Deck 13: Business Process and Project Management

Question 1

During the implementation stage, __________ tests are conducted by technical experts who attest that the process is integrated correctly with inputs and outputs of other processes and data sources and data stores

A) user acceptance
B) functional acceptance
C) system acceptance
D) integration acceptance

Answer 1

C

Question 2

When you break it down, you see that a business process is actually __________.

A) A project of known scope with an assigned budget
B) A loosely defined approach to solving an unstructured problem
C) A series of individual tasks executed in a specific order
D) Clearly defined and automated by software

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The advantage of the __________ is that any tier can be upgraded or replaced independently as business requirements or technology change.

A) Tightly coupled architecture
B) Middleware and graphical user-interface
C) Three-tier software architecture
D) Four-module tiered architecture

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The __________ spec, also called the technical spec, is important to managers because it identifies how the business process will be implemented in as much detail as possible.

A) Evaluation
B) Implementation
C) Project
D) Design

Question 5

Changes to business apps that were needed prior to year 2000 were tedious and time-consuming because they were tightly coupled programs written in __________.

A) COBOL
B) Java
C) Visio
D) Flash

Question 6

During the implementation stage, __________ tests are critical because that is when analysts test whether the process performs its functions.

A) user acceptance
B) functional acceptance
C) system acceptance
D) technical acceptance

Question 7

Autotrader.com shortened the__________ of its order fulfillment process from over 8 days to about 1 day by implementing BPM.

A) Cycle time
B) Legacy
C) Life cycle
D) SOA

Question 8

Before any process can be improved, the __________ and the tasks involved in the process need to be clarified.

A) Team members
B) Budget
C) Time frame
D) Desired outcomes

Question 9

Business processes integrate __________.

A) Software and hardware
B) ISs and people
C) Data and models
D) Dashboards and scoreboards

Question 10

In the long term, business process management BPM) helps companies __________.

A) improve profitability by reducing waste and costs
B) become more responsive to business changes
C) increase sales revenues and profit margins
D) all of the above

Question 11

__________ components have minimal dependence on each other, which simplifies testing, maintenance and troubleshooting because problems are easy to isolate and unlikely to spread.

A) Tightly coupled
B) Hardwired
C) Loosely connected
D) COBOL

Question 12

What was the underlying reason for the failure of the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau's Handheld Project?

A) Failure of top management in the bureau to assess and mitigate risks of such a major project
B) Technical and database failures
C) Poor project management approach
D) Insufficient training of the census takers on how to use the handheld devices

Question 13

Which is not one of the benefits of Autotrader.com's electronic sales order system and BPMS?

A) Decrease in errors in sales orders
B) More satisfied dealers
C) Simplified processes
D) Reduced time to measure KPIs to one day

Question 14

A process has inputs and outputs that are __________, which is necessary so it can be managed.

A) Qualitative
B) Measurable
C) Visual
D) Summary metrics

Question 15

An) __________ is a set of technologies used for exchanging data between applications and for connecting processes with other systems across the organization, and with business partners.

A) ERP
B) mashup
C) SOA
D) Web service

Question 16

During the implementation stage, __________ tests are critical because they determine whether the process is designed well from users' perspective.

A) user acceptance
B) functional acceptance
C) system acceptance
D) integration

Question 17

After decades of business process reengineering attempts, organizations still have problems with their business operations. What are those problems?

A) They duplicate processes
B) They perform hundreds of non-core tasks that should be outsourced
C) They spend vast amounts on proprietary process-management software that's difficult to update
D) All of the above

Question 18

British Telecom, United Airlines, and other companies that focused their BPM initiatives on process automation and cost savings had achieved significant operational efficiencies __________.

A) And higher market share
B) But lost their competitive edge and fell short of their performance targets
C) But only for a short time as competitors copied their efforts
D) Because they were linked to their business strategies.

Question 19

__________ are the building blocks of each functional area, for example billing and inventory management.

A) IT procedures
B) Business processes
C) Business strategies
D) Competitive forces

Question 20

In the short term, business process management BPM) helps companies __________.

A) improve profitability by reducing waste and costs
B) become more responsive to business changes
C) increase sales revenues and profit margins
D) all of the above

Question 21

Systems development involves __________, which is the revising of results of any development process when new information makes revision the smart thing to do.

A) Iteration
B) Scope creep
C) Constraints
D) Prototyping

Question 22

For in-house development, the __________ option should be considered only for specialized IT apps for which components are not available because this option is expensive and slow.

A) Build from components
B) Build from scratch
C) Integrating applications
D) Prototyping

Question 23

End-user development has risks and limitations, which include each of the following except:

A) End users may not be skilled enough in computers, so quality and cost may be jeopardized.
B) End users may not take time to document their work
C) End users may neglect proper security measures.
D) There may be an endless loop of prototype revisions.

Question 24

Options for the acquisition of complex IT applications are all of the following except:

A) Built in-house
B) Custom-made by a vendor
C) Leased from an application service provider ASP)
D) Out-of-the-box

Question 25

During the systems investigation stage, __________ studies are done to determine if the hardware, software, and communications components can be developed and/or acquired to solve the business problem.

A) Economic feasibility
B) Technical feasibility
C) ROI
D) NPV

Question 26

Projects are managed by managing the triple constraints. Which is not one of those constraints?

A) Approval
B) Scope
C) Time
D) Budget

Question 27

Project management includes three basic operations. Which is not one of those operations?

A) Planning
B) Budgeting
C) Organizing
D) Controlling

Question 28

Which is not a characteristic of program testing?

A) Testing verifies that computer code works correctly under various conditions.
B) Syntax errors are easier to find than logic errors because they prevent the program from running.
C) Logic errors are difficult to detect because they permit the program to run but result in incorrect output.
D) Proper testing can be done quickly and with little effort.

Question 29

Project managers need to recognize the risk of __________, which is the piling up of small changes that by themselves are manageable, but collectively can cause significant project growth.

A) Over allocation
B) Critical path
C) Triple constraints
D) Scope creep

Question 30

A project plan is specified in a __________.

A) Resource pool
B) Gantt chart
C) Work breakdown structure WBS)
D) Critical path

Question 31

To add rigor to the programming process, programmers use __________ that improve the flow of the program by decomposing the computer code into modules.

A) GOTO statements
B) Flowcharts
C) Structured programming techniques
D) All of the above

Question 32

Covert resistance to a new IS from employees may take the form of __________.

A) Sabotaging the new system by entering data incorrectly
B) Continuing to do their jobs using their old methods
C) Complaining about the new system for extended time
D) All of the above

Question 33

The first stage of the SDLC is __________ to understand the business problem or opportunity.

A) Systems analysis
B) Systems investigation
C) Prototyping
D) Systems design

Question 34

Project managers must manage the __________, which consists of tasks that must start and finish on schedule or the project will be delayed unless corrective action is taken.

A) Over allocation
B) Critical path
C) Triple constraints
D) Scope creep

Question 35

During the systems investigation stage, __________ studies are done to assess the skills and the training needed to use the new IS.

A) Economic feasibility
B) Technical feasibility
C) Organizational feasibility
D) Behavioral feasibility

Question 36

__________ conversion is the least expensive and highest risk IS conversion strategy because the old system is cut off and the new system is turned on at a certain point in time.

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

Question 37

When the system's logical and physical designs specifications are agreed upon and approved by all participants, they __________.

A) Should not be changed
B) Should be flexible to changes
C) Are used to develop the prototype
D) Determine the budget and timeline for development

Question 38

__________ specifications include the design of outputs, inputs, processing, databases, telecommunications, controls, security, and IS jobs.

A) Physical design
B) Logical design
C) End-user
D) Systems analysis

Question 39

The success of a project manager depends on all of the following except:

A) Use of the critical path method and Gantt charts
B) Clear, open, and timely communication
C) Accurate, timely, and complete information
D) Commitment from team members

Question 40

The __________ is the traditional systems development method used by organizations for large IT projects such as IT infrastructure.

A) Prototyping method
B) Systems development life cycle SDL
C) Critical path method
D) Sourcing method

Question 41

The BPR and JIT approaches were both based on assumptions. And if those assumptions are not met, then they will fail to achieve the great expected results.

Question 42

Web services can connect processes with other systems across the organization, and with business partners. The resulting integrated BPM systems are BPM mashups.

Question 43

The SDLC is a structured framework that consists of sequential processes by which information systems are developed.

Question 44

The goal of loose coupling of apps is to reduce dependencies between systems to improve flexibility and agility.

Question 45

An advantage of JIT is that it significantly decreases transportation and ordering costs.

Question 46

Process design is typically mapped and documented using a modeling tool, such as Microsoft Excel.

Question 47

The BPM approach has its roots in just-in-time JIT), which is the radical redesign of an organization's business processes.

Question 48

A business process, such as the credit approval process, accomplishes or produces something of value to the organization.

Question 49

Many JIT implementations in the U.S. actually increased inventory costs because JIT is based on the assumption that warehousing costs are extremely high, as they were in Japan where JIT was initiated by Toyota.

Question 50

In order to manage a process, the process needs to have outputs that are measurable.

Question 51

An important aspect of SOA is the separation of the service interface the what) from its implementation the how).

Question 52

Not only is the development of the process important, the testing is equally as critical.

Question 53

Project resources must be managed according to the Gantt chart.

Question 54

If organizations focus exclusively on automation and cost savings, they might achieve significant operational efficiencies but lose their competitive edge.

Question 55

When applying business process reengineering BPR), managers first attempt to automate or semi-automate an organization's business processes.

Question 56

SOA and BPM both focus on creating a more flexible IT architecture and optimizing the way actual work gets done.

Question 57

For many organizations, custom software is more expensive than packaged applications. However, if a package does not closely fit the company's needs, the savings are often diluted when the information systems staff or consultants must extend the functionality of the purchased packages.

Question 58

In the 1990s, most organizations failed to achieve fundamental business process improvements because they attended a BPR seminar and then made mistakes in the implementation.

Question 59

SOA is a confusing concept, even for practitioners, because SOA is mistakenly described like BPM or the definition is incomprehensible.

Question 60

After decades of reengineering attempts, organizations no longer duplicate processes or perform non-core tasks that should be outsourced.

Question 61

__________ are pre-configured, ready-to-go integrations between different business software packages. They streamline information sharing among systems.

Question 62

__________ refers to a broad range of software or services that enable communication or data exchange between applications across networks.

Question 63

__________ are information systems professionals who specialize in analyzing and designing information systems.

Question 64

Select a standard business process, such as payroll. Draw a flowchart of an app for that business process.

Question 65

The purpose of the __________ is to recognize which activities are on the critical path so that managers know where to focus their efforts.

Question 66

__________ is the growth of the project after the scope has been defined and is a serious issue because it can cause the project to fail.

Question 67

A __________ is a type of bar chart that shows a project schedule.

Question 68

List and describe the triple constraints of project management.

Question 69

Large IT projects, especially ones that involve infrastructure, are developed according to the __________ methodology using several tools.

Question 70

In a __________ conversion, the old system and the new system operate simultaneously for a period of time, which is the most expensive, but also the least risky approach.

Question 71

Sketch or list the four stages of the business process lifecycle.

Question 72

A __________ is the smallest unit of work and management accountability that is not split into more detailed steps.

Question 73

Identify the tiers of the Three-tier architecture. Describe or give an example of each tier.

Question 74

List and briefly describe the four tests performed on modules that have been installed before going live.

Question 75

__________ testing is important because it determines whether the app meets the original business objectives and vision.