Deck 14: Designing and Building Decision Support Systems

Question 1

Because there is no one best DSS, it stands to reason that there is no one best way to design and build one either.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Because of the unique requirements of a DSS, the only way to construct one is with a DSS generator.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

A DSS generator is an application system that eliminates the need for programming of thousands of individual instructions or codes in the design and construction of a DSS.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A common perspective with regard to system design and development is found in the system development life cycle (SDLC) approach. The SDLC portrays the process as a series of iterative and recursive phases, each with its own set of required inputs, activities, and deliverables.

Question 5

The primary advantage of an SLDC approach to DSS design is that it is the most adaptive methodology to handle the sometimes rapidly changing system specifications.

Question 6

An alternative to the SDLC approach is ROMC Analysis. This approach focuses the analysis effort on developing understandings of read operations (R), overflows (O), memory maps (M), and continuous data flow (C).

Question 7

Functional category analysis results in the design of a DSS from the categorization of end-user interviews.

Question 8

Three primary categories of system requirements for the DSS can be established: (1) functional requirements, (2) interface requirements, and (3) coordination requirements.

Question 9

The functional requirements for the DSS focus on the DSS's capacity for storage, recall, and production of knowledge useful to the problem context.

Question 10

The coordination requirements focus on the communication capabilities of the DSS. During this phase, the designer must determine the various channels and methods of communication that will be made available to the DSS user and the conditions under which they will be made available.

Question 11

The determination of specific physical components, structure, and development platforms is made during the system construction stage of the DSS development process.

Question 12

The goal of the system implementation phase is to test, evaluate, and deploy a fully functional and documented DSS. During this phase, a major activity is the final determination and evaluation of the degree to which the DSS meets the users' needs.

Question 13

The DSS developer must possess the knowledge to develop the computer-based application but normally does not need to be knowledgeable about the details surrounding the problem under study.

Question 14

Two basic types of prototyping have proved effective in the development of DSSs: iterative prototypes and reusable prototypes.

Question 15

Prototyping can be beneficial in the development of a DSS because the immediate nature of user response and feedback regarding system functionality can result in greater senior management support.

Question 16

End users are those individuals who fall outside the confines of the formally defined IS department or function within an organization.

Question 17

An advantage of end-user development DSS applications is a reduction in time to deliver resulting in lower cost.

Question 18

An area of risk with end-user developed DSS applications is a potential lack of security measures built into the system.

Question 19

The concept of the information center (IC) arose to address the need for end-user support in the design and development of computer-based applications.

Question 20

DSS development tools are classified as either primary development tools or DSS generators.

Question 21

An application system that eliminates the need for programming of thousands of individual instructions or code in the design and construction of a DSS is called a(n):

A) DSS development system.
B) DSS generator.
C) DSS analyzer.
D) None of the above.

Question 22

A common perspective with regard to system design and development is found in the _____________ approach which portrays the process as a series of iterative and recursive phases, each with its own set of required inputs, activities, and deliverables.

A) DSS programming language
B) ROMC
C) SDLC
D) None of the above.

Question 23

Which of the following is not true of the SDLC approach in DSS development?

A) It brings a necessary structure and discipline to the DSS development process.
B) It is flexible in its development approach.
C) It is common where formal relationships exist between the developer and end user.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 24

An alternative to the SDLC approach which focuses the analysis effort on developing understandings of representations, operations, memory aids, and controls is called:

A) SDLC II.
B) ROMC.
C) RAID.
D) CSF.

Question 25

A methodology for the design of a DSS that focuses on the identification of specific functions necessary for the development of a particular DSS from a broad list of available functions including selection, aggregation, estimation, simulation, equalization, and optimization is called:

A) functional category analysis.
B) ROMC.
C) SDLC.
D) SDLC II.

Question 26

Which of the following would not be considered a primary category of the systems analysis phase of DSS development?

A) Functional requirements
B) Interface requirements
C) Technical requirements
D) None of the above.

Question 27

The set of specifications for the DSS which focuses on the DSS's capacity for storage, recall, and production of knowledge useful to the problem context is known as the:

A) functional requirements.
B) interface requirements.
C) technical requirements.
D) coordination requirements.

Question 28

The requirements which focus on the communication capabilities of the DSS are called the:

A) functional requirements.
B) interface requirements.
C) technical requirements.
D) coordination requirements.

Question 29

The requirements for a DSS that include the timing of events associated with the decision-making process, the facilitation of the access to relevant information, and the integration of various modeling tools contained with the DSS are called the:

A) functional requirements.
B) interface requirements.
C) technical requirements.
D) coordination requirements.

Question 30

Which design phase uses iterative prototyping to make refinements to the system based upon feedback received from testing and user involvement?

A) System design
B) System construction
C) Implementation
D) None of the above.

Question 31

Which of the following would be an example of a coordination requirement?

A) The need to update sale projections for prior fiscal periods to actual figures before initiating a future projection process
B) The need to provide a graphic interface to the user
C) The need for a powerful server
D) None of the above.

Question 32

The determination of specific physical components, structure, and development platforms is made during the __________stage of the DSS development process.

A) system design
B) system requirements
C) system construction
D) implementation

Question 33

The goal of the _________________ phase is to test, evaluate, and deploy a fully functional and documented DSS. During this phase, a major activity is the final determination and evaluation of the degree to which the DSS meets the users' needs.

A) system design
B) system construction
C) system implementation
D) incremental adaptation

Question 34

The final stage in the DSS development process is ________. It involves the continual revisiting of the activities from earlier stages in an effort to the capabilities of the DSS based upon the knowledge gained as a result of its use.

A) system requirements revision
B) system installation
C) system implementation
D) incremental adaptation

Question 35

Which of the following is true of the DSS development process?

A) More often than not the problem context is not known to the user.
B) The decision making process tends to vary greatly.
C) Prototyping is typically an expedient method of defining DSS requirements.
D) All of the above.

Question 36

Which of the following is not a prototyping classification?

A) Iterative
B) ROMC analyzed
C) Throwaway
D) All of the above are prototype classifications.

Question 37

Which of the following is true of prototyping?

A) It typically results in a lower development cost than an SDLC approach.
B) It typically results in a quicker development time than an SDLC approach.
C) In the early stages it is very similar to the SDLC approach.
D) All of the above.

Question 38

Which of the following is not true of an end-user developed DSS?

A) They are typically created in less time.
B) They typically have less implementation problems.
C) They typically result in lower development cost.
D) None of the above.

Question 39

The ___________________ are the lowest level of DSS development technology. In this category, we find the programming languages, code and text editors, graphics development applications, and database query mechanisms employed during the development of either a DSS generator or a specific DSS application.

A) primary development tools
B) DSS generators
C) specific DSS applications
D) None of the above.

Question 40

The _____________ are packages of hardware/software which provide a set of capabilities to build a specific DSS quickly and easily.

A) primary development tools
B) DSS generators
C) specific DSS applications
D) None of the above.

Question 41

List the processes in the SDLC approach to DSS application development.

Question 42

List the factors that are related to the quality of the user interface.