Chapter 1 Systems software

What is information technology (IT)?

Hardware, software, and services used to manage, communicate, and share information.

What is systems analysis and design?

The step-by-step process for developing high-quality information systems.

What is an information system?

A combination of technology, people, and data that performs business functions.

What is a system?

A set of related components that produces specific results.

What are the five components of an information system?

Hardware, software, data, processes, people.

What is hardware?

Everything in the physical layer of the information system.

What is software?

Programs that control the hardware and produce the desired results.

What are the two types of software?

System software and application software.

What is data?

The raw material a system transforms into useful information.

Where does an information system store data?

In tables, which can be linked to display exactly what the user needs.

What are processes?

The tasks and business functions that users, managers, and IT staff perform.

Who are the people in an information system?

Stakeholders: the management group, end users inside and outside the company, and IT staff.

What is a stakeholder?

Anyone who has an interest in an information system.

What does a systems analyst do?

Plans, develops, and maintains information systems, and manages IT projects.

What is the systems analyst's key role?

Acts as a translator between managers and programmers.

What is the systems analyst's most valuable skill?

The ability to listen.

What knowledge and skills does a systems analyst need?

Technical knowledge, communication and business skills, and critical thinking.

What education does a systems analyst typically need?

A college degree in information systems, science, or business, plus some IT experience.

What are the three major trends shaping business today?

Globalization, technology integration, and cloud-based computing. All are Internet-centric.

What is ecommerce?

Internet-based commerce.

What is B2C?

Business-to-consumer ecommerce.

What can a customer do in one B2C session?

Compare prices and features, check availability and arrange delivery, and choose a payment method.

What is B2B?

Business-to-business ecommerce.

What is EDI?

Electronic data interchange, the original method for B2B ecommerce.

What do most firms use for B2B today?

Supply chain management (SCM) software.

What is a supply chain?

All the companies that provide materials, services, and functions needed to deliver a product to a customer.

What does SCM software manage?

Inventory levels, costs, and alternate suppliers.

What is a business profile?

An overview of a company's mission, functions, organization, products, services, customers, suppliers, competitors, constraints, and future direction.

What is a business process?

A specific set of transactions, events, and results that can be described and documented.

What is a business process model (BPM)?

A graphical display of one or more business processes.

What is BPMN?

Business process modeling notation: standard shapes and symbols for events, processes, and workflows.

Name three tools used to create BPMN models.

Microsoft Visio, Visible Analyst, and draw.io.

What is enterprise computing?

Support for company-wide operations and data management requirements.

What does ERP stand for and do?

Enterprise resource planning; it provides cost-effective support for users and managers throughout the company.

What is a transaction processing (TP) system?

A system that processes data generated by day-to-day business operations.

Give three examples of TP systems.

Customer order processing, accounts receivable, and warranty claim processing.

How does a TP system handle a transaction?

It performs a series of tasks as a group whenever a specific transaction occurs.

What are user productivity systems?

Technology that improves employee productivity, such as email, voicemail, conferencing, and word processing.

What is groupware?

Software that enables data sharing and coordination of efforts.

What is systems integration?

Combining transaction processing, business support, knowledge management, and user productivity features into one system.

Name the five types of information systems.

Enterprise computing, transaction processing, business support, knowledge management, and user productivity systems.

Name the four organizational levels.

Top managers, middle managers and knowledge workers, supervisors and team leaders, and operational employees.

What information do top managers need?

Long-range strategic plans, economic forecasts, technology trends, competitive threats, and governmental issues.

What do middle managers do and need?

They provide direction, resources, and performance feedback to supervisors; they need more detailed information than top managers.

What do knowledge workers do?

Provide support for the organization's basic functions.

What do supervisors and team leaders need?

Decision support, knowledge management, and user productivity systems.

What do operational employees rely on?

TP systems, to enter and receive the data they need.

What is modeling?

Producing a graphical representation of a concept or process that developers can analyze, test, and modify.

What is a prototype?

An early working version of an information system.

What is the main disadvantage of prototyping?

Important decisions might be made before business or IT issues are thoroughly understood.

What are CASE tools?

Computer-aided systems engineering tools that help analysts develop and maintain information systems.

What do CASE tools do?

Provide a framework for development, support structured and object-oriented methodologies, and generate program code.

Name a popular CASE tool.

Visible Analyst.

What are the three systems development methods?

Structured analysis, object-oriented analysis, and agile methods.

What is structured analysis?

A traditional method that uses the SDLC and treats processes and data as separate components.

What is object-oriented (O-O) analysis?

A method that combines data and the processes that act on that data into objects.

What does O-O analysis produce?

A set of software objects representing actual people, things, transactions, and events.

What are agile methods?

Methods that develop a system incrementally by building a series of prototypes and constantly adjusting them to user requirements.

What is the advantage of agile methods?

They allow developers to be more flexible and responsive.

What are the disadvantages of agile methods?

Riskier than traditional methods: weak documentation, blurred lines of accountability, and too little emphasis on the larger business picture.

What is the spiral model?

A series of iterations based on user feedback, where feedback from prior steps is incorporated into each incremental step.

What is the waterfall model?

A model in which the result of each phase, called a deliverable, flows into the next phase.

What is a deliverable?

The output of an SDLC phase, which flows into the next phase.

Name the five phases of the SDLC.

Systems planning, systems analysis, systems design, systems implementation, and systems support and security.

What initiates systems planning and what is its goal?

A systems request initiates it; the goal is to perform a preliminary investigation.

What does the preliminary investigation include?

A feasibility study, which reviews anticipated costs and benefits and recommends a course of action.

What is the goal of systems analysis?

To build a logical model of the new system.

What is the deliverable of systems analysis?

The system requirements document.

What is requirements modeling?

The analyst investigates business processes and documents the functions the new system must perform.

What is the goal of systems design?

To create a physical model that satisfies all documented requirements.

What is the deliverable of systems design?

The system design specification.

What happens during systems implementation?

The system is constructed, programs are written, tested, and documented, and the system is installed.

What is the deliverable of systems implementation?

A completely functional and documented information system.

What happens during systems support and security?

IT staff maintains, enhances, and protects the system.

What four qualities must a well-designed system have?

Secure, reliable, maintainable, and scalable.

What is a process model or data flow diagram?

A diagram showing the data that flows in and out of system processes.

What happens inside a process in a process model?

Input data is transformed by business rules that generate the output.

What is JAD?

Joint application development, which focuses on team-based fact-finding.

What is RAD?

Rapid application development, a compressed version of the entire development process.

What do JAD and RAD have in common?

Both use teams composed of users, managers, and IT staff.

What is the difference between JAD and RAD?

JAD covers only one phase (fact-finding); RAD compresses the entire development process.

Name the functions of an IT department.

Application development, systems support and security, user support, database administration, network administration, web support, and quality assurance.

What does quality assurance (QA) do?

Reviews and tests all applications and system changes to verify specifications and software quality standards.

What is user support?

Technical information, training, and productivity support for users. Also known as the help desk.

What does database administration involve?

Data design, management, security, backup, and access systems.

What does network administration include?

Hardware and software maintenance, support, and security.

What does web support cover?

Designing and building web pages, monitoring traffic, managing hardware and software, and linking web applications to company systems.

What are the key trends in information technology?

Agile methods, cloud computing, mobile devices and apps, a mix of products and services and support, and social media.