Deck 14: Acquiring Information Systems Through Projects

Question 1

Most findings state that the success rate of IT projects is 80 percent.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software will never fit organizational requirements exactly.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Feasibility has four dimensions: cost, schedule, technical, and organizational.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The IT industry has over 50 years of experience acquiring and developing information systems, and over those years, methodologies have emerged that successfully deal with systems development.

Question 5

SDLC is described as a waterfall method, which makes the whole process relatively easy to go back and change a phase once you have begun the next phase.

Question 6

Systems development is exclusively a technical task undertaken by programmers.

Question 7

Information technology project management (ITPM) is the collection of techniques and methods that project managers use to plan, coordinate, and complete IT projects.

Question 8

Studies indicate that information systems projects are often delivered late, over budget, and do not fulfill all requirements.

Question 9

Software developers are usually good at planning for vacations, sick days, and other things needed for the project besides writing software.

Question 10

Many development methods exist, including rapid application development (RAD), object-oriented systems development (OOD), and extreme programming (XP).

Question 11

A test plan consists of sequences of actions that users will take when using the new system.

Question 12

Some systems are so tightly integrated that they cannot be installed in phases.

Question 13

Acquiring software is the same as acquiring information systems.

Question 14

The IT industry developed the SDLC in the school of hard knocks.

Question 15

In most cases, companies will purchase and customize off-the-shelf information systems.

Question 16

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.

Question 17

"Buy it and customize it" is the most common method for acquiring software applications.

Question 18

Business managers are most involved in SDLC during Phase 1 and Phase 2.

Question 19

Organizations are looking for business professionals who have knowledge, skills, and personal qualities that will allow them to lead and support the effective and competitive use of information systems.

Question 20

Systems development is primarily a technical task for programmers and hardware designers.

Question 21

Alternative system designs are evaluated against the system requirements in the ________ phase of the SDLC approach.

A) requirements analysis
B) system maintenance
C) component design
D) implementation
E) system definition

Question 22

The last stage of testing is the ________ test, where future system users try out the new system.

A) acceptance
B) beta
C) technical
D) PQA
E) gamma

Question 23

A ________ installation is the riskiest because the old system is turned off and the new system is turned on.

A) big-bang
B) phased
C) plunge
D) pilot
E) parallel

Question 24

PMBOK was developed by the Project Management Institute.

Question 25

The five phases of the SDLC approach after the initial system definition phase are

A) requirements analysis, system definition, component design, implementation, and conversion.
B) requirements analysis, implementation, design, and system upgrade.
C) requirements analysis, system definition, component design, implementation, and system maintenance.
D) requirements analysis, system definition, implementation, design and training.
E) requirements analysis, system definition, implementation, component design, and training.

Question 26

If the proposed information system violated antitrust laws, this should be discovered in the ________ study of the system definition phase.

A) technical feasibility
B) regulatory feasibility
C) schedule feasibility
D) organizational feasibility
E) cost feasibility

Question 27

The SDLC can be described as a five-phase process.

Question 28

The set of approved user requirements is the main input into the ________ phase of the SDLC approach.

A) component design
B) system definition
C) requirements analysis
D) implementation
E) system maintenance

Question 29

Waterfall methods involve a sequence of non-repetitive tasks.

Question 30

In an ASP agreement, an organization contracts a vendor to rent applications on a fee for service basis.

Question 31

To determine if the proposed information system is justified economically, organizations must assess the

A) technical feasibility.
B) acceptance feasibility.
C) schedule feasibility.
D) cost feasibility.
E) organizational feasibility.

Question 32

In a ________ installation, the new system runs alongside the old one until it has been tested and is fully operational.

A) phased
B) pilot
C) plunge
D) big-bang
E) parallel

Question 33

The initial system definition phase is followed by the ________ phase of the SDLC approach.

A) implementation
B) component design
C) system definition
D) requirements analysis
E) system maintenance

Question 34

If a company installs and tests only a portion of the new system, then repeatedly installs and tests portions of the new system until it is complete, this known as a ________ conversion.

A) phased
B) plunge
C) parallel
D) big-bang
E) pilot

Question 35

________ concerns whether the new information system will fit with the organization's culture, charter, or legal requirements.

A) Technical feasibility
B) Schedule feasibility
C) Organizational feasibility
D) People feasibility
E) Cost feasibility

Question 36

Teams of systems analysts and users determine the job descriptions and functions of people who will use the new system in the ________ phase of the SDLC.

A) component design
B) system definition
C) requirements analysis
D) implementation
E) system maintenance

Question 37

The primary purpose of the ________ phase of the SDLC approach is to manage the scope of the IT project.

A) system definition
B) component design
C) implementation
D) system maintenance
E) requirements analysis

Question 38

The ________ approach is the classic process used to develop information systems.

A) extreme programming (XP)
B) object-oriented systems development (OOD)
C) rapid application development (RAD)
D) systems development life cycle (SDLC)
E) agile programming (AP)

Question 39

The first step of the system definition stage of the SDLC is to

A) talk to users about requirements.
B) assess feasibility.
C) identify team members.
D) determine the schedule and budget for the project.
E) define the goals and scope of the new system.

Question 40

________ refers to whether existing information technology is likely to be able to meet the needs of the new system.

A) Cost feasibility
B) Technical feasibility
C) People feasibility
D) Organizational feasibility
E) Schedule feasibility

Question 41

Software vendors often bundle large bunches of fixes for low-priority problems into groups called

A) technical fixes.
B) enterprise packs.
C) patches.
D) service patches.
E) service packs.

Question 42

The approach to system conversion whereby a new system that is to be used in more than one business is first implemented in a single unit so that it may be tested and debugged before implementing it in the other business units is called

A) plunge.
B) pilot.
C) phased.
D) parallel.
E) big-bang.

Question 43

Wallace and Keil identified ________ risks inherent in IT projects.

A) 41
B) 52
C) 25
D) 5
E) 21

Question 44

The single most important criterion for information systems success is

A) to ensure that the system definition phase is done correctly.
B) to avoid waterfall situations.
C) for users to take ownership of their systems.
D) to make sure the system is feasible.
E) identify the capabilities of the off-the-shelf- software.

Question 45

The first risk associated with outsourcing IT projects is

A) loss of control.
B) increased quality.
C) non-existent.
D) increased costs.
E) shorter delivery time.

Question 46

Application service providers are companies that

A) perform hardware updates.
B) do employee background checks.
C) give legal advice.
D) provide programmers for in-house development.
E) rent software to organizations.

Question 47

Which of the following is the main activity of the maintenance phase of the SDLC?

A) Programming interfaces
B) Obtaining requirements
C) Installing hardware
D) Fixing problems or adapting to changes
E) Training

Question 48

Senior management often justifies reducing the time schedules for system projects by

A) saying that they want to reduce the budget.
B) saying that the tighter schedules make workers work more efficiently.
C) saying that they want to look good to their bosses.
D) saying that the workers lack proper motivation.
E) saying that angry employees work better.

Question 49

System conversion methods include

A) plunge, parallel, open, phased.
B) parallel, open, phased, pilot.
C) synchronized, plunge, pilot, parallel.
D) open, synchronized, phased, pilot.
E) parallel, pilot, plunge, phased.

Question 50

Projects often begin with

A) resources.
B) a schedule.
C) a set of goals or objectives.
D) a sponsor.
E) a project manager.

Question 51

Acquiring software is

A) a highly involved process.
B) the same as acquiring new information systems.
C) not the same as acquiring new information systems.
D) a difficult process.
E) accomplished by the outsourcing group.

Question 52

Systems development is a process for creating and ________ information systems.

A) maintaining
B) upgrading
C) proposing
D) programming
E) brainstorming

Question 53

During the maintenance phase, IS personnel may create

A) service packs, new releases, and patches.
B) plans for database design and related structures.
C) component design outlines.
D) ways to motivate employees.
E) cost and schedule feasibility studies.

Question 54

Outsourcing IT services may lead to problems with

A) vendor companies increasing prices and/or vendor mismanagement.
B) determining a project budget.
C) managing changes in technology.
D) determining requirements.
E) plunge installation.

Question 55

Precise estimate costs for IT projects are difficult to develop because

A) rapid application development (RAD) changes part way through the project.
B) management thinks it is a negotiation between the business and IT.
C) programmers look to increase earnings during the process.
D) technology is continually changing.
E) agile programming is not a fully developed system.

Question 56

The main problem of the SDLC approach to systems development is the ________ nature of the process. This refers to the fact that each phase is meant to be completed and not repeated as the project moves on to the next phase.

A) drawn out
B) complex
C) continuous
D) waterfall
E) stop-and-start

Question 57

________ and business analysts are active throughout the systems development process and play a key role in moving the project through the systems development process.

A) Systems analysts
B) Programmers
C) Developers
D) CIO
E) Mangers

Question 58

Information technology project management is a

A) certification process to create a unique product, service, or result.
B) collection of techniques and methods to plan, coordinate, and complete IT projects.
C) project management knowledge bank.
D) series of rules that regulate IT projects.
E) set of best practices from managing technology IT projects.

Question 59

Application service providers ________ software applications to other companies.

A) rent
B) outsource
C) write outsource
D) give
E) award

Question 60

If the requirements analysis process becomes very long and drawn-out that the requirements document is obsolete and too complex, this can lead to the problem of

A) unclear specifications.
B) analysis paralysis.
C) poor documentation.
D) schedule conflict.
E) lost updates.

Question 61

Information technology project management skills are central to the skills needed by organizations to ________ (to) an increasingly complex business environment.

A) keep up
B) manage
C) adapt
D) remain competitive in
E) forge ahead in

Question 62

________ is the second phase of the SDLC.

A) Requirement analysis
B) Component design
C) Maintenance
D) implementation
E) System definition

Question 63

In the SDLC, the first major task of the project team is to define the ________ of the project.

Question 64

The process groups in PMBOK are related to the notion of (a)

A) extreme programming.
B) agile programming.
C) systems development life cycle.
D) prototyping.
E) normalization.

Question 65

The process groups in PMBOK can be related to the ________ project management areas.

A) five
B) six
C) eight
D) nine
E) seven

Question 66

PMBOK first published in 1996 is now in its ________ edition.

A) first
B) second
C) third
D) fourth
E) fifth

Question 67

The single most important criterion for information systems success is for users to take ________ of their systems.

A) on the success
B) on the use
C) on the task of development
D) on the growth
E) ownership

Question 68

Systems development often aims at a(n) ________ target.

A) intermediary
B) stationary
C) moving
D) progressive
E) intermittent

Question 69

It may be necessary to create a(n) ________ if the new system will involve a new database or extensive changes to an existing database.

Question 70

The primary output of the system definition phase of the SDLC is the ________.

Question 71

________ is the fourth phase of the SDLC.

A) Component design
B) Requirement analysis
C) Maintenance
D) System definition
E) Implementation

Question 72

Employers are looking for individuals who have the knowledge and skills to ________ information technology.

A) be comfortable with
B) use
C) develop
D) innovate through
E) avoid

Question 73

According to PMBOK, there are ________ process groups in any project

A) seven
B) five
C) four
D) six
E) eight

Question 74

A critical aspect throughout the system development process is ________.

Question 75

Project feasibility has ________ dimensions.

Question 76

The most common method for acquiring software applications is ________.

Question 77

"The time required to perform a task expands to the time available to do it" is

A) an old proverb.
B) Fubini's Law.
C) Moore's Law.
D) Jackson's Law.
E) Parkinson's Law.

Question 78

Organizations that understand the ________ before acquiring new applications are more likely to be successful in integrating software compared to organizations that think software equals systems.

A) data
B) risks
C) costs
D) business strategy
E) threats

Question 79

An example of an information technology project management (ITPM) tool is

A) flow charts.
B) testing charts.
C) PERT charts.
D) GIANT charts.
E) CRM charts.

Question 80

Goals and scope identification usually occur (at the) ________ (of) a project

A) during
B) start
C) beginning
D) half way point
E) end