Object-Oriented Analysis & Design and Unified Process: Key Concepts from Lecture Notes

A set of practice flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on development methodologies, OOAD concepts, UP/UML, estimation methods, and project management.

What are the two main categorization approaches to development methodologies (data-centered vs process-centered) and what does object-oriented add?

Data-centered focuses on storing data and the data schema; process-centered focuses on transforming data; object-oriented combines data and processing into unified objects, emphasizing encapsulation and reuse.

List the three broad families of development methodologies in their approximate evolutionary order and give the example types in each.

Structural design ( Waterfall- style ), Rapid Application Development (RAD; prototyping), Agile development (XP, Scrum).

What problem does the classic Waterfall approach encounter that makes later iterations harder?

Phases are completed sequentially; late changes are costly and difficult once real data is in the system.

What is Rapid Application Development (RAD) focused on?

Delivering core functionality quickly and iterating based on user feedback rather than waiting for the entire system.

What is Extreme Programming (XP) known for?

Team-based development with practices like pair programming and frequent feedback to catch errors early.

What is Scrum, and what is a sprint?

An Agile framework; A fixed-length iteration to deliver a potentially shippable product increment.

Name the three main characteristics of object-oriented systems analysis and design discussed in the notes.

Use-case driven, architecture-centric, and highly iterative and incremental.

Define the core OO concepts: object, class, attributes, and methods.

An object is an instance with data and behavior; a class is a template for generating objects; attributes store data; methods implement behavior.

What is encapsulation in object-oriented design?

Combining data and processing into a single object and controlling access to internal details.

What is information hiding?

External components interact with an object via its inputs and outputs while the object's internal implementation remains hidden.

What is inheritance and how do concrete and abstract classes relate?

Inheritance lets subclasses inherit attributes and methods from a superclass; concrete classes can be instantiated; abstract classes serve as templates and cannot be instantiated.

What is polymorphism and what is dynamic binding?

Lets the same message invoke different methods on different objects; dynamic binding resolves the actual method at runtime.

What are the three views of software architecture emphasized in OO design?

Functional view (what the system does), Structural view (class structure and relationships), Behavioral view (how objects interact via messages).

What does use-case driven development mean in practice?

Identify user roles and use cases first to define system behavior and guide design.

What is Unified Process (UP) and what is UML?

An iterative four-phase process with engineering and supporting workflows; A set of about 15 diagrams for modeling the system.

What are the four phases of the Unified Process?

Inception, Elaboration, Construction, Transition.

What is the Use Case Points (UCP) estimation method?

An estimation method using actors (simple/average/complex) and use cases to compute unadjusted use-case points, then adjust with technical and environmental factors to estimate effort.

What are the three types of actors in Use Case Points and what constitutes a 'transaction' in a use case?

Simple (APIs/external systems), Average (protocol/database), Complex (humans); The steps in a use case that interact with an actor, used to gauge complexity.

What are the key components of economic feasibility analysis in IS projects?

Assess technical feasibility, economic feasibility (costs/benefits, cash flow, PV/NPV/ROI), and organizational feasibility (will users adopt, alignment with goals).

What is Net Present Value (NPV)?

Present value of benefits minus present value of costs.

How is Return on Investment calculated?

net present value divided by the present value of costs.

What is the break-even point in an NPV analysis?

The time when cumulative net present value becomes zero or positive, meaning benefits have caught up with costs.

What is organizational feasibility and why is it important?

Assesses whether system adoption by users will occur and align with organizational goals; involves stakeholders such as sponsors, management, and users.

Name four project management tools used to plan and track IT projects.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Gantt chart, Network diagram, and techniques like PERT/CPM.

What is the purpose of PERT and CPM in project planning?

Program Evaluation and Review Techniques handles uncertainty with three estimates (optimistic, most likely, pessimistic); Critical path Method identifies the critical path—the longest sequence of tasks determining duration.

What is timeboxing in Agile and how does it help control scope?

Sets a fixed sprint length with a defined set of goals; no new requirements are accepted during the sprint; extras go to a backlog or next sprint.

What is a jelled team in project management?

A cohesive, high-performing team with shared ownership and strong identity, typical of well-functioning projects.

What is CASE software used for in UP/OOAD?

Computer Aided Software Engineering tools store project documentation and diagrams, help maintain consistency across artifacts, and support modeling and development workflows.

What is a network diagram in project management?

A flowchart-like diagram showing tasks, durations, dependencies, and statuses, used to visualize project scheduling and sequencing.

What is a Gantt chart and what information does it typically show?

A bar-chart visualization of tasks vs. time showing start/finish dates, duration, progress, dependencies, responsible person, and milestones.

What is a 'state' in object-oriented modeling?

The values and relationships of an object's attributes at a particular point in time.

What is a 'message' in OO modeling?

A trigger or call that initiates a method on an object.

What is a concrete class vs an abstract class in OO modeling?

Concrete classes can have instances; abstract classes are templates and cannot be instantiated.

What are use cases and actors in a hospital information system example?

Use cases are interactions (e.g., physician creates notes, views nursing documentation); actors are the roles (physician, nurse, administrator) interacting with the system.