Deck 2: A Systems View and Systems Methodology

Question 1

An attribute is an individual characteristic that is part of systems and subsystems.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Explain what is meant by "systems approach".

Answer 2

Systems approach is the ability to examine problems or opportunities in the environment or entire organization that they exist in, and then decomposing those problems into smaller components, thus making them easier to understand and then solve, and finally managing the resolution of those problems. It's utilizing the systems development life cycle to plan, identify requirements, design the solution, and then implement it all while using a separate methodology to manage it all. The key is using the appropriate systems development life cycle or process based on the characteristics of the project.

Question 3

The project management life cycle (PMLC) is the equivalent of the system development life cycle (SDLC).

Answer 3

False

Question 4

A system is made up of subsystems, smaller systems that are part of a larger system.

Question 5

An element is the smallest part of a system.

Question 6

The systems approach is a process that allows projects to be viewed in the context of the entire internal organization.

Question 7

Describe some steps of the process during a "Close Iteration" phase.

Question 8

Describe the relationship between the project management life cycle (PMLC) and the system development life cycle (SDLC) and how they work together.

Question 9

In order to put a project in context, what are some of the questions that need to be answered.

Question 10

Describe some steps of the process during a "Close Project" phase.

Question 11

List the items that should be included in the project life cycle.

Question 12

What are the six phases of the project life cycle?

Question 13

There are different types of life cycles to choose from when building a solution.

Question 14

The environment is everything that exists outside of the system.

Question 15

Explain the waterfall model as a SDLC methodology, as well as its advantages and disadvantages.

Question 16

A boundary surrounds the system and integrates it into the environment.

Question 17

Define and explain "objectives" with respect to a system and project.

Question 18

A list of objectives is rarely based on the customer driven requirements.

Question 19

A system is a set of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements working to create a whole.

Question 20

List and define the three interrelated components of a systems approach.

Question 21

The project life cycle phases (Initiate, Plan, Execute, Control, Close Iteration, Close Project) have the same meaning as the five major project management process groups.

Question 22

For a system to reach its objectives, all of the subsystems and elements must work together effectively.

Question 23

The prototyping approach is an excellent choice for research and development projects because these types of projects have many unknowns with respect to requirements.

Question 24

Techniques such as risk analysis are tools that project managers can use to keep environment forces in check.

Question 25

In traditional system development projects, a systems designer studies the needs presented by users and attempts to understand them and have them understood by others.

Question 26

The spiral life cycle model consists of four main parts, and the process is shown by a continuous loop going from the outside towards the inside.

Question 27

Although all projects are influenced by forces in the environment, these cannot be allowed to control the outcome of the project.

Question 28

The Scrum approach is based on the concept that software development is a defined process.

Question 29

One of the strengths of the waterfall approach is that it works well for large, complex applications.

Question 30

One of the strengths of the iterative and incremental life cycle model is that it is easier to test and debug during a smaller iteration.

Question 31

The "Close Project" phase occurs after we have determined to complete the iteration.

Question 32

A "Close Iteration" phase addresses those process steps that happen at the end of each iteration.

Question 33

With the prototyping approach, quickly building mockups of the system components delays feedback from users.

Question 34

In evolutionary prototyping, requirements are known and defined at the beginning of the project.

Question 35

The waterfall model allows for strict managerial control.

Question 36

A life cycle is a random order of phases in which each contains a specific deliverable which collectively deliver a result.

Question 37

Each project life cycle may or may not have an end.

Question 38

The spiral life cycle model helps demonstrate a proof of concept early in the project.

Question 39

The waterfall approach works well for information systems projects because all requirements can be defined at the beginning and remain stable throughout the information systems project.

Question 40

The gaps between project phases are often called "stage gates".

Question 41

There are two broad categories of systems - open and ________.

A) closed
B) free
C) purchased
D) built

Question 42

An open system is not ________.

A) manageable
B) self-defining
C) modifiable
D) free

Question 43

The systems approach is a process which allows projects to be viewed in the ________ of the entire environment.

A) exclusion
B) context
C) perspective
D) inside

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT one of the interrelated components comprising the systems approach?

A) System
B) Systems theory
C) Systems analysis
D) Systems management

Question 45

Which term best describes the limitations forced on a system by internal or external forces.

A) Objectives
B) Environment
C) Integration
D) Constraints

Question 46

Project managers divide projects into ________ to facilitate better communication and control.

A) subsystems
B) teams
C) objects
D) phases

Question 47

The systems approach consists of ________ interrelated components.

A) five
B) four
C) three
D) two

Question 48

The environment is everything that exists outside of the system or outside of the control of the ________.

A) executive
B) machine
C) project manager
D) boundary

Question 49

The systems approach is the opposite of a(n) ________ process, which takes the whole and breaks it into its component parts.

A) analytical
B) critique
C) breakdown
D) drilldown

Question 50

Which of the interrelated components comprising a system is what project management is all about?

A) Systems theory
B) Systems analysis
C) Systems management
D) Systems integration

Question 51

Choosing a lifecyle is dependent on all of the following factors, EXCEPT:

A) Type of product being built.
B) Project team size.
C) Criticality of the application.
D) Name of the project.

Question 52

A closed system is considered to be completely ________.

A) integrated
B) modifiable
C) self-contained
D) manageable

Question 53

A boundary surrounds the system and ________ it from the environment.

A) separates
B) extracts
C) processes
D) takes

Question 54

Systems theory involves a philosophy of, or way of looking at the world - a language or set of ________ and interventions for thinking and problem solving.

A) opinions
B) words
C) instructions
D) principles

Question 55

Using the ________ approach will aid project managers to identify and understand all of the pressures that the external environment can create.

A) project
B) systems
C) integration
D) open

Question 56

Each ________ life cycle should have a beginning and an end.

A) project
B) system
C) solution
D) application

Question 57

An element is the ________ part of a system.

A) smallest
B) largest
C) least significant
D) most significant

Question 58

Projects have a life cycle which is separate but integrated with the products':

A) System development life cycle (SDLC).
B) System design life cycle (SDLC).
C) Project development life cycle (PDLC).
D) Project management life cycle (PMLC).

Question 59

The systems ________ component is responsible for the management of the whole system.

A) management
B) analysis
C) integration
D) theory

Question 60

Systems ________ is a "problem-solving technique that decomposes a system into its component pieces for the purpose of studying how well those component parts work and interact to accomplish their purpose" [Whitten, Bentley, Dittman].

A) analysis
B) design
C) implementation
D) management

Question 61

In the diagram of a spiral life cycle model, the angular component represents progress, and the radius of the spiral represents ________.

A) scope
B) time
C) cost
D) quality

Question 62

In the XP approach, ________ is/are integrated into the build process.

A) coding standards
B) testing
C) meetings
D) planning

Question 63

A weakness of the spiral life cycle model is:

A) That the project's success is highly dependent on the risk analysis phase.
B) It does not accommodate change well.
C) It cannot react to risks quickly.
D) All of the above

Question 64

Evolutionary ________ focuses on gathering correct and consistent requirements and is the approach of building a system incrementally.

A) prototyping
B) development
C) refinement
D) management

Question 65

What is the decision making opportunity between phases or iterations in the project life cycle?

A) phase
B) project life cycle
C) stage gate
D) iterations

Question 66

________ are small releases delivered throughout the project, each following the life cycle.

A) Sub-projects
B) Sub-systems
C) Iterations
D) Projects

Question 67

Waterfall, RUP, SCRUM, and XP are examples of SDLC ________.

A) projects
B) methodologies
C) products
D) steps

Question 68

Which of the following is NOT a weakness of the waterfall approach?

A) Does not accommodate changes to requirements very well
B) All requirements must be known and defined at the beginning.
C) Does not work well for geographically distributed teams
D) Does not allow to go back and repeat a phase

Question 69

Which of the following is NOT an XP practice?

A) Courage
B) Planning
C) Small releases
D) Testing

Question 70

In the Scrum approach, each phase contains one or more iterations where a(n) ________ is produced.

A) executable
B) system
C) product
D) service

Question 71

Each project ________ should have defined deliverables and criteria that signal that it is time to move to the next.

A) phase
B) life cycle
C) objective
D) manager

Question 72

In evolutionary prototyping, requirements are discovered throughout the process and the system is repeatedly ________ based on those discoveries.

A) refined
B) redesigned
C) discarded
D) approved

Question 73

The main idea of Scrum is that systems development involves several environmental and technical ________ that are likely to change during the process.

A) resources
B) variables
C) requirements
D) projects

Question 74

Which of the following is NOT a strength of evolutionary prototyping life cycle?

A) Customers can see steady progress
B) Feedback from user reviews is timely
C) Allows for accurate cost estimating at the beginning
D) Helps gain customer commitment to a set of requirements

Question 75

In the ________ life cycle model, a working version of the software is produced during the first iteration.

A) evolutionary prototyping
B) spiral
C) waterfall
D) iterative and incremental

Question 76

Which of the following is NOT one of the project life cycle phases?

A) Sponsor
B) Plan
C) Close Iteration
D) Close Project

Question 77

The ________ life cycle model is a series of short waterfall cycles.

A) evolutionary prototyping
B) spiral
C) waterfall
D) incremental

Question 78

Which of the following is a key value of the Extreme Programming approach?

A) Communication
B) Feedback
C) Simplicity
D) All of the above

Question 79

Which of the following is NOT a phase of the RUP approach?

A) Inception
B) Elaboration
C) Construction
D) Lessons Learned

Question 80

The primary disadvantage of the waterfall model is that it does not easily accommodate ________.

A) resources
B) project managers
C) changes to requirements
D) vacation time