Deck 5: Determining System Requirements

Question 1

Neutrality is a guideline for effective interviewing.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Joint application design and prototyping can help keep the analysis effort at a minimum yet still effective.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Information refinement means taking the system requirements you find during requirements determination and ordering them into tables, diagrams, and other formats that make them easier to translate into technical system specifications.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

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.

Question 5

Closed-ended questions work well when the major answers to the questions are known.

Question 6

In order to promote more truthful responses, the general nature of the interview should not be explained to the interviewee in advance.

Question 7

The two parts to systems analysis are determining requirements and structuring requirements.

Question 8

Multiple choice, rating, and ranking are types of closed-ended questions.

Question 9

Requirements creep is a term used to describe a project that has become bogged down in an abundance of analysis work.

Question 10

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.

Question 11

Open-ended questions put the interviewee at ease, are easily summarized, and save time.

Question 12

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.

Question 13

Contrary to popular belief, interviewing is not one of the primary ways analysts gather information about an information systems project.

Question 14

As a general guideline, you should prepare an agenda with approximate time limits for different sections of the interview.

Question 15

Collection of information is at the core of systems analysis.

Question 16

Assuming anything is possible and eliminating the infeasible describes the reframing characteristic that a systems analyst should exhibit during the requirements determination phase.

Question 17

During requirements determination, information can be gathered from users of the current system, forms, reports, and procedures.

Question 18

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.

Question 19

Open-ended questions can put interviewees at ease because they can respond in their own words using their own structure.

Question 20

Meeting notes, procedure manuals, and consultant reports are specific deliverables that might be obtained during the requirements determination process.

Question 21

When comparing observations and document analysis, the chances for follow-up and probing with document analysis are rated high to excellent.

Question 22

As a systems analyst, it is part of your job to create a document for a missing work procedure.

Question 23

When performing observations, it is best to select typical people and sites as opposed to atypical people and sites.

Question 24

The primary purpose of using JAD in the analysis phase is to collect systems requirements simultaneously from the key people involved with the system.

Question 25

When gathering system requirements, document analysis and observation are used the least.

Question 26

The most useful forms do not contain data.

Question 27

The prototyping process usually includes formal documentation of system requirements.

Question 28

A JAD is an inexpensive, popular requirements determination technique.

Question 29

In general, JADs benefit greatly from computer support.

Question 30

If you encounter contradictory information about procedures from interviews, questionnaires, or observations, you should reconcile the contradictions before proceeding to other analysis tasks.

Question 31

Informal systems develop because of inadequacies of formal procedures, individual work habits and preferences, and resistance to control.

Question 32

When comparing observations and document analysis, the expense of observations is rated moderate.

Question 33

Referencing a JAD session, the sponsor is the individual responsible for organizing and running a JAD session.

Question 34

When comparing observations and document analysis, the time required for document analysis is rated as low to moderate.

Question 35

In documents you can find information about special information processing circumstances that occur irregularly.

Question 36

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.

Question 37

The goal with using prototyping to support requirements determination is to build the ultimate system from prototyping.

Question 38

You should use the interview process to set expectations about the new or replacement system.

Question 39

While being observed, employees may follow exact procedures more carefully than they typically do.

Question 40

Since observations are unbiased, they are preferable to other requirements determination techniques.

Question 41

Questioning everything best describes:

A) the impertinence characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.
B) the impartiality characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.
C) the relaxing of constraints characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.
D) the attention to details characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.
E) the reframing characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.

Question 42

In terms of BPR, activities deemed important, changeable, and dysfunctional are primary candidates for alteration.

Question 43

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.
E) Every fact must fit with every other fact.

Question 44

BPR efforts often result in the development of information system maintenance requests or requests for system replacement.

Question 45

Key business processes are customer focused.

Question 46

Key business processes are the structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specific output for a particular customer or market.

Question 47

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.

Question 48

Ensuring that every fact fits with every other fact best describes:

A) the impertinence characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.
B) the impartiality characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.
C) the relaxing of constraints characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.
D) the attention to details characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.
E) the reframing characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.

Question 49

Rapid process redesign is the search for, and implementation of, radical change in business processes to achieve breakthrough improvements in products and services.

Question 50

Disruptive technologies enable the breaking of long-held business rules that inhibit organizations from making radical business changes.

Question 51

Which of the following is a subphase of analysis?

A) Project identification
B) Project planning
C) Requirements determination
D) Database design
E) Human interface design

Question 52

Induction refers to the process of first identifying problems and then formulating solutions.

Question 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.
E) Your role is to find the best solution to a business problem.

Question 54

Assuming anything is possible and eliminating the infeasible best describes:

A) the impertinence characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.
B) the impartiality characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.
C) the relaxing of constraints characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.
D) the attention to details characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.
E) the reframing characteristic a systems analyst needs during requirements determination.

Question 55

The primary deliverables from requirements determination include:

A) a completed prototype.
B) a completed system.
C) a final systems design document.
D) a draft systems design document.
E) identifying a steering committee.

Question 56

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) You should question everything.
C) Assume anything is possible, and eliminate the infeasible.
D) Your role is to find the best solution to a business problem.
E) Every fact must fit with every other fact.

Question 57

Decision support tools aiding nonmanagers is an example of a disruptive technology.

Question 58

Which of the following are organizational components that a systems analyst needs to understand?

A) Non-key events affecting data values (not including dates)
B) Policies and guidelines that are not related to the nature of the business
C) The sequence and other dependencies among different data-handling activities
D) The data handled by competitors
E) Departmental Politics

Question 59

Analysts gathering information from as many sources as possible about what the new system should do is indicative of:

A) requirements determination.
B) requirements structuring.
C) alternative generation and selection.
D) project identification and selection.
E) project initiation and planning.

Question 60

A first step in any BPR effort is to understand what processes need to change.

Question 61

Questions in interviews and on questionnaires that have no pre-specified answers are:

A) nonspecific questions.
B) closed-ended questions.
C) open-ended questions.
D) investigative questions.
E) exploratory questions.

Question 62

The purpose of requirements structuring is to:

A) enable the analysts to gather information on what the system should do from as many sources as possible.
B) enable the analysts to develop a baseline project plan quickly.
C) enable the large amount of information gathered during requirements determination to be organized.
D) enable the analysts to identify several feasible alternatives.
E) collect information about the information systems that are currently in use.

Question 63

Which of the following is a traditional method of collecting systems requirements?

A) Business process reengineering
B) Observations
C) Joint application design
D) Rapid application development
E) Prototyping

Question 64

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.
E) they are not biased.

Question 65

The analysis of documents can help you identify:

A) problems with unknown systems.
B) special information processing circumstances that occur frequently.
C) the reason why current systems are designed the way they are.
D) the organizational stock price.
E) the steering committee.

Question 66

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.
E) not mention the duplication of effort to management.

Question 67

Which of the following can be considered an advantage of closed-ended questions?

A) The interviewer can explore unexpected lines of inquiry.
B) Closed-ended questions work well when the major answers to the questions are well known.
C) The interviewee has a sense of involvement and control in the interview.
D) Closed-ended questions often put the interviewee at ease.
E) Previously unknown information may surface.

Question 68

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.
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 it.
E) determines if the information makes sense for the organization from an economic and operational standpoint.

Question 69

Questions in interviews and on questionnaires asking those responding to choose from a set of specified responses are:

A) specific questions.
B) closed-ended questions.
C) open-ended questions.
D) structured questions.
E) stratified questions.

Question 70

Which of the following can be considered an advantage of open-ended questions?

A) The interviewer cannot explore unexpected lines of inquiry.
B) Open-ended questions often make the interviewee scared.
C) The interviewee has a sense of involvement and control in the interview.
D) Interviewees can respond by selecting True or False.
E) Data cannot be collected over the phone.

Question 71

Traditional methods of collecting systems requirements include:

A) interviews.
B) agile methodologies.
C) joint application design.
D) rapid application development.
E) prototyping.

Question 72

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 that must have been necessary to generate them.
E) identify duplicate efforts within a system.

Question 73

The way a system actually works is referred to as a(n):

A) unofficial system.
B) informal system.
C) actual system.
D) formal system.
E) secondary system.

Question 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.
E) primary system.

Question 75

Techniques developed to keep the analysis effort minimal, yet still effective include:

A) JAD.
B) interviewing.
C) observations.
D) document analysis.
E) questionnaires.

Question 76

The term that refers 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.
E) disruptive analysis.

Question 77

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.
E) The interviewee has a sense of involvement and control in the interview.

Question 78

Which of the following is a reason for directly observing end users?

A) The analyst gets a snapshot 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.
E) Interviewing is less rich, passive, and often provides ambiguous data.

Question 79

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) stratified question.
C) closed-ended question.
D) contemporary question.
E) structured question.

Question 80

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.
E) using as much time as you need.