ICT2621 EXAM PREPARATION.

ICT2621 EXAM PREPARATION. Structured Systems Analysis And Design. STRUCTURED ENGLISH IS A SUBSET OF STANDARD ENGLISH THAT DESCRIBES LOGICAL PROCESSES CLEARLY AND ACCURATELY. A DECISION TREE IS A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF THE CONDITIONS, ACTIONS, AND RULES FOUND IN A DECISION TABLE. The goal of system design is to build systems that are effective, reliable and maintainable. Briefly explain each of these three factors. A SYSTEM IS EFFECTIVE IF IT SUPPORTS BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS AND MEETS USER NEEDS. A SYSTEM IS RELIABLE IF IT HANDLES INPUT ERRORS, PROCESSING ERRORS, HARDWARE FAILURES, OR HUMAN MISTAKES. A SYSTEM IS MAINTAINABLE IF IT IS FLEXIBLE, SCALABLE AND EASILY MODIFIABLE. What is Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)? HCI DESCRIBES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMPUTERS AND THE PEOPLE WHO USE THEM TO PERFORM (BUSINESS-RELATED) TASKS. What is a prototype? Why is prototyping important for users during system design? PROTOTYPING IS AN EARLY, RAPID CONSTRUCTED WORKING VERSION OF THE PROPOSED INFORMATION SYSTEM. ENABLES USERS TO “TEST-DRIVE” THE MODEL IN A RISK-FREE ENVIRONMENT AND EITHER APPROVE IT OR REQUEST CHANGES. What are the seven habits of successful interface designers? 1. UNDERSTAND THE BUSINESS 2. MAXIMIZE GRAPHICAL EFFECTIVENESS 3. THINK LIKE A USER 4. USE MODELS AND PROTOTYPES 5. FOCUS ON USABILITY 6. INVITE FEEDBACK 7. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING Briefly describe each of the following with respect to managing system support and security. PERFECTIVE MAINTENANCE: INVOLVES CHANGING AN OPERATIONAL SYSTEM TO MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT, RELIABLE, OR MAINTAINABLE. CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT: IS A PROCESS FOR CONTROLLING CHANGES IN SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS DURING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT. FAULT MANAGEMENT: INCLUDES MONITORING THE SYSTEM FOR SIGNS OF TROUBLE, LOGGING ALL SYSTEM FAILURES, DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM, AND APPLYING CORRECTIVE ACTION. INCREMENTAL BACKUP: INCREMENTAL BACKUP IS THE FASTEST BACKUP METHOD THAT INCLUDES ONLY RECENT FILES THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN BACKED UP BY ANY METHOD. Briefly describe the three interactive tasks of risk management. RISK IDENTIFICATION ANALYSES THE ORGANISATION’S ASSETS THREATS AND VULNERABILITIES. RISK ASSESSMENT MEASURES RISK LIKELIHOOD AND IMPACT. RISK CONTROL DEVELOPS SAFEGUARDS THAT REDUCE RISKS AND THEIR IMPACT. What is the difference between a context diagram and diagram 0? Which symbol is not used in a context diagram? CONTEXT DIAGRAM IS A TOP-LEVEL VIEW OF AN INFORMATION SYSTEM THAT SHOWS THE BOUNDARIES AND SCOPE. DIAGRAM 0 DEPICTS THE FIRST LEVEL OF DETAIL BELOW THE INITIAL CONTEXT DIAGRAM. SYMBOL NOT USED IS? What is the purpose of decision tables? DECISION TABLE IS USED TO DESCRIBE A PROCESS AND ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE CONSIDERED ALL POSSIBLE SITUATIONS. Why would a manager prefer decision tree instead of a decision table? A DECISION TREE ISAN EFFECTIVE WAY TO DESCRIBE A RELATIVELY SIMPLE PROCESS WHICH SOME VIEWERS MAY FIND EASIER TO INTERPRET. What is the difference between an operational environment and a test environment? OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT IS FOR THE ACTUAL SYSTEM OPERATION. TEST ENVIRONMENT IS USED BY ANALYSTS AND PROGRAMMERS TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN PROGRAMS. What is configuration management and why is it important? CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT IS A PROCESS FOR CONTROLLING CHANGES IN SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS DURING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR MANAGING SYSTEM CHANGES AND COST AFTER A SYSTEM BECOMES OPERATIONAL. Describe three main types of testing and the order in which they are performed. UNIT TESTING IS THE FIRST STEP OF TESTING AND IT TESTS THE INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM OR MODULE. INTEGRATION TESTING IS THE SECOND STEP OF TESTING AND IT INVOLVES TESTING TWO OR MORE PROGRAMS THAT DEPEND ON EACH OTHER. SYSTEM TESTING IS THE THIRD STEP THAT TESTS INVOLVES TESTING THE ENTIRE INFORMATION SYSTEM. Explain in some details each of the following. In each case show how it can be used to train users of a software package purchased from a vendor. WEBINAR IS AN INTERNET BASED TRAINING SESSION THAT PROVIDES AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE ONLINE. USERS WILL BE ABLE TO WATCH ONLINE TRAINING VIDEOS WITH INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW THE SOFTWARE SHOULD BE USED. PODCAST REFERS TO A WEB-BASED BROADCAST THAT ALLOWS A USER TO DOWNLOAD MULTI-MEDIA FILES TO A PC OR PORTABLE DEVICE. SUBSCRIBERS CAN ACCESS THE RECORDED MATERIAL ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. TUTORIAL IS A SERIES OF ONLINE INTERACTIVE LESSONS THAT PRESENT MATERIAL AND PROVIDE A DIALOG WITH USERS. USERS CAN GET STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND THE SOFTWARE BETTER. What is ISO and why is it important to a system developer? ISO IS A NETWORK OF NATIONAL STANDARDS INSTITUTES WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, GOVERNMENTS, INDUSTRIES, BUSINESSES, AND CONSUMER REPRESENTATIVES. ISO IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT ACTS AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS. Briefly describe each of the following symbols used in a data flow diagram (DFD). PROCESS IT TRANSFORMS DATA. DATA FLOW IT SHOWS DATA MOVEMENT EXTERNAL ENTITY IT REPRESENTS SOMEONE OR SOMETHING CONNECTED TO THE INFORMATION SYSTEM. DATA STORE IT SHOWS DATA AT REST.