Systems Analysis & Design and Project Management - Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from the Introduction to Systems Analysis & Design lecture, including information system components, Internet business strategies, business models, types of information systems, systems development methods, strategic planning, systems requests, project factors, project management fundamentals, and risk management.

Information System (IS)

A combination of technology, people, and data used to support business functions.

System

A set of related components that produces specific results.

Hardware

All the physical components of an information system, such as servers, computers, and networking devices.

Software

The programs that control the hardware and produce the desired information or results.

Data

The raw material that an IS transforms into useful information.

Processes

The tasks and business functions that users, managers, and IT staff perform to achieve specific results.

Stakeholders

Individuals who have an interest in an information system and are crucial to its success.

B2C (Business-to-Consumer)

An Internet business strategy where customers use the Internet to research, compare, and purchase products or services directly from a company.

B2B (Business-to-Business)

An Internet business strategy involving transactions between businesses, such as a manufacturer selling components to another company.

Supply Chain Management (SCM)

Software used by many large firms for B2B transactions to manage the flow of goods and services.

Modeling

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

Business Profile

A high-level overview of a company’s mission, functions, organization, and products.

Business Model

Describes the information that a system must provide.

Business Process Modeling (BPM)

Using models to document business operations.

Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN)

Symbols used in tools for Business Process Modeling, including symbols for events, processes, and workflows.

Enterprise Computing

Information systems that support company-wide operations and data management.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems

A type of application that provides cost-effective support for users and managers across different departments.

Transaction Processing (TP) Systems

Systems that process data from day-to-day business operations, such as sales transactions or payroll.

Business Support Systems

Systems that provide job-related information support to users at all levels of a company.

Knowledge Management Systems

Systems that use a knowledge base to help users find information by entering keywords or questions.

Knowledge Base

A shared, easily accessible collection of facts, rules, and information used by knowledge management systems.

User Productivity Systems

Systems like email, word processing, spreadsheets, and groupware that help users share data and collaborate.

Groupware

Software that enables users to share data and collaborate.

Digital Assistants

Systems that combine knowledge management and user productivity systems with artificial intelligence (AI).

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.

Systems Integration

The combination of features from transaction processing, business support, knowledge management, and user productivity systems, typically required by large companies.

Structured Analysis

A systems development method that uses a set of phases called the systems development life cycle (SDLC) to plan, analyze, design, implement, and support an information system.

Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

A set of phases (plan, analyze, design, implement, and support) used in structured analysis for developing an information system.

Object-Oriented Analysis

A systems development method that combines data and the processes that act on the data as objects.

Agile Methods

Systems development methods that develop a system incrementally by creating a series of prototypes and constantly adjusting them to user requirements.

Systems Analyst

A key member of the IT department whose role is to plan, develop, and maintain information systems, acting as a translator between managers and programmers.

Strategic Planning

The process of identifying long-term organizational goals, strategies, and resources.

Mission Statement

Reflects a company's vision, purpose, and values, serving as the starting point for strategic planning.

SWOT Analysis

A strategic planning tool that identifies an organization's Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

CASE Tools (Computer-Aided Systems Engineering)

Tools that can integrate various statements, entities, and data elements to support strategic planning.

Business Case

A proposal's reasons or justifications, outlining why a project should be pursued, its scope, cost, and benefits.

Systems Request

A formal way of asking for IT support, often driven by needs for stronger controls, reduced cost, more information, better performance, improved customer service, or support for new products and services.

Stronger Controls

A reason for a systems request, ensuring data is secure and accurate through measures like passwords, user access levels, encryption, and biometric devices.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems

Systems aimed at improving service to customers, often a reason for a systems request.

Electronic Proof of Delivery (EPOD)

Systems aimed at improving service to customers or internal users, often a reason for a systems request.

Systems Review Committee / Computer Resources Committee

A committee, typically comprising the IT director and managers, that processes systems requests to establish priorities, reduce bias, evaluate requests, and reduce project creep.

Internal Factors (affecting systems projects)

Factors originating within an organization that influence systems projects, such as the strategic plan, top management, user needs, IT staff, existing system problems, and financial status.

External Factors (affecting systems projects)

Factors originating outside an organization that influence systems projects, such as technology, suppliers, customers, competitors, the economy, and government regulations.

Electronic Product Code (EPC) technology

A rapidly changing technology using RFID tags, affecting external factors for systems projects.

RFID Tags

Small electronic devices that contain a chip and an antenna, used for identification and tracking, often associated with EPC technology.

Internet of Things (IoT)

A network of physical objects embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for connecting and exchanging data over the internet, affecting external factors for systems projects.

Blockchain

A decentralized, distributed ledger technology affecting external factors for systems projects.

PESTEL Framework

A tool used to assess external factors affecting systems projects, based on Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal environmental types.

Feasibility Study

A key part of the preliminary investigation that examines a systems request using operational, economic, technical, and schedule measures.

Operational Feasibility

Assesses whether a proposed system will be used effectively after it is developed.

Economic Feasibility

Assesses whether the projected benefits of a system outweigh its estimated costs, including the total cost of ownership (TCO).

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

All project-related costs, including direct and indirect expenses, considered in economic feasibility.

Technical Feasibility

Assesses whether the necessary technical resources are available to develop, purchase, install, or operate a system.

Schedule Feasibility

Assesses whether a project can be implemented in an acceptable time frame.

Discretionary Projects

Systems projects where management has a choice in whether or not to implement them.

Nondiscretionary Projects

Systems projects where management has no choice and must implement them due to requirements or critical needs.

Preliminary Investigation

An investigation conducted by a systems analyst to study a systems request, understand the problem, define scope, perform fact-finding, analyze data, evaluate feasibility, and recommend specific action.

Fishbone Diagram (Ishikawa Diagram)

A tool used in a preliminary investigation to analyze causes and effects of a problem or opportunity.

Project Scope

The specific boundaries of a project that must be clearly defined.

Project Creep

When a project expands without specific authorization, adding features or requirements beyond the original scope.

Fact-Finding

The process of gathering data during a preliminary investigation by analyzing organizational charts, conducting interviews, reviewing documentation, observing operations, and conducting surveys.

Project Management

The process of planning, scheduling, monitoring, controlling, and reporting on the development of an information system.

Project Manager

A senior systems analyst or IT department manager who breaks a project into tasks, determines task order, and estimates task duration.

Project Coordinator

An individual who handles administrative responsibilities on large projects.

Project Triangle

A concept stating that projects must make choices among cost, scope, and time, and typically only two of the three can be optimized simultaneously.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

The process of breaking a project down into a series of smaller, manageable tasks.

Task / Activity

Any work with a beginning and end that requires company resources within a project.

Event / Milestone

A recognizable reference point used to monitor project progress.

Person-day

The amount of work one person can complete in one day.

Gantt Chart

A bar chart that simplifies complex projects by combining activities into task groups with subsidiary tasks, showing project schedules visually.

PERT/CPM Chart

A technique that analyzes a project as a series of individual tasks, showing them as rectangular boxes in the sequence they must be performed, often highlighting dependencies.

Critical Path

A series of tasks that, if delayed, will affect the project's overall completion date.

Slack Time

The amount of time a task can be delayed without affecting the project completion date.

People Management

Key elements include fostering collaboration, nurturing growth, providing support, building trust, and managing resistance to change and skill gaps within a project team.

Communications Management

Ensuring open, clear, and regular communication between all project parties, regularly reporting status, using clear protocols, and managing issues.

Technology Management

The strategic selection, implementation, and review of technology resources used throughout the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), considering functionality, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.

Functionality (Technology Selection Criteria)

The features required in a technology tool to carry out the intended project tasks.

Scalability (Technology Selection Criteria)

The ability of a technology tool to grow with the project's needs.

Cost-effectiveness (Technology Selection Criteria)

The value of a technology tool relative to its cost.

Financial Management

Key areas of concern include budgeting, ROI analysis, and financial risk assessment to ensure the project stays within financial bounds and provides value.

Budgeting

Considering labor, hardware, software, training, and maintenance costs in financial management.

ROI Analysis (Return on Investment)

Weighing the projected benefits of a new system against the projected costs to clarify its value.

Financial Risk Assessment

Regularly identifying and mitigating financial risks, such as cost overruns and inaccurate forecasting.

Risk Management

The process of identifying, assessing, and prioritizing uncertainties that could impact a project, crucial for reducing uncertainty and improving planning.

Risk Identification

Systematically identifying potential threats using techniques like the Delphi technique and SWOT analysis, resulting in a risk register.

Delphi Technique

A forecasting method used in risk identification to elicit expert opinions systematically.

Risk Register

A document that details all identified risks and their characteristics.

Risk Analysis

Assessing identified risks based on their likelihood and impact, which can be qualitative or quantitative.

Risk Response Planning

Creating a plan to address risks using strategies such as Risk Avoidance, Risk Transfer, Risk Mitigation, and Risk Acceptance.

Risk Avoidance

A risk response strategy to eliminate the possibility of a risk occurring.

Risk Transfer

A risk response strategy to shift the impact of a risk to a third party (e.g., insurance).

Risk Mitigation

A risk response strategy to reduce the likelihood or impact of a risk.

Risk Acceptance

A risk response strategy to acknowledge the risk and make a conscious decision not to take any action.

Project Management Software

Software that helps to plan, execute, monitor, and control all project activities by automating tasks like scheduling, resource allocation, and progress tracking.

Project Monitoring and Control

Continuously tracking, reviewing, and regulating project progress to ensure it aligns with the plan.

Agile Mindset

Being flexible and ready to accept changes as a project proceeds, promoting collaboration and constructive conflict resolution.