Chapter 13: Building Information Systems Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Chapter 13: Building Information Systems Deck (54)
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1
Q

Acceptance Testing

A

Provides the final certification that the system is ready to be used in a production setting.

2
Q

Agile Development

A

Rapid delivery of working software by breaking a large project into a series of small sub-projects that are completed in short periods of time using iteration and continuous feedback.

3
Q

Automation

A

Using the computer to speed up the performance of existing tasks.

4
Q

Business Process Management

A

Business process management (BPM) is an approach to business which aims to continuously improve and manage business processes.

5
Q

Business Process Redesign

A

Type of organizational change in which business processes are analyzed, simplified, and redesigned.

6
Q

Component-Based Development

A

Building large software systems by combining pre-existing software components.

7
Q

Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE)

A

Automation of step-by-step methodologies for software and systems development to reduce the amounts of repetitive work the developer needs to do.

8
Q

Conversion

A

The process of changing from the old system to the new system.

9
Q

Customization

A

The modification of a software package to meet an organization’s unique requirements without destroying the package software’s integrity.

10
Q

Data Flow Diagram (DFD)

A

Primary tool for structured analysis that graphically illustrates a system’s component process and the flow of data between them.

11
Q

Direct Cutover Strategy

A

A risky conversion approach where the new system completely replaces the old one on an appointed day.

12
Q

Documentation

A

Descriptions of how an information system works from either a technical or end-user standpoint.

13
Q

End-User Interface

A

The part of an information system through which the end user interacts with the system, such as on-line screens and commands.

14
Q

Feasibility Study

A

As part of the systems analysis process, the way to determine whether the solution is achievable, given the organization’s resources and constraints.

15
Q

Fourth-Generation Languages

A

A programming language that can be employed directly by end users or less-skilled programmers to develop computer applications more rapidly than conventional programming languages.

16
Q

Information Requirements

A

A detailed statement of the information needs that a new system must satisfy; identifies who needs what information, and when, where, and how the information is needed.

17
Q

Iterative

A

A process of repeating over and over again the steps to build a system.

18
Q

Joint Application Design (JAD)

A

Process to accelerate the generation of information requirements by having end users and information systems specialists work together in intensive interactive design sessions.

19
Q

Maintenance

A

Changes in hardware, software, documentation, or procedures to a production system to correct errors, meet new requirements, or improve processing efficiency.

20
Q

Object

A

Software building block that combines data and the procedures acting on the data.

21
Q

Object-Oriented Development

A

Approach to systems development that uses the object as the basic unit of systems analysis and design. The system is modeled as a collection of objects and the relationship between them.

22
Q

Offshore Outsourcing

A

Outsourcing systems development work or maintenance of existing systems to external vendors in another country.

23
Q

Paradigm Shift

A

Radical reconceptualization of the nature of the business and the nature of the organization.

24
Q

Parallel Strategy

A

A safe and conservative conversion approach where both the old system and its potential replacement are run together for a time until everyone is assured that the new one functions correctly.

25
Q

Phased Approach Strategy

A

Introduces the new system in stages either by functions or by organizational units.

26
Q

Pilot Study Strategy

A

A strategy to introduce the new system to a limited area of the organization until it is proven to be fully functional; only then can the conversion to the new system across the entire organization take place.

27
Q

Postimplementation Audit

A

Formal review process conducted after a system has been placed in production to determine how well the system has met its original objectives.

28
Q

Process Specifications

A

Describe the logic of the processes occurring within the lowest levels of a data flow diagram.

29
Q

Production

A

The stage after the new system is installed and the conversion is complete; during this time the system is reviewed by users and technical specialists to determine how well it has met its original goals.

30
Q

Programming

A

The process of translating the system specifications prepared during the design stage into program code.

31
Q

Prototype

A

The preliminary working version of an information system for demonstration and evaluation purposes.

32
Q

Prototyping

A

The process of building an experimental system quickly and inexpensively for demonstration and evaluation so that users can better determine information requirements.

33
Q

Query Languages

A

Software tool that provides immediate online answers to requests for information that are not predefined.

34
Q

Rapid Application Development (RAD)

A

Process for developing systems in a very short time period by using prototyping, fourth-generation tools, and close teamwork among users and systems specialists.

35
Q

Rationalization of Procedures

A

The streamlining of standard operating procedures, eliminating obvious bottlenecks, so that automation makes operating procedures more efficient.

36
Q

Request for Proposal (RFP)

A

A detailed list of questions submitted to vendors of software or other services to determine how well the vendor’s product can meet the organization’s specific requirements.

37
Q

Responsive Web Design

A

Ability of a Web site to automatically change screen resolution and image size as a user switches to devices of different sizes, such as a laptop, tablet computer, or smartphone. Eliminates the need for separate design and development work for each new device.

38
Q

Six Sigma

A

A specific measure of quality, representing 3.4 defects per million opportunities; used to designate a set of methodologies and techniques for improving quality and reducing costs.

39
Q

Structure Chart

A

System documentation showing each level of design, the relationship among the levels, and the overall place in the design structure; can document one program, one system, or part of one program.

40
Q

Structured

A

Refers to the fact that techniques are carefully drawn up, step by step, with each step building on a previous one.

41
Q

Systems Analysis

A

The analysis of a problem that the organization will try to solve with an information systems.

42
Q

Systems Design

A

Details how a system will meet the information requirements as determined by the systems analysis.

43
Q

Systems Development

A

The activities that go into producing an information systems solutions to an organizational problem or opportunity.

44
Q

Systems Life Cycle

A

A traditional methodology for developing an information system that partitions the systems development process into formal stages that must be completed sequentially with a very formal division of labor between end users and information systems specialists.

45
Q

Systems Testing

A

Tests the functioning of the information system as a whole in order to determine if discrete modules will function together as planned.

46
Q

Test Plan

A

Prepared by the development team in conjunction with the users; it includes all of the preparations for the series of tests to be performed on the system.

47
Q

Testing

A

The exhaustive and thorough process that determines whether the system produces the desired results under known conditions.

48
Q

Total Quality Management (TQM)

A

A concept that makes quality control a responsibility to be shared by all people in an organization.

49
Q

Unit Testing

A

The process of testing each program separately in the system. Sometimes called program testing.

50
Q

How does building new systems produce organizational change?

A

Building a new information system is a form of planned organizational change. Four kinds of technology-enabled change are (a) automation, (b) rationalization of procedures, (c) business process redesign, and (d) paradigm shift, with far-reaching changes carrying the greatest risks and rewards. Many organizations are using business process management to redesign work flows and business processes in the hope of achieving dramatic productivity breakthroughs. Business process management is also useful for promoting, total quality management (TQM), six sigma, and other initiative s for incremental process improvement.

51
Q

What are the core activities in the systems development process?

A

The core activities in systems development are systems analysis, systems design, programming, testing, conversion, production, and maintenance. Systems analysis is the study and analysis of problems of existing systems and the identification of requirements for their solutions. Systems design provides the specifications for an information system solution, showing how its technical and organizational components fit together.

52
Q

What are the principal methodologies for modeling and designing systems?

A

The two principal methodologies for modeling and designing information systems are structured methodologies and object-oriented development. Structured methodologies focus on modeling processes and data separately. The data flow diagram is the principal tool for structured analysis, and the structure chart is the principal tool for representing structured software design. Object-oriented development models a system as a collection of objects that combine processes and data. Object-oriented modeling is based on the concepts of class and inheritance.

53
Q

What are the alternative methods for building information systems?

A

The oldest method for building systems is the systems life cycle, which requires that information systems be developed in formal stages. The stages must proceed sequentially and have defined outputs; each requires formal approval before the next stage can commence. The systems life cycle is useful for large projects that need formal specifications and tight management control over each stage of systems building, but it is very rigid and costly.
Prototyping consists of building an experimental system rapidly and inexpensively for end users to interact with and evaluate. Prototyping encourages end-user involvement in systems development and iteration of design until specifications are captured accurately. The rapid creation of prototypes can result in systems that have not been completely tested or documented or that are technically inadequate for a production environment.
Using a software package reduces the amount of design, programming, testing, installation, and maintenance work required to build a system. Application software packages are helpful if a firm does not have the internal information systems staff or financial resources to custom develop a system. To meet an organization’s unique requirements, packages may require extensive modifications that can substantially raise development costs.
End-user development is the development of information systems specialists. End-user-developed systems can be created rapidly and informally using fourth-generation software tools. However, end-user development may create information systems that do not necessarily meet quality assurance standards and that are not easily controlled by traditional means.
Outsourcing consists of using an external vendor to build (or operate) a firm’s information systems instead of the organization’s internal information systems staff. Outsourcing consists of using an external vendor to build (or operate) a firm’s information systems instead of the organization’s internal information systems staff. Outsourcing can save application development costs or enable firms to develop applications without an internal information systems staff. However, firms risk losing control over their information systems and becoming too dependent on external vendors. Outsourcing also entails hidden costs, especially when the work is sent offshore.

54
Q

What are new approaches for system building in the digital firm era?

A

Companies are turning to rapid application design (RAD), joint application design (JAD), agile development, and reusable software components to accelerate the systems development process. RAD uses object-oriented software, visual programming, prototyping, and fourth-generation tools for very rapid creation of systems. Agile development breaks a large project into a series of small subprojects that are completed in short periods of time using iteration and continuous feedback. Component-based development expedites application development by grouping objects into suites of software components that can be combined to create large-scale business applications. Web services provide a common set of standards that enable organizations to link their systems regardless of their technology platform through standard plug-and-play architecture. Mobile application development must pay attention to simplicity, usability, and the need to optimize tasks for tiny screens.