Chapter 6 Determining System Requirements 1) Requirements determination and requirements structuring are the two subphases to systems analysis. Answer: True 2) During requirements determination, information can be gathered from users of the current system, forms, reports, and procedures. Answer: True 3) Challenging yourself to look at the organization in new ways describes the impertinence characteristic that a systems analyst should exhibit during the requirements determination phase. Answer: False 4) Assuming anything is possible and eliminating the infeasible describes the reframing characteristic that a systems analyst should exhibit during the requirements determination phase. Answer: False 5) Finding the best solution to a business problem or opportunity describes the attention to details characteristic that a systems analyst should exhibit during the requirements determination phase. Answer: False 6) Requirements creep is a term used to describe a project that has bogged down in an abundance of analysis work. Answer: False 7) Joint Application Design and prototyping can help keep the analysis effort at a minimum yet still effective. Answer: True 8) Collection of information is at the core of systems analysis. Answer: True 9) Contrary to popular belief, interviewing is not one of the primary ways analysts gather information about an information systems project. Answer: False 10) In order to promote more truthful responses, the general nature of the interview should not be explained to the interviewee in advance. Answer: False 11) Neutrality is a guideline for effective interviewing. Answer: True 12) As a general guideline, you should prepare an agenda with approximate time limits for different sections of the interview. Answer: True 13) Unstructured questions are questions in interviews that have no prespecified answers. Answer: False 14) Open-ended questions are usually used to probe for information when you cannot anticipate all possible responses or when you do not know the precise question to ask. Answer: True 15) Open-ended questions can put the interviewee at ease because she can respond in her own words using her own structure. Answer: True 16) Open-ended questions put the interviewee at ease, are easily summarized, and save time. Answer: False 17) Closed-ended questions work well when the major answers to the questions are known. Answer: True 18) A major disadvantage of closed-ended questions is that useful information that does not quite fit the defined answers may be overlooked as the respondent tries to make a choice instead of providing his or her best answer. Answer: True 19) Multiple choice, rating, and ranking are types of closed-ended questions. Answer: True 20) You should use the interview process to set expectations about the new or replacement system. Answer: False 21) As observations are unbiased, they are preferable to other requirements determination techniques. Answer: False 22) While being observed, employees may follow exact procedures more carefully than they typically do. Answer: True 23) When performing observations, it is best to select typical people and sites as opposed to atypical people and sites. Answer: False 24) In documents you can find information about the values of the organization or individuals who can help determine priorities for different capabilities desired by different users. Answer: True 25) In documents you can find information about special information processing circumstances that occur irregularly. Answer: True 26) As a systems analyst, it is part of your job to create a document for a missing work procedure. Answer: False 27) If you encounter contradictory information about procedures from interviews, questionnaires, or observations, you should reconcile the contradictions before proceeding to other analysis tasks. Answer: False 28) Informal systems develop because of inadequacies of formal procedures, individual work habits and preferences, and resistance to control. Answer: True 29) When gathering system requirements, document analysis and observation are used the least. Answer: False 30) When comparing observations and document analysis, the expense of observations is rated moderate. Answer: False 31) When comparing observations and document analysis, the chances for follow-up and probing with document analysis are rated high to excellent. Answer: False 32) When comparing observations and document analysis, the time required for document analysis is rated as low to moderate. Answer: True 33) The primary purpose of using JAD in the analysis phase is to collect systems requirements simultaneously from the key people involved with the system. Answer: True 34) A JAD is an inexpensive, popular requirements determination technique. Answer: False 35) Referencing a JAD session, the sponsor is the individual responsible for organizing and running a JAD session. Answer: False 36) During JAD, the group interaction process is typically not well supported by computing. Answer: True 37) The goal with using prototyping to support requirements determination is to build the ultimate system from prototyping. Answer: False 38) Throw-away prototyping preserves the prototype that has been developed. Answer: False 39) The idea behind BPR is to reorganize the complete flow of data in major sections of an organization to eliminate unnecessary steps, achieve synergies among previously separate steps, and become more responsive to future changes. Answer: True 40) A first step in any BPR effort is to understand what processes need to change. Answer: True 41) The skills of a systems analyst are often central to many BPR efforts. Answer: True 42) BPR efforts often result in the development of information system maintenance requests or requests for system replacement. Answer: True 43) Key business processes are the structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specific output for a particular customer or market. Answer: True 44) Disruptive technologies enable the breaking of long-held business rules that inhibit organizations from making radical business changes. Answer: True 45) Referencing requirements determination using Agile Methodologies, the Continual User Involvement technique does not work well with small and dedicated development teams. Answer: False 46) The Continual User Involvement technique works best when development can follow the analysis-design-code-test cycle. Answer: True 47) The Agile Usage-Centered Design focuses on user roles, user goals, and the tasks necessary to achieve those goals. Answer: True 48) Referencing eXtreme Programming and its Planning Game, Development is represented by those actually designing and constructing the system. Answer: True 49) Determining systems requirements for an Internet-based electronic commerce application is no different than the process followed for other applications. Answer: True 50) Referencing eXtreme programming, programmers and end users play the Iteration Planning Game. Answer: False 51) Exploration, commitment, and steering are the three phases of the Iteration Planning Game. Answer: True 52) The impertinence characteristic of a good systems analyst is represented by which of the following statements? A) You must challenge yourself to look at the organization in new ways. B) Every fact must fit with every other fact. C) Assume anything is possible, and eliminate the infeasible. D) You should question everything. Answer: D 53) The reframing characteristic of a good systems analyst is represented by which of the following statements? A) You must challenge yourself to look at the organization in new ways. B) Every fact must fit with every other fact. C) Assume anything is possible, and eliminate the infeasible. D) You should question everything. Answer: A 54) The impartiality characteristic of a good systems analyst is represented by which of the following statements? A) You must challenge yourself to look at the organization in new ways. B) Your role is to find the best solution to a business problem or opportunity. C) Assume anything is possible, and eliminate the infeasible. D) You should question everything. Answer: B 55) The primary deliverables from requirements determination include: A) sets of forms, reports, and job descriptions B) transcripts of interviews C) notes from observation and from analysis documents D) all of the above Answer: D 56) The term used to refer to systems development projects bogged down in an abundance of analysis work is: A) information overload B) analysis paralysis C) analysis overload D) information abundance Answer: B 57) Techniques developed to keep the analysis effort minimal, yet still effective include: A) JAD B) interviewing C) observations D) quiz sessions Answer: A 58) Traditional methods of collecting systems requirements include: A) individual interviews B) observing workers C) group interviews D) all of the above Answer: D 59) Which of the following is a traditional method of collecting systems requirements? A) Group support systems B) Group interviews C) Joint Application Design D) Rapid Application Development Answer: B 60) Questions in interviews that have no pre-specified answers are: A) nonspecific questions B) closed-ended questions C) open-ended questions D) investigative questions Answer: C 61) One advantage of open-ended questions in an interview is: A) a significant amount of time can be devoted to each interviewee B) the interviewee is restricted to providing just a few answers C) previously unknown information can result D) they work well when the answers to the questions are well known Answer: C 62) Questions in interviews asking those responding to choose from among a set of specified responses are: A) specific questions B) closed-ended questions C) open-ended questions D) structured questions Answer: B 63) Which of the following is an advantage of closed-ended questions? A) Interviews based on closed-ended questions do not necessarily require a large time commitment, so more topics can be covered. B) Closed-ended questions enable the analysts to explore information that does not quite fit defined answers. C) The analyst can obtain previously unknown information. D) Closed-ended questions often put the interviewee at ease. Answer: A 64) Rating a response or idea on some scale, say from strongly agree to strongly disagree, would be classified as a(n): A) open-ended question B) JAD question C) closed-ended question D) ranking question Answer: C 65) Good interview guidelines consist of: A) phrasing the question to illicit the correct response B) typing your notes within two weeks of the interview C) establishing expectation levels about the new system D) seeking a variety of perspectives from the interviews Answer: D 66) Interviewing several key people at once refers to: A) stakeholder interviewing B) group interviewing C) user interviewing D) strategic interviewing Answer: B 67) Which of the following is a disadvantage to group interviewing? A) Group interviewing does not effectively utilize your time. B) Interviewing several people together allows them to hear the opinions of other key people. C) Group interviewing requires significantly more time than does the JAD process. D) Scheduling group interviews can be a problem. Answer: D 68) A facilitated process that supports idea generation by groups where at the beginning of the process, group members work alone to generate ideas, which are then pooled under the guidance of a trained facilitator best describes: A) affinity clustering B) requirements structuring C) group interviews D) nominal group technique Answer: D 69) Which of the following is a reason for directly observing end users? A) The analyst gets a snap-shot image of the person or task being observed. B) Observations are not very time consuming. C) People often do not have a completely accurate appreciation of what they do or how they do it. D) Employees will alter their performance if they know that they are being observed. Answer: C 70) Which of the following documents are useful in understanding possible future system requirements? A) written work procedures B) documents that describe the current information system C) reports generated by current systems D) all of the above Answer: D 71) The analysis of documents can help you identify: A) problems with existing systems B) special information processing circumstances that occur irregularly and may not be identified by any other requirements C) the reason why current systems are designed the way they are D) all of the above Answer: D 72) A written work procedure: A) indicates the job an analyst will need to perform on a given project B) describes how a particular job or task is performed, including data and information that are used and created in the process of performing the job C) indicates what data flow in or out of a system and which are necessary for the system to function D) enables you to work backwards from the information on a report to the necessary data Answer: B 73) If your analysis of several written procedures reveals a duplication of effort in two jobs, you should: A) indicate that one job be deleted from the new system B) call the duplication to the attention of management as an issue to be resolved before system design can proceed C) justify the duplication of effort D) restructure the tasks so that the duplication is removed Answer: B 74) The official way a system works as described in organizational documentation is referred to as a(n): A) formal system B) informal system C) official system D) desired system Answer: A 75) The way a system actually works is referred to as a(n): A) unofficial system B) informal system C) actual system D) formal system Answer: B 76) Forms are important for understanding a business because they: A) indicate the correct sequencing of tasks B) describe how particular tasks are performed C) indicate what data flow in or out of a system and which are necessary for the system to function D) enable you to work backwards from the information on a report to the necessary data Answer: C 77) Forms are most useful: A) when they do not contain any data B) during the initial planning stages C) when they contain actual organizational data D) during the design stage Answer: C 78) A report: A) indicates the inputs required for the new system B) describes how a particular job or task is performed, including data and information that are used and created in the process of performing the job C) indicates what data flow in or out of a system and which are necessary for the system to function D) enables you to work backwards from the information on a report to the data that must have been necessary to generate them Answer: D 79) When comparing observations and document analysis: A) the time required to conduct observations compared to document analysis is low B) the observee is not known to the interviewer C) the potential audience of the observation method is limited D) with document analysis, a clear commitment is discernible Answer: C 80) Which of the following is not a contemporary method for determining system requirements? A) interviewing B) group support systems C) CASE tools D) Joint Application Design Answer: A 81) Which of the following is a true statement regarding JAD? A) The primary purpose of using JAD in the analysis phase is to collect systems requirements simultaneously from the key people involved with the system. B) JAD follows a particular structure of roles and agenda that are similar to the group interview. C) JAD sessions are usually conducted in the organization's conference room. D) A JAD session is inexpensive to conduct. Answer: A 82) The typical participants in a JAD include: A) a session leader B) a scribe C) a sponsor D) all of the above Answer: D 83) The trained individual who plans and leads Joint Application Design sessions is referred to as the: A) scribe B) JAD session leader C) JAD manager D) JAD contributor Answer: B 84) The person who makes detailed notes of the happenings at a Joint Application Design session is referred to as the: A) JAD analyst B) scribe C) JAD manager D) JAD session leader Answer: B 85) Drawbacks to prototyping include: A) a tendency to avoid creating formal documentation of systems requirements that can then make the system more difficult to develop into a fully working system B) prototypes becoming very idiosyncratic to the initial user and difficult to diffuse or adapt to other potential users C) prototypes being built as stand-alone systems D) all of the above Answer: D 86) Prototyping is most useful for requirements determination when: A) user requirements are well understood B) communication problems have existed in the past between users and analysts C) possible designs are simple and require an abstract form to fully evaluate D) multiple stakeholders are involved with the system Answer: B 87) In BPR, which of the following questions are used to identify activities for radical change? A) How important is the activity to delivering the outcome? B) How feasible is changing the activity? C) How dysfunctional is the activity? D) All of the above are correct. Answer: D 88) The search for, and implementation of, radical change in business processes to achieve breakthrough improvements in products and services best defines: A) Joint Application Design B) Rapid Application Development C) structured programming D) business process reengineering Answer: D 89) The structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specific output for a particular customer or market best defines: A) formal systems B) key business processes C) secondary activities D) production systems Answer: B 90) Technologies that enable the breaking of long-held business rules that inhibit organizations from making radical business changes best defines: A) technology barriers B) business process reengineering C) disruptive technologies D) business constraints Answer: C 91) Which of the following technologies disrupted the business rule that information can appear only in one place at a time? A) high-performance computing B) distributed databases C) expert systems D) advanced telecommunications networks Answer: B 92) Which of the following is not an Agile Methodologies requirements determination technique? A) Planning Game B) JAD C) Agile Usage-Centered Design D) continual user involvement Answer: B 93) Continual user involvement works best when: A) the number of end users is large B) the number of end users is small C) the development group is small D) the development group is large Answer: C 94) Which of the following is not a step in the Agile Usage-Centered Design Method? A) Give everyone a chance to vent about the current system and to talk about the features every one wants in the new system. B) Determine what the most important user roles would be. C) Determine what tasks user roles will have to complete in order to achieve their goals. D) Test each program module separately from every other program module, and then perform system testing. Answer: D 95) Which of the following was developed by Kent Beck, and is distinguished by its short cycles, its incremental planning approach, its focus on automated tests written by programmers and customers to monitor the process of development, and its reliance on an evolutionary approach to development that lasts throughout the lifetime of the system? A) eXtreme programming B) evolutionary prototyping C) rapid application development D) object-oriented analysis and design Answer: A 96) Referencing eXtreme programming, which of the following is a stylized approach to development that seeks to maximize fruitful interaction between those who need a new system and those who built it? A) Iteration Planning Game B) Planning Game C) eXtreme Walkthrough D) eXtreme JAD Answer: B 97) Referencing eXtreme programming, which of the following is not a Planning Game phase? A) exploration B) design C) commitment D) steering Answer: B 98) Referencing eXtreme programming, which of the following is the final phase of the Planning Game? A) exploration B) design C) commitment D) steering Answer: D 99) Referencing eXtreme programming, who plays the Iteration Planning Game? A) programmers B) business managers and analysts C) end users, business managers, and analysts D) programmers, analysts, and end users Answer: A 100) Which of the following is the eXtreme Programming Planning Game phase where Business has a chance to see how the development process is progressing and to work with Development to adjust the plan accordingly? A) commitment B) exploration C) choice D) steering Answer: D 101) During requirements determination, the systems analyst characteristic that says you should question everything is ________. Answer: impertinence 102) During requirements determination, the systems analyst characteristic that says your role is to find the best solution to a business problem is ________. Answer: impartiality 103) During requirements determination when you assume anything is possible and eliminate the infeasible, this corresponds to the systems analyst characteristic of ________. Answer: relaxing of constraints 104) During requirements determination when every fact must fit with every other fact, this corresponds to the systems analyst characteristic of ________. Answer: attention to details 105) During requirements determination, challenging yourself to look at the organization in new ways corresponds to the systems analyst characteristic of ________. Answer: reframing 106) General types of deliverables associated with requirements determination are information collected from ________, ________, ________, ________. Answer: conversations with users, observations of users, existing written information, computer-based information 107) ________ describes a project that has bogged down in an abundance of analysis work. Answer: Analysis paralysis 108) ________ and ________ techniques were developed to keep the analysis effort to a minimum yet still effective. Answer: JAD, prototyping 109) Traditional methods of collecting system requirements include ________, ________, and ________. Answer: interviews, observations, business documents 110) ________ are questions in interviews and on questionnaires that have no prespecified answers. Answer: Open-ended questions 111) ________ are usually used to probe for information when you cannot anticipate all possible responses or when you do not know the precise questions to ask. Answer: Open-ended questions 112) ________ are questions in interviews that ask those responding to choose from among a set of specified responses. Answer: Closed-ended questions 113) The ________ is a facilitated process that supports idea generation by groups; at the beginning of the process, group members work alone to generate ideas, which are then pooled under the guidance of a trained facilitator. Answer: Nominal Group Technique 114) A ________ is the official way a system works as described in organizational documentation. Answer: formal system 115) An ________ is the way a system actually works. Answer: informal system 116) A ________ is the trained individual who plans and leads Joint Application Design sessions. Answer: JAD session leader 117) A ________ is the person who makes detailed notes of the happenings at a Joint Application Design session. Answer: scribe 118) ________ is a repetitive process in which analysts and users build a rudimentary version of an information system based on user feedback. Answer: Prototyping 119) ________ is the search for, and implementation of, radical change in business processes to achieve breakthrough improvements in products and services. Answer: Business process reengineering 120) ________ are the structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specific output for a particular customer or market. Answer: Key business processes 121) ________ are technologies that enable the breaking of long-held business rules that inhibit organizations from making radical business changes. Answer: Disruptive technologies 122) Referencing eXtreme programming, the ________ is a stylized approach to development that seeks to maximize fruitful interaction between those who need a new system and those who build it. Answer: Planning Game 123) ________, ________, and ________ are the three phases of the Planning Game. Answer: Exploration, commitment, steering 124) Referencing the Iteration Planning Game, programmers will accept responsibility for tasks and balance their workloads during the ________ phase. Answer: commitment 125) Briefly identify several characteristics for a good systems analyst to have during requirements determination. Answer: Five characteristics that will come in handy during the requirements determination stage are impertinence, impartiality, relax constraints, attention to details, and reframing. Impertinence questions everything. Impartiality describes your quest to find the best solution to a business problem or opportunity. Assuming anything is possible, and eliminating the infeasible defines the third characteristic, relax constraints. By making sure that every fact fits with every other fact, the analyst is paying attention to details. Since analysis is a creative process, the analyst should challenge himself to look at the organization in new ways. This characteristic is referred to as reframing. 126) Briefly identify the traditional methods for determining requirements. Answer: The traditional methods for collecting system requirements are individual interviews, group interviews, observations, Nominal Group Technique, and document analysis. 127) What is eXtreme programming? Answer: eXtreme programming is an approach developed by Kent Beck. This approach is distinguished by its short cycles, its incremental planning approach, its focus on automated tests written by programmers and customers to monitor the process of development, and its reliance on an evolutionary approach to development that lasts throughout the lifetime of the system. 128) Briefly identify and discuss four types of documents that would be helpful in determining future system requirements. Answer: While any written document can provide insight into the future system requirements, four documents were specifically mentioned in the chapter. They are the written work procedure, business form, report, and current system documentation. The written work procedure describes how a particular job or task is performed and includes data and information requirements needed by the job. Business forms are important because they can demonstrate what data flow in or out of a system and which are necessary for the system to function. Reports are beneficial because they provide information about system output. The fourth type of documentation, current system documentation, refers to documents that describe the current information system. This type of documentation can provide insight concerning how the systems were built and how they work. 129) Briefly identify and describe the participants of a JAD session. Answer: A JAD session consists of a JAD session leader, users, managers, sponsors, systems analysts, a scribe, and information systems staff. The JAD session leader is responsible for running the session. The scribe is the individual who takes notes during the session. Users are important because they understand the current system. Managers are needed to provide insight into new organizational directions, motivations, organizational impacts of systems, and support for requirements determined during the JAD. As new systems cost money, high-level management support is demonstrated through the appearance of system sponsors. Attendance by these individuals is usually at the beginning or ending of the session. Systems analysts are present so they can learn from the users and managers. Information systems staff can contribute ideas to the process as well as learn from it. 130) Define disruptive technologies. Identify eight disruptive technologies and how they have eliminated long-held organizational rules. Answer: Disruptive technologies enable the breaking of long-held business rules that inhibit organizations from making radical business changes. Distributed databases, expert systems, advanced telecommunications networks, decision support tools, wireless data communication and portable computers, interactive communication technologies, automatic identification and tracking technologies, and high-performance computing are eight disruptive technologies. Distributed databases allow the sharing of information, and expert systems can aid nonexperts. Advanced telecommunications networks can support dynamic organizational structures; decision-support tools can aid nonmanagers. Wireless data communication and portable computers provide a "virtual" office for workers. Interactive communication technologies allow complex messaging capabilities. Automatic identification and tracking technology know where things are, and high-performance computing can provide real-time updating. 131) Identify four drawbacks to using prototyping as a requirements determination tool. Answer: The four drawbacks mentioned in the textbook are: (1) a tendency to avoid creating formal documentation of system requirements; (2) prototypes become very idiosyncratic to the initial user and difficult to diffuse or adapt to other potential users; (3) prototypes are often built as stand-alone systems, often ignoring issues of sharing data, interactions with other existing systems, and scaling up applications; and (4) checks in the SDLC are bypassed so that some more subtle system requirements might be forgotten. 132) Assume you are analyzing a golf course scheduling system. Identify two open-ended questions and two closed-ended questions you might ask. Answer: Open-ended questions might include the following: What information is currently provided by the scheduling system? What information would you like to have that the current scheduling system does not provide? Closed-ended questions might ask the system users to rate a response to the following questions: Does the existing system provide tee-scheduling information in a timely manner? Is the existing system easy to use? 133) What is the Nominal Group Technique? How is it beneficial to requirements determination? Answer: The Nominal Group Technique is a facilitated process that supports idea generation by groups. At the beginning of the process, group members work alone to generate ideas, which are then pooled under the guidance of a trained facilitator. During requirements determination, the group will identify and prioritize a list of problems associated with the existing system, or they may identify and prioritize a list of requirements for the new system. Test Bank for Modern Systems Analysis and Design Jeffrey A. Hoffer, Joey George, Joseph S. Valacich, Joe Valacich, Jeffrey Slater 9780132991308, 9780134204925, 9780135172759, 9780136088219
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