True-False Questions
1.
JavaDocs is a utility that generates program documentation based on
Java source code.
Answer: True Page Reference: 406 Difficulty: Easy
2.
Development cycles involving analysis, design, and implementation occur
repeatedly throughout the system maintenance phase.
Answer: True Page Reference: 408-409 Difficulty: Moderate
3.
eXtreme programming is characterized by long cycles and comprehensive,
up-front planning.
Answer: False Page Reference: 410 Difficulty: Moderate
4.
Adhoc reuse strategies lead to heavy reliance on reusable components.
Answer: False Page Reference: 411-412 Difficulty: Moderate
5.
Object frameworks support the reuse of entire application designs.
Answer: True Page Reference: 413 Difficulty: Moderate
6.
Integration, unit, and system test plans are usually generated during
the system design phase of the SDC.
Answer: True Page Reference: 413 Difficulty: Moderate
7.
Code walkthroughs should be held less frequently before program testing
than after.
Answer: False Page Reference: 414 Difficulty: Moderate
8.
A single test case may be used many times during the testing and
maintenance of a system.
Answer: True Page Reference: 415 Difficulty:
Moderate
9.
Alpha testing entails more user involvement than beta testing.
Answer: False Page Reference: 416 Difficulty: Moderate
10. The lowest cost installation
approach is direct installation.
Answer: True Page Reference: 419 Difficulty: Moderate
11. New system installation requiring
lapse in system support generally takes place during off-hours.
Answer: True Page Reference: 418 Difficulty: Moderate
12. EPSS systems often include use of
expert system technology.
Answer: True Page Reference: 423 Difficulty: Moderate
13. The design of support materials
and jobs should begin after installation of the system has been completed.
Answer: True Page Reference: 424 Difficulty: Moderate
14. A help desk is an automated
online help system.
Answer: False Page Reference: 425 Difficulty: Moderate
15. Political factors should NOT be
considered when designing and implementing information systems.
Answer: False Page Reference: 426 Difficulty: Moderate
16. System audits are often performed
shortly after implementation.
Answer: True Page Reference: 427 Difficulty: Moderate
17. Adaptive maintenance is generally
more frequent than corrective maintenance.
Answer: False Page Reference: 428 Difficulty: Moderate
18. Latent defects are the errors
that are uncovered during the system testing process.
Answer: False Page Reference: 429 Difficulty: Moderate
19. MTBF values should increase
significantly during the first few months after a system has been installed.
Answer: True Page Reference: 430 Difficulty: Moderate
20. Maintenance requests for system
enhancement are more likely to be rejected than requests for adaptation or
correction.
Answer: True Page Reference: 430-431 Difficulty: Moderate
Multiple-Choice Questions
21. The most expensive and time
consuming phase of systems development is:
a.
analysis.
b.
planning .
c.
design.
d.
Implementation and operation.
Answer: d Page
Reference: 404 Difficulty: Easy
22. Collection of test data should
begin:
a.
after coding is complete.
b.
at the beginning of the implementation phase.
c.
during the analysis phase.
d.
during installation and conversion.
Answer: c Page
Reference: 406 Difficulty: Moderate
23. Well-documented code is most
important for:
a.
users.
b.
maintenance programmers.
c.
vendor companies.
d.
top management.
Answer: b Page
Reference: 406 Difficulty: Moderate
24. The maintenance phase is best
characterized as:
a.
repeating the development steps of the SDC.
b.
generation of test plans and documents.
c.
periodic review of the project’s original feasibility assessments.
d.
ad hoc coding changes.
Answer: a Page
Reference: 408 Difficulty: Moderate
25. Which of the following SDC
activities is most analogous to obtaining a maintenance request?
a.
Project management and planning
b.
Systems analysis
c.
System design
d.
Systems implementation and operation
Answer: a Page
Reference: 408-409 Difficulty: Moderate
26. Which of the following is a
maintenance characteristic that differentiates maintenance from new
development?
a.
Triggered by fundamental change to business processes
b.
Uses most pre-existing system components
c.
Involves iterated development process
d.
Includes overhaul of hardware and software platform
Answer: b Page
Reference: 409 Difficulty: Moderate
27. In OOSAD development most coding
involves:
a.
developing full application code from scratch.
b.
finding and using pre-existing classes and components.
c.
translating COBOL code into C++.
d.
translating source code into executable code.
Answer: b Page
Reference: 409-410 Difficulty: Moderate
28. eXtreme programming is uniquely
characterized by:
a.
heavy emphasis on formal validation techniques.
b.
use of traditional coding practices.
c.
involvement of two-programmers teams.
d.
simultaneous coding and analysis.
Answer: c Page
Reference: 410 Difficulty: Moderate
29. Which of the following is NOT an
advantage of code reuse?
a.
Decreased development time
b.
Lower defect rates
c.
Ease of maintenance
d.
Replication of algorithm code
Answer: d Page
Reference: 410-411 Difficulty: Moderate
30. Abstraction, storage, and
recontextualization are three steps for the process of:
a.
reuse.
b.
conversion.
c.
maintenance.
d.
test planning.
Answer: a Page
Reference: 411 Difficulty: Moderate
31. The highest typical reuse level
is obtained when practicing ___________ reuse.
a.
ad hoc
b.
managed
c.
designed
d.
facilitated
Answer: c Page
Reference: 411-412 Difficulty: Moderate
32. A company practicing design reuse
will be more likely to have ____________ than companies practicing the other
forms of reuse.
a.
low reuse cost
b.
programming teams.
c.
evangelists
d.
component developers
Answer: d Page
Reference: 412 Difficulty: Moderate
33. The Microsoft Foundation Class
library is an example of an object:
a.
model.
b.
framework.
c.
package.
d.
collection.
Answer: b Page
Reference: 413 Difficulty: Moderate
34. ____________ is a manual software
testing method involving code execution.
a.
Inspection
b.
Unit testing
c.
Walk-through
d.
Syntax checking
Answer: c Page
Reference: 414 Difficulty: Moderate
35. Integration testing involves
testing:
a.
program logic traces via pencil and paper.
b.
the programs that make up an entire system.
c.
a module or component in isolation.
d.
combinations of objects and components.
Answer: d Page
Reference: 415 Difficulty: Moderate
36. A specific scenario of
transactions, queries or navigation paths that represents a typical, abnormal,
or critical use of a system is called a(n):
a.
use case.
b.
test case.
c.
unit test.
d.
acceptance test.
Answer: b Page
Reference: 415 Difficulty: Moderate
37. Alpha and beta are two forms of
____________ tests.
a.
acceptance
b.
integration
c.
system
d.
unit
Answer: a Page
Reference: 416 Difficulty: Moderate
38. ____________ installation
involves gradually replacing components of the old system with components of
the new one.
a.
Direct
b.
Phased
c.
Single location
d.
Component
Answer: b Page
Reference: 417 Difficulty: Moderate
39. ____________ installation places
the heaviest demand on system resources.
a.
Direct
b.
Phased
c.
Parallel
d.
Single location
Answer: c Page
Reference: 418-419 Difficulty: Moderate
40. To which category of
documentation do UML diagrams such as use case and analysis class diagrams
belong?
a.
Internal user documentation
b.
External user documentation
c.
Internal system documentation
d.
External system documentation
Answer: d Page
Reference: 420 Difficulty: Moderate
41. Most current user documentation
is delivered:
a.
on paper in hypertext format.
b.
online in hypertext format.
c.
on paper in flowchart format.
d.
online in narrative text format.
Answer: b Page
Reference: 421 Difficulty: Moderate
42. Which of the following is an IS
department function?
a.
Help desk
b.
Online help
c.
Performance support system
d.
Maintenance request generation
Answer: a Page
Reference: 425 Difficulty: Moderate
43. The highest priority change
requests should be those addressing:
a.
documentation requirements.
b.
adaptations.
c.
system enhancements.
d.
severe errors.
Answer: d Page
Reference: 431 Difficulty: Moderate
44. When using a CASE tool, code can
be automatically generated by making changes to the:
a.
design document.
b.
source file.
c.
performance support system.
d.
adaptation system.
Answer: a Page
Reference: 432 Difficulty: Moderate
Essay and Problem-Solving
Questions
45. What is reuse, and what are its
advantages? How does object-orientation support reuse? List and compare four
different approaches organizations take toward reuse.
Answer:
Reuse is the use of previously written
software resources, especially objects and components, in new applications.
Reuse can result in great savings of both development time and cost. Reused
components and objects are typically well-tested and reliable.
Object-orientation facilitates reuse because it results in components and
modules with well-defined interfaces that can be plugged into a wide variety of
systems applications. Organizations vary in their approaches to reuse,
particularly in terms of commitment and control. The loosest and
lowest-commitment form is ad hoc reuse, in which individuals find assets on
their own, sharing them with selected colleagues. A slightly more formal
approach is facilitated reuse, in which a Web master or some centralized
repository is set up to keep track of reusable components assist developers
with their use. With managed reuse, the organization establishes formal
policies and procedures, and provides more resources for working with reusable
components. Some organizations go so far as to embrace design reuse, in which
components are created on site, and others are purchased and modified to fit
within the organization’s overall architecture.
Page
Reference: 410-413 Difficulty: Moderate
46. Discuss the process of generating
test plans. What is the purpose of a test plan, and at which stages of the
development process does test planning occur? Include in your discussion an
explanation of test cases and how they are used.
Answer:
The
purpose of a test plan is to improve communication among all people involved
with software testing, and to provide a checklist identifying each of the
circumstances that should be tested for. Test planning begins in the analysis
phase, and is refined during design. An
important activity in test planning is the generation of several test cases. A
test case is a specific scenario of transactions, interactions, or navigation
paths that represent typical, critical, or abnormal use of the system. A test
case is a description of the scenario as well as the test data to be used. Test
cases can be recorded and reused every time revisions are made to the system.
Page
Reference: 413-416 Difficulty: Moderate
47. List, categorize, and describe
seven types of software application tests.
Answer:
The
eight types of software tests can be categorized into manual and automated
methods, and further categorized tests that do or do not involve code
execution. Inspection is a manual type of test not involving code execution.
This is a group-oriented activity in which participants examine code in search
of predictable, language-specific errors. Syntax checks are automatic,
performed by compilers, but do not involve code execution; these search for all
syntactical errors and take place as the compiler is translating source code to
machine language. Manual approaches that involve code execution include
walkthroughs and desk checking. Structured walkthroughs and desk checking
involve a group of analysts and programmers or an individual programmer
stepping through the code tracing the logic and attempting to discover errors
in the code. The four automated techniques involving code execution are unit
tests, integrated tests, system tests, and acceptance tests. Unit testing
involves executing an individual component or module to determine if it works
as expected in isolation. Integration testing involves testing multiple
components, up to the entire application, to make sure they work well as a
whole. System testing involves testing the entire application in a realistic
environment to ensure that performance of the system is in keeping with the
organization’s objectives and does not interfere with other applications.
Acceptance tests involve executing the application in the actual operational
environment, with groups of real users involved in the process. Alpha testing
involves simulated data and checks for recovery, security, stress, and
performance. Beta testing involves real data and a subset of users and focuses
on user satisfaction and ease of use.
Page
Reference: 413-415 Difficulty: Moderate
48. Compare and contrast four
different approaches to systems installation. What are the advantages and
disadvantages of each approach?
Answer:
The
four main approaches to system installation are direct, parallel,
single-location, and phased installation. Direct installation is a “cold
turkey” approach, and is characterized as being abrupt and relatively
high-risk. With the parallel approach, old and new systems coexist for a period
of time, so users can choose which to use at any given time. Single-location
installation involves a direct installation on only one site at a time, so that
different populations of users switch to the new systems at different times;
this is sometimes called pilot installation. With phased installation,
individual components of the old system are gradually replaced with individual
components of the new system. Direct installation has the advantage of low
cost, but system errors will quickly impact all users and restoration to the
old system in the case of failure will be difficult. Parallel installation is
safe because the old system is still available for use, and also provides the
opportunity for comparison of old vs. new system performance and features. But,
duplicate systems add considerable strain to resources and maintenance
personnel, and the use of two systems simultaneously may be confusing to users.
Single-location installation permits developers to catch errors before they
affect the entire user community, and allows early adopters to participate in
convincing other users of the benefits of the new system. But, duplication of
effort is a strain to maintenance staff, and data sharing requirements may
force bridges to be constructed between old and new systems. The phased
approach coincides nicely with phased system development, and allows for a more
seamless integration with risk spread out over time. But phased installation
requires that components of old and new systems are interoperable, which may
not always be feasible. In addition, phased installation is time-consuming and
can therefore cause frustration and confusion to users.
Page
Reference: 416-419 Difficulty: Moderate
49. List and describe four different
categories of documentation for an implemented information system. Discuss the
most common formats and media for presenting documentation.
Answer:
Documentation
can be divided into four categories. User documentation is written or other
visual information about an application system, how it works, and how to use
it. System documentation consists of a system’s design specifications, its
internal workings and functionality. System documentation can be further
subdivided into internal and external documentation. Internal documentation
consists of comments that are included as part of the program source code, or
generated by automated documentation systems based on source code. External
system documentation consists of all the documentation generated during
analysis and design, including UML diagrams, object relation descriptions,
decision trees, dialogue diagrams, and use case descriptions. The most common
format for presenting user documentation is hypertext-based online help. System
documentation is most often presented via word processing and diagramming or
CASE software.
Page
Reference: 419-420 Difficulty: Moderate
50. List seven common user training
methods, and rank them based on frequency of use. How have advances in
information technology impacted the way training is done? What is the most effective
strategy to use in disseminating training throughout the organization?
Answer:
The
most frequent training method is informal training from a resident expert.
After this, computer-aided instruction, formal coursework, and software help
components are the most widely used. These are followed by tutorials,
interactive training materials, and external sources such as vendors.
Information technology has allowed individualized training to be more cost
effective, through the use of videos, interactive television, multimedia
presentations, and electronic performance support systems. Organizationally, an
effective training strategy is to first train a few key users, and then
organize training programs in which the first key users become trainers for other
users in the organization.
Page
Reference: 422-423 Difficulty: Moderate
51. What are the determining
characteristics of “successful” system implementations? Which factors should be
considered to maximize the likelihood of implementation success?
Answer:
System
implementation is generally deemed to be successful if (a) the users indeed use
the system, and (b) user satisfaction is sufficiently high. These will be true
if the system is relevant to user’s work tasks, it is easy, flexible and
reliable to use, and the expertise of users coincides with the system’s
underlying technology. Top management support and user involvement in the
development process are key factors to consider. In addition, risk management,
commitment to change and to the project, thorough project management and
planning, and realistic user expectations are all factors that can enhance the
likelihood of success.
Page
Reference: 425-426 Difficulty: Moderate
52. What is system maintenance?
Discuss four different types of system maintenance, indicating the percentage
of maintenance requests that fall into each category. Identify the three most
significant factors affecting the maintainability of a system. Then describe
some techniques that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of maintenance
efforts.
Answer:
System
maintenance involves changes made to an existing information system to fix
errors or enhance functionality. Maintenance falls into four categories:
corrective, adaptive, perfective, and preventive. Corrective maintenance, which
makes up about 70% of all maintenance efforts, involves repair of design and
programming errors. Another 10% of maintenance involves adaptive changes, in
which the system is modified in response to environmental changes. Fifteen
percent of maintenance is perfective, with a focus on evolving the system to
solve new problems or take advantage of new opportunities. The remaining 5% of
maintenance changes are preventive, with the goal of safeguarding the system
from future problems. The most influential factors affecting maintainability
are the number of latent defects, the number of customers, and the quality of
documentation. Maintenance effectiveness can be evaluated by measuring the mean
time between failures (MTBF) and studying the log of errors to identify
patterns of the most common error types to occur.
Page
Reference: 427-430 Difficulty: Moderate
53. Given a number of maintenance
requests, how does an analyst prioritize requests and decide which requests
should be fulfilled? Describe a common decision sequence used for controlling
maintenance requests.
Answer:
Analysts
must use a systematic approach to evaluating the many maintenance requests that
are submitted. Not all requests can or should be fulfilled, and time
constraints necessitate prioritization of the requests that are possible and
prudent. A common decision sequence is to proceed as follows. If the request is
due to an error, evaluate the severity of the problem. If it is a severe error,
give this change request top priority, otherwise evaluate, categorize, and
prioritize this request with all the others. If the request is due to something
other than an error, then determine whether it is for an adaptation to changes
in technology or business requirements, or simply an enhancement of current
functionality. If it is an adaptation,
evaluate, categorize, and prioritize this request with the others. If the
request is for an enhancement, check to verify that the enhancement is in
alignment with future business and IS plans, and if not, reject the request.
For those enhancement requests that are well aligned with business objectives,
evaluate and prioritize these with all the other requests.
Page
Reference: 430-431 Difficulty: Moderate
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