component-based development

Question 79

Refer to IT's About Business 13.2 - A Disastrous Development Project: Marin County hired Deloitte Consulting to work with them on the implementation of the new SAP system. This arrangement is called ____________.

A) Insourcing
B) Outsourcing
C) Offshoring
D) Hiring part-time employees
E) SaaS

Question 80

Which of the following is not an advantage of the joint application design approach to systems development?

A) It involves fewer users in the development process.
B) It saves time.
C) It results in greater user acceptance of the new system.
D) It can produce a higher-quality system.
E) It provides for greater user participation in the definition of the requirements.