MBA 6207 FINAL EXAM - Questions, Answers and Rationales _________ involves the generation, collection, dissemination, and storage of project information i... [Show More] n a timely and effective manner. a. Scope management b. Time management c. Communication management d. Cost management The generation, collection, dissemination, and storage of project information in a timely and effective manner A _____ is a description of the logical and physical structure of data and the relationships among the data for each user. a. cold site b. process c. schema d. data dictionary One of the steps in designing a database involves "telling" the database management system (DBMS) the logical and physical structure of the data and the relationships among the data for each user. Recall that this description is called a schema, and it is entered into the DBMS using a data definition language. A _____ is a major program change, typically encompassing many new features. a. patch b. new release c. new version d. slipstream upgrade A slipstream upgrade is a minor system upgrade—typically a code adjustment or minor bug fix. A patch is a minor change to correct a problem or make a small enhancement. A new release is a significant program change that often requires changes in the documentation of the software. Finally, a new version is a major program change, typically encompassing many new features. A major advantage to building customized software is that it _____. a. is typically deployed within weeks of the decision to build b. promotes licensing agreements with vendors c. can help a business to achieve a competitive advantage d. costs less up front than subscribing to or buying software Building custom software can provide a better match to the current work processes along with a potential competitive advantage; however, software development can be extremely costly, and it can take months or even years to develop custom software. Agile development requires _____. a. less input from stakeholders than other approaches b. the up-front determination of requirements c. cooperation and frequent meetings d. management control and JAD sessions Agile development requires cooperation and frequent face-to-face meetings with all participants, including system developers and users, as they modify, refine, and test the system's capabilities and how it meets users' needs. An Agile development Scrum master _____. a. performs the role of a traditional project manager b. anticipates and removes barriers to producing deliverables c. has several people management responsibilities d. is concerned with product quality but not the delivery schedule The Scrum master does not fill the role of a traditional project manager and has no people management responsibilities. Instead, the primary responsibility of the Scrum master is to anticipate and remove barriers to the project team producing its deliverables and meeting the project schedule. An important role of the product owner in the Scrum framework for Agile development is to _____. a. act as a traditional project manager b. coordinate all SCRUM activities c. describe how the software should be built d. describe what should be built and why The product owner holds the product vision; he or she is responsible for describing what should be built and why—but not how. An organization that builds software via a sequential, multistage system development process in which work on the next stage cannot begin until the results of the current stage are reviewed and approved or modified as necessary is using what system development process? a. waterfall b. joint application development c. Agile d. integrative The Waterfall system development process is a sequential, multistage system development process in which work on the next stage cannot begin until the results of the current stage are reviewed and approved or modified as necessary. As Mavis researches her company's options for new software, she learns that a vendor who producers several of their existing applications offers a product of the types they are looking for and advertises that all of their systems "talk to each other." Mavis recognizes that one reason to select this product is that _____. a. this guarantees it matches the needs of the users and business b. the positive feedback from customers is generalized rather than specific to this product c. it is certain to be feasible from legal, technical, and schedule perspectives d. it may reduce the effort required to integrate the new software with existing software Selecting the best software package solution involves weighing several factors, one of which is the amount of effort required to integrate the new software with existing software. Software components from a single vendor that are designed to "talk to each other" will likely be easier to integrate than components from different vendors. Before a newly purchased software package is ready for use, it should undergo integration, system, volume, and user acceptance a. testing b. implementation c. research d. customization Several types of testing must be conducted before a software package is ready to be put into production. The following types of tests need to be completed: integration testing, system testing, volume testing, and user acceptance testing. Buying off-the-shelf software _____. a. does not allow companies to test drive before purchase b. can slow deployment compared with other options c. is less risky than building software d. avoids maintenance and support costs Buying off-the-shelf software is less risky and leads to quicker deployment; however, maintenance and support costs may become expensive with this approach, and the software may not be an exact match to the needs and work processes of the organization. An organization can "test drive" such software before acquiring it. Emily, as part of a Scrum team, must keep her fellow team members focused on their goals through each iteration of the software product they are developing. She coordinates their activities and helps them overcome obstacles that might prevent them from achieving these goals. What role is Emily fulfilling for this project? a. Scrum master b. project manager c. product owner d. project champion A Scrum master is the person who coordinates all Scrum activities. The Scrum master does not fill the role of a traditional project manager and has no people management responsibilities. Instead, the primary responsibility of the Scrum master is to anticipate and remove barriers to the project team producing its deliverables and meeting the project schedule. During a sprint, the Scrum master keeps the team focused on its goals. Gordon's software development company uses an Agile approach. Gordon works with project stakeholders and his team to create a prioritized list of project requirements for use during a sprint planning session. Gordon is the _____ for this project. a. project champion b. project manager c. Scrum master d. product owner Using the Scrum method, the product owner works with the stakeholders and team to create a prioritized list of project requirements called a product backlog. Next, a sprint planning session is held, during which the team selects the highest priority requirements from the top of the product backlog to create the sprint backlog. In a data-flow diagram (DFD), the _____ includes arrows that show the direction of data movement. a. data-flow line b. entity symbol c. data store symbol d. process symbol Data-flow diagrams use four primary symbols. The data-flow line includes arrows that show the direction of data movement. Joint application development (JAD) sessions with a cross section of users and stakeholders in a project are an effective way to define system requirements. True or False TRUE The use of JAD sessions with a cross section of users and stakeholders in the project is an effective way to define system requirements. Many organizations replace an information system by slowly phasing in components of the new system while slowly phasing out components of the old one. What is this cutover strategy called? a. pilot start-up b. parallel start-up c. direct conversion d. phase-in approach Many organizations follow a phase-in approach, where components of the new system are slowly phased in while components of the old one are slowly phased out. When everyone is confident that all components of the new system are performing as expected, the old system is completely phased out Mavis invites several software vendors to demonstrate the products they have recommended based on her RFI, within a computing environment and with a workload that match the intended operating conditions. Mavis and her project team will use the results of this performance evaluation to _____. a. train end users of the software solution b. help them select a new software solution c. complete their system investigation d. help them to implement a software product Selecting the best software package solution involves weighing several factors, one of which is the results of the performance evaluation test. Once new software has been selected, implementation will include all of these tasks EXCEPT _____. [Show Less]
