Quiz 13: Acquiring Information Systems and Applications

Paychex provides a ____ to its customers that are primarily ____ businesses. A) PaaS; large B) PaaS; small and medium C) SaaS; large D) SaaS; small and medium

Paychex original development model was _______. A) agile development B) end-user development C) joint application design D) traditional waterfall

The first step in the information systems planning process is to ________. A) analyze the organization's strategic plan B) consider potential IS development projects C) create an IS strategic plan D) evaluation the potential IT architecture

The _________ identifies the firm's overall mission, the goals that follow from that mission, and the broad steps required to reach these goals. A) IS operational plan B) IS strategic plan C) IT architecture D) Organization strategic plan

The _________ delineates the way an organization should utilize its information resources to accomplish its mission. A) IS operational plan B) IS strategic plan C) IT architecture D) Organization strategic plan

The _________ is a set of long-range goals that describe the IT infrastructure and identify the major IT initiatives need to achieve the organization's goals. A) IS operational plan B) IS strategic plan C) IT architecture D) organization strategic plan

The _________ consists of a clear set of projects that the IS department and the functional area managers will execute in support of the IT strategic plan. A) IS operational plan B) IT architecture C) organization mission D) organization strategic plan

_________ is a managerial aspect of the IT architecture. A) How IT decisions will be made B) Networking C) The applications software D) The operating system

_________ is a technical aspect of the IT architecture. A) Functional area manager involvement B) How IT decisions will be made C) How the IT department will be managed D) The applications software

Which of the following is NOT an objective of the IT strategic plan? A) It must be aligned with the organization's strategic plan. B) It must efficiently allocate IS development resources among competing projects. C) It must meet the needs of every functional area to ensure employee buy-in. D) It must provide for an IT architecture that seamlessly networks users, applications, and databases.

The IT steering committee is comprised of ________. A) board members B) C-level executives C) top-level IT managers D) managers from each functional area

_________ is NOT a major task of the IT steering committee. A) Approving the allocation of resources for the MIS function B) Establishing performance measures for the MIS function and ensuring they are met C) Linking corporate strategy with IT strategy D) Training the top managers from each functional area

The _________ is/are a prioritized inventory of present applications and a detailed plan of projects to be developed or continued during the current year. A) application portfolio B) constraints of the IS function C) IS environment D) objectives of the IS function

The _________ is/are the technological, financial, personnel, and other resource limitations on the IS function. A) application portfolio B) constraints of the IS function C) IS environment D) objectives of the IS function

The _________ is/are a summary of the information needs of the individual functional areas and of the organization as a whole. A) application portfolio B) constraints of the IS function C) IS environment D) objectives of the IS function

The _________ is/are the best current estimate of the goals of the IS function. A) application portfolio B) constraints of the IS function C) IS environment D) objectives of the IS function

_________ costs are those costs that remain the same regardless of any change in the company's activity level. The CIO's salary is an example of a _________ cost. A) Fixed; fixed B) Fixed; variable C) Variable; fixed D) Variable; variable

_________ is a method to convert future values of benefits to their present-value equivalent by "discounting" them at the organization's cost of funds. A) Breakeven analysis B) The business case approach C) NPV D) ROI

_________ measures management's effectiveness in generating profits with its available assets by dividing the net income generated by a project by the average assets invested in the project. A) Breakeven analysis B) The business case approach C) NPV D) ROI

_________ determines the point at which the cumulative dollar value of the benefits from a project equals the investment made in the project. A) Breakeven analysis B) The business case approach C) NPV D) ROI

_________ involves system developers writing a business case to justify funding one or more specific applications or projects. A) Breakeven analysis B) The business case approach C) NPV D) ROI

If a company doesn't want to write any computer code, it would choose to ________. A) custom-write an entire application B) customize a prewritten application C) outsource the application D) use a prewritten application

If a company wants to write some computer code, it would choose to ________. A) custom-write an entire application B) customize a prewritten application C) outsource the application D) use a prewritten application

If a company wants to write all new computer code, it would choose to ________. A) custom-write an entire application B) customize a prewritten application C) outsource the application D) use a prewritten application

_________ is an advantage of the buy option. A) Control B) Modification C) Integration D) Time

_________ is a disadvantage of the buy option. A) Availability B) Control C) Hiring D) Time

The 80/20 rule means that if the software meets _________ percent of the company's needs, then the company should modify _________ percent of its business processes to use the software. A) 20; 20 B) 20; 80 C) 80; 20 D) 80; 80

A(n) ____________ is an agent or a vendor who assembles the software needed by enterprises and then packages it with services such as development, operations, and maintenance. A) ASP B) ERP C) PaaS D) SaaS

_________ is a method of delivering software in which a vendor hosts the applications and provides them as a service to customers over a network, typically the internet. A) ASP B) ERP C) PaaS D) SaaS

SaaS is a method of delivering _________ in which a vendor hosts the applications and provides them as a service to customers over a network, typically the internet. A) a platform B) an architecture C) hardware D) software

If a company acquires IT applications from outside contractors or external organizations, it is called ________. A) insourcing B) onshoring C) outsourcing D) reverse outsourcing

Insourcing is also called ________. A) nearshoring B) onshoring C) outsourcing D) reverse outsourcing

Starchup is a _______ provider that _______. A) IaaS; helps entrepreneurs build apps quickly B) IaaS; provides apps to dry cleaners C) SaaS; helps entrepreneurs build apps quickly D) SaaS; provides apps to dry cleaners

Gigster is part of the _______ economy. A) app B) quoting C) sharing D) technology

Which BEST describes Gigster's business model? A) It provides access to experienced IT professionals for small, independently-owned companies that do not have the budget for in-house IT groups. B) It provides on-demand access to experienced programmers and developers for entrepreneurs who do not possess the expertise to bring app ideas to market. C) It provides access to any number of tech-industry professionals with a variety of experience to telecommuting professionals who require IT assistance. D) It provides on-demand access to a variety of people working in creative spaces for households, businesses, or individuals in need of their services.

Gigster and Starchup's relationship can be described as ______. A) a partnership B) competitors C) adversarial D) B2C

Shadow IT is a(n) ________ phenomenon. A) BYOD B) ERP C) RFID D) TPS

____________ IT exists when a company is not equipped to deliver the solutions that employees need to be productive in their jobs. A) Black B) Dark C) Shadow D) Underground

One of the problems with shadow IT, especially in the case of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, is that machines out of purview of an organization's official IT group are not _________. A) encrypted B) registered C) paid for D) up-to-date

Which of the following is the correct order of the SDLC? A) analysis, investigation, design, implementation, programming/testing, operation/maintenance B) analysis, investigation, design, programming/testing, implementation, operation/maintenance C) investigation, analysis, design, implementation, programming/testing, operation/maintenance D) investigation, analysis, design, programming/testing, implementation, operation/maintenance

The first stage of the SDLC is ________. A) analysis B) design C) investigation D) programming

_________ are employees from all functional areas and levels of the organization who interact with the system, either directly or indirectly. A) Programmers B) Systems analysts C) Technical specialists D) Users

_________ are IS professionals who specialize in analyzing and designing information systems. A) Programmers B) Systems analysts C) Technical specialists D) Users

_________ are IS professionals who either modify existing computer programs or write new programs to satisfy user requirements. A) Programmers B) Systems analysts C) Technical specialists D) Users

_________ are experts on a certain type of technology. A) Programmers B) Systems analysts C) Technical specialists D) Users

Users have the greatest involvement in the _________ stage of the SDLC. A) design B) programming C) implementation D) investigation

System developers have the greatest involvement in the _________ stage of the SDLC. A) analysis B) investigation C) operation D) testing

Systems _________ addresses the business problem or business opportunity by means of a feasibility study. A) analysis B) design C) investigation D) operation

_________ feasibility determines whether the company can develop or otherwise acquire the hardware, software, and communications components needed to solve the business problem. A) Behavioral B) Competitive C) Economic D) Technical

_________ feasibility determines whether the project is an acceptable financial risk and, if so, whether the organization has the necessary time and money to successfully complete the project. A) Behavioral B) Competitive C) Economic D) Technical

_________ feasibility addresses the human issues of the systems development project. A) Behavioral B) Competitive C) Economic D) Technical

Your company's employee base is mostly comprised of older people who generally dislike and distrust technology. This means the _________ feasibility of implementing a new system is low. A) behavioral B) competitive C) economic D) technical

The primary purpose of the systems _________ stage is to gather information about the existing system to determine the requirements for an enhanced system or a new system. A) analysis B) design C) investigation D) operation

The end product of the _________ stage is a set of system requirements. A) analysis B) design C) investigation D) operation

The deliverable of the system _________ phase is the set of technical system specifications. A) analysis B) design C) investigation D) programming

Adding functions after the project has been initiated causes ________. A) direct deployment B) low feasibility C) quality issues D) scope creep

A _________ conversion involves shutting the old system off and turning the new system on at a certain point in time. A) direct B) parallel C) phased D) pilot

_________ conversion is the least expensive. A) Direct B) Parallel C) Phased D) Pilot

_________ conversion is the most risky. A) Direct B) Parallel C) Phased D) Pilot

A _________ conversion introduces the new system in one part of the organization. A) direct B) parallel C) phased D) pilot

A _________ conversion introduces components of the new system in stages. A) direct B) parallel C) phased D) pilot

Your company decides to implement the manufacturing module of SAP before implementing payroll. This is an example of _________ conversion. A) direct B) parallel C) phased D) pilot

Your company decides to implement SAP in the United States before implementing it in Canada. This is an example of _________ conversion. A) direct B) parallel C) phased D) pilot

A _________ conversion involves running the old and new systems at the same time. A) direct B) parallel C) phased D) pilot

_________ is a group-based tool for collecting user requirements and creating system designs. A) Agile development B) End-user development C) JAD D) RAD

_________ is a systems development method that can combine tools to rapidly produce a high-quality system. A) Agile development B) End-user development C) JAD D) RAD

_________ is a software development methodology that delivers functionality in rapid iterations which are usually measured in weeks. A) Agile development B) End-user development C) JAD D) RAD

_________ is an approach in which the organization's end users develop their own applications with little or no formal assistance from the IT department. A) Agile development B) End-user development C) JAD D) RAD

In the first RAD stage, developers use _________ sessions to collect user requirements. A) Agile development B) end-user development C) ICASE D) JAD

RAD uses _________ tools to quickly structure requirements and develop prototypes. A) Agile development B) end-user development C) ICASE D) JAD

The scrum approach is one type of ________. A) Agile development B) end-user development C) JAD D) RAD

The _________ is the scrum approach typically replaces a project manager. A) product owner B) program developer C) scrum master D) team

The _________ represents the business users and any other stakeholders in the project. A) product owner B) program developer C) scrum master D) team

Scrum sprints typically last 2-4 ________. A) hours B) days C) weeks D) years

The biggest problem associated with end-user development is ________. A) availability B) cost C) security D) time

________________ development is closely linked with the idea of web services and service-oriented architectures. A) Agile B) Component-based C) End-user D) Object-oriented

_________ are the fundamental elements in object-oriented development and represent tangible, real-world entities. A) Behaviors B) Objects C) Operations D) Properties

Which of the following is an advantage of the traditional SDLC? A) Bypasses the IS department and avoids delays B) Enforces quality by maintaining standards C) Involves many users in the development process D) Works wells for ill-defined problems

Which of the following is an advantage of prototyping? A) Bypasses the IS department and avoids delays B) Enforces quality by maintaining standards C) Involves many users in the development process D) Works wells for ill-defined problems

Which of the following is an advantage of JAD? A) Bypasses the IS department and avoids delays B) Enforces quality by maintaining standards C) Involves many users in the development process D) Works wells for ill-defined problems

Which of the following is an advantage of end-user development? A) Bypasses the IS department and avoids delays B) Enforces quality by maintaining standards C) Involves many users in the development process D) Works wells for ill-defined problems

Joseph and his marketing team want to create a new app where customers can give feedback on various products. They have asked the technical team to develop the app with four sprints, each two weeks apart. It is important to them that they be able to change the specs of the app based on customer feedback. This app would best be be developed using ____________ development. A) joint application B) agile C) end-user D) object-oriented

Conrad and his team are under pressure to develop their product for the university before the semester starts and they have only two weeks. Which type of development would be least helpful for them? A) traditional development B) agile development C) rapid application development D) prototyping

SA Homes originally used the _________ method. A) agile development B) end-user development C) joint application design D) traditional waterfall

SA Homes utilized _______ to allow apps to run on any operating system regardless of where the apps are developed. A) agile apps B) containers C) supercomputers D) virtual servers

Paychex switched from the traditional waterfall development method to agile development to deploy software more quickly.

Paychex is an IaaS provider.

One of the most important things to understand about the service that Paychex provides is that if the system were to go down for an extended period, customers would leave very quickly.

DevOps is a methodology combining IT developments teams with operations teams throughout the development and deployment of IT solutions.

While DevOps as a deployment and development method is gaining popularity, most experts agree that the waterfall method is much more effective and in the end, will result in a stronger product.

Small organizations do not need a formal process for planning for and justifying IT applications.

The IT architecture encompasses both the technical and managerial aspects of information resources.

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

The existing IT architecture is an absolute constraint on the development of an IT strategic plan.

The IT steering committee is comprised of the top IT managers in an organization.

Fixed costs change when a company decides to implement a cloud computing solution.

Costs of a system end when the system is installed.

Database design choices can affect an organization decades after they are made even when hardware and software is replaced; the Y2K problem was a perfect illustration of this.

It is easy to assess the benefits of IT because they are so tangible.

As long a new technology is implemented, it will give organizations the benefits they seek.

Companies can buy or lease prewritten applications.

Purchasing a prewritten application is always the most cost-effective and time-saving solution.

A single software package rarely satisfies all of an organization's needs.

An ASP hosts both an application and a database for each customer.

SaaS customers own the software but it is offered at a cheaper price.

Open-source software is an alternative source of applications.

Communication, control, and cost are the three benefits of outsourcing.

Being an informed user will help you take advantage of custom development.

Gigster helps entrepreneurs bring an app to market because entrepreneurs frequently do not have the money or the skills to develop an app on their own.

Shadow IT is the illegal use of hardware in the workplace.

Only IT people are involved in the SDLC.

Technology is available at a cost that is affordable to you, but you know your employees will refuse to use anything new. This means the feasibility of your IT project is high.

A hidden backlog contains the projects that the IT department is not aware of because of low feasibility.

IT people are supposed to identify the system requirements in the systems analysis stage.

Scope creep is necessary even though it is really expensive because it allows users to request things they really need.

Most systems are implemented with direct conversion because it is the cheapest.

Pilot conversion is the least used conversion strategy.

The direct and parallel conversion strategies are not used very frequently by businesses.

RAD produces prototypes rather than functional components.

The development process in RAD is iterative.

Agile development ensures that the software includes every possible feature the user will require.

The core tenet of agile development is to do only what you have to do to be successful right now.

End-user development is also called Shadow IT.

Upper CASE tools automate the early stages of the SDLC.

Upper CASE tools automate the later stages of the SDLC.

Lower CASE tools automate the systems investigation, analysis, and design stages of the SDLC.

Lower CASE tools automate the programming, testing, operation, and maintenance stages of the SDLC.

End-user development requires a high degree of assistance from the IT department.

Apps built in a Windows environment typically do not operate in a Linux environment.

A(n) ___ is a prioritized list of both existing and potential IT applications.

A(n) ___ is an agent or a vendor who assembles the software needed by enterprises and then packages it with services such as development, operations, and maintenance.

___ is a method of delivering software in which a vendor hosts the applications and provides them as a service to customers over a network, typically the internet.

___ are a method of developing applications that run independently of the base operating system of the server.

___ is the process of steadily adding new computer code to a software project when the new computer code is written and tested.

A(n) ___ is a list of projects that the IT department is not aware of.

Systems ___ describes how the system will resolve the business problem.

Adding functions after the project has been initiated causes ___.

___ is a group-based tool for collecting user requirements and creating system designs.

____ is a systems development method that can combine tools to rapidly produce a high-quality system.

___ is a software development methodology that delivers functionality in rapid iterations which are usually measured in weeks.

___ is an approach in which the organization's end users develop their own applications with little or no formal assistance from the IT department.

___ uses standard components to build applications.

___ is based on a different view of computer systems than that perception that characterizes traditional development approaches.

List and describe the four common approaches for conducting a cost-benefit analysis. What are the difficulties associated with conducting these approaches for IT projects? What approach would you use to justify the implementation of a website that allows customers to post comments on it and why?

List and describe the four fundamental questions/decisions/strategies for acquiring IT applications (including the sub-parts). You've justified your IT investment, so now you need to decide how you want to pursue it. You are an entrepreneur who wants to start your own small business; how would you answer these questions? Now assume you are the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company; how would you answer these questions?

What is the difference between outsourcing and offshoring? If you were the CEO of a large corporation, would you outsource, offshore, or insource (why or why not)?

List and describe the six stages of the SDLC. What role would you play in the SDLC if your company was thinking about implementing an ERP system; if you were an HR manager; if you were an IT programmer?

You decide the traditional SDLC approach has too many disadvantages. Which alternative would you use and why? HINT: You should discuss the advantages of the method you choose and at least one disadvantage supporting why you would not choose the other methods.