K201 Exam 1

Transaction Processing System (TPS)

routine, repeatable ops

Management Information System (MIS)

summarized reports for middle managers

Decision Support System (DSS)

interactive tool to analyze data, compare alternatives, test scenarios; does NOT replace judgement

Executive Information System (EIS)

high-level strategic info for senior execs

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

large, integrated platform unifying data/processes across the whole org into ONE system

Porter's Five Forces

1. Bargaining Power of Buyers

2. Bargaining Power of Suppliers

3 . Competitor Rivalry

4. Threat of Substitutes

5. Threat of New Entrants

Porter's Generic Strategies

1. Cost Leadership - broad market, low cost

2. Differentiation

3. Cost Focus - narrow market, low cost

4. Differentiation Focus - narrow market, specialized

Systems Development Lifecycle (SDLC)

1. planning/analysis/requirements

2. designing

3. developing

4. testing

5. deploying

6. maintaining

Tradeoff Triangle

1 . Formal PM: cost, scope, time

2. Tech: cost, quality, speed

(can't have all three)

Strong Requirement is...

1. specific

2. stakeholder-aware: identifies who's affected

3. information-focused

4. testable

5. concise

"The system must..."

Build vs. Buy vs. Configure

Buy - packaged software, common process, speed matters

Build - unique, strategic, data-sensitive

Configure - vendor system mostly fits but needs org-specific rules

Waterfall Development

linear, finish one stage before next; good when requirements are stable

Agile Development

shorter feedback loops, work in increments, adapt as you learn

Scrum Development

structured Agile framework (shorter cycles with regular reviews)

DevOps Development

connects dev + ops + monitoring (uses CI/CD)

Vibe Coding

building software by describing it in natural language and letting AI generate code

Scope Creep

when a stakeholder requests something not tied to a documented business objective, flag it and do impact analysis before agreeing

Enterprise Information System (EIS)

large-scale software supporting integrated core business processes across an entire organization

organization-wide, integrated, scalable, process-oriented

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

manages all customer interactions; maximize profit through focusing on specific customer groups

contacts, sales pipeline, service, marketing, analytics

Supply Chain Management (SCM)

coordinates the flow of products/info/money from raw materials to customer

forecasting, production, inventory, logistics

Information Silos

the condition that exists when data are isolated in separated information systems

Student Information System (SIS)

A computer-based data management system that is designed to compile and analyze test scores so that district administrators can review the performance of all students and each school.

Learning Management System (LMS)

System that holds course content information and has the capability of tracking and managing employee course registrations, career development, and other employee development activities.

Canvas, Google Classroom

Financial System (ERP)

receives enrollment data to generate tuition bill

Integrated Suite Integration Strategy

single vendor ERP for everything; seamless but no module is best-in-class

Hybrid Integration Strategy

core ERP + specialized tools connected via APIs; most common in practice

Integration Risk

speeds good and bad data; one flawed inventory count spreads instantly across CRM, SCM, ERP, and dashboards

BPMN Elements - Exclusive Gateway

Diamond with X; decision point, multiple outgoing paths, only one taken

BPMN Process Analysis - Bottleneck

where the process slows/backs up

approval requires wait time

BPMN Process Analysis - Redundancy

duplicate work

recording info on paper log and on receipt

BPMN Process Analysis - Risk/Error-Prone Activity

manual comparison of description to item

subjective, human error

BPMN Process Analysis - Weakness + Impact

paper log can be lost/damaged -> items become unreleasable

BPMN Process Analysis - Improvement Opportunity

digitize item log with photos, enable student self-service claim submission

Translate Business Rules into ERD

read business rule and ask:

1. what are nouns -> potential entities

3. what are verbs connecting them -> relationships

3. many vs. one -> cardinality