Management Information Systems - Managing the Digital Firm Answers Part 3

73) Prototyping is more iterative than the conventional lifecycle. Answer: TRUE 74) A prototype is a working version of an information system that serves as a final model. Answer: FALSE 75) End-user-developed systems can be completed more rapidly than those developed through the conventional systems lifecycle. Answer: TRUE 76) A primary benefit of offshore outsourcing is that this can substantially reduce hidden costs. Answer: FALSE 77) A request for proposal (RFP) is a detailed list of questions submitted to software vendors. Answer: TRUE 78) Identify and describe each of the five systems development approaches. Answer: 1. Systems lifecycle is a sequential step-by-step formal process, written specification and approvals, limited role of users. 2. In prototyping, requirements are specified dynamically with experimental systems in a rapid, informal, and iterative process; users continually interact with the prototype. 3. An applications software package is commercial software that eliminates the need for internally developed software programs. 4. In end-user development, systems are created by end users using fourth-generation software tools, rapid and informal, minimal role of information systems specialists. 5. In outsourcing, systems are built and sometimes operated by an external vendor. 79) What are the advantages and disadvantages of prototyping? Describe the steps in prototyping. Give at least two circumstances under which prototyping might be useful. Answer: Prototyping is most useful when there is some uncertainty about requirements or design solutions. Because prototyping encourages intense end-user involvement throughout the process, it is more likely to produce systems that fulfill user requirements. Working prototype systems can be developed very rapidly and inexpensively. Rapid prototyping can gloss over essential steps in systems development. If the completed prototype works reasonably well, management may not see the need for reprogramming, redesigned, full documentation in testing to build a polished production system. This can backfire later with large quantities of data or large numbers of users in a production environment. The steps in prototyping are: 1. identify the user's basic requirements, 2. develop an initial prototype, 3. use the prototype, 4. revise and enhance the prototype. Prototyping might be especially useful in designing end-user interfaces, or situations in which the users have no clear ideas of what their information requirements are. 80) What are customization features and when should an organization pursue them? Answer: Customization features allow a commercial software package or cloud-based software to be modified to meet an organization's unique requirements without destroying the integrity of the software. However, if a great deal of customization is required, the effort required to customize the software may become so expensive and time-consuming that it negates the advantages of the software in the first place. 81) A native mobile app is: A) a mobile website. B) a mobile web app. C) a standalone application that does not use a browser. D) a responsive mobile app. E) one that can only operate on selected devices. Answer: C 82) What is the purpose of responsive web design? A) It allows one website to serve different platforms, such as tablets, PCs, and mobile phones. B) It allows websites to respond quickly to changing user needs. C) It enables websites to customize design according to user preferences. D) It enables websites to customize content based on user location and preferences. E) It enables different people to responsively program the system. Answer: A 83) A "responsive design" for mobile applications is a design that responds to a user's: A) needs. B) location. C) voice commands. D) digital device and screen size. E) gestures. Answer: D 84) Which of the following is not a top priority in mobile application development? A) Designing for multitouch B) Saving resources C) Limiting the use of keyboards D) Designing for keyboard data entry E) Designing for a mobile device's camera or other features Answer: D 85) The process of creating workable information systems in a very short period of time is called: A) RAD. B) JAD. C) prototyping. D) systems analysis and design. E) end-user design. Answer: A 86) Which type of systems development is characterized by significantly speeding up the design phase and the generation of information requirements and involving users at an intense level? A) RAD B) JAD C) Prototyping D) End-user development E) Traditional Answer: B 87) Groups of objects are assembled into software components for common functions, which can be combined into large-scale business applications, in which type of software development? A) Object-oriented development B) Component-based development C) Structured methodologies D) RAD E) Agile development Answer: B 88) ________ development focuses on rapid delivery of working software by breaking a large project into a series of small subprojects that are completed in short periods of time using iteration and continuous feedback. A) Agile B) Rapid application C) Joint application D) Object-oriented E) DevOps Answer: A 89) Compared to the use of proprietary components, web services promise to be less expensive and less difficult to implement because of: A) their ability to integrate seamlessly with legacy systems. B) their ability to enable communication among different systems using universal standards. C) the ubiquity of the Internet. D) the ability to reuse web services components. E) their use of custom programming. Answer: B 90) Which of the following statements about mobile web apps is true? A) Users access mobile web apps through their mobile device's web browser. B) A mobile web app resides on the user's device. C) A mobile web app only works on certain mobile platforms. D) A mobile web app requires the user to sign onto a web page. E) A mobile web app requires the user to login to a web service. Answer: A 91) In component-based development, applications are developed one small portion at a time, with each portion able to function independently. Answer: FALSE 92) Responsive web design enables websites to change layouts according to the user's screen size. Answer: TRUE 93) Native apps are cheap to develop and only one version is required for different mobile operating systems. Answer: FALSE 94) Web services are less expensive to weave together than proprietary components. Answer: TRUE 95) DevOps stands for "development opportunities." Answer: FALSE 96) DevOps emphasizes close collaboration between the software developers and IT operational staff. Answer: TRUE 97) DevOps helps developers at Netflix make hundreds of software changes every day. Answer: TRUE 98) What is outsourcing? Describe the advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing software development. Answer: In outsourcing, a firm hires an external organization to build or maintain part or all of its information system needs. This can include software development and hosting applications, but the firm may also host any developed applications on its own hardware while having the vendor create and maintain software or systems. The vendor may be domestic or in another country (in offshore outsourcing). The benefit to outsourcing is, in the case of domestic outsourcing, being able to develop systems that in-house staff may not have the time or skills to do. In the case of offshore outsourcing, a primary benefit is cost savings, as costs and salaries in foreign countries can be significantly less. Disadvantages would include relinquishing some control over development, having third party firms access to privileged company data and information. It is also possible to underestimate costs in outsourcing, which include costs for transferring knowledge, cultural differences, productivity losses, and other human resource issues. 99) How is the relationship between software developers and end users different under the traditional systems life cycle compared to DevOps? Answer: Under the traditional systems life cycle, there is a formal division of labor between end users and information systems specialists, and end users are limited to providing their information requirements and reviewing work. However, under DevOps, there's close collaboration between software developers and the IT staff using the applications. DevOps tries to avoid problems that arise when the development team is unaware of operational issues that prevent software from working as expected. 100) You are a software developer for a large online retailing site with a cloud-based IT infrastructure with hundreds of small software services that communicate with each other. What approach might you recommend for managing your software infrastructure? Answer: Student answers will vary, but a good fit for this type of organization is the DevOps framework, which allows these types of companies, like Netflix, to automatically create software code that integrates within the existing infrastructure, and allows companies to update their production systems with new software within hours, as opposed to months.