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SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1
a) Outline the role of steering committee in information systems development.
b) Describe the stages of the classical system development life cycle (SDLC).
c) Systems are designed, implemented and managed using models which are abstractions of reality that
allow people to apply principles which are assumed to hold true for many different types of systems.
With reference to the above statement and citing examples, identify four system models.
QUESTION 2
a) Give four reasons why an organization might prefer outsourcing its IT functions.
b) End-user computing involves a range of individuals with different types of skills, access to and
relationships with the computer system.
Required:
Briefly explain six categories of end users.
c) Using a well labelled diagram, explain the rapid application development approach to systems
development.
QUESTION 3
a) When invoicing customers, a clerk has to work out discounts allowable on each order. Any order over
Sh. 200,000 attracts a discount of 7.5%. A customer within the trade is allowed 15% discount
irrespective of the size of the order. Further, a special discount of 5% is allowed to any customer who
has been making regular orders over the last two years.
Required:
Construct a flow chart to illustrate the above credit policy.
b) Discuss the merits and demerits of using flow charts vis-a -vis decision tables in systems designs.
Being a system analyst can begin a systems investigation, he/she requires the terms of reference.
Required:
Highlight the information contained in the terms of reference.
c) List and discuss two issues that are likely to cause system failure in each of the following stages of a
system development life cycle:
i) Testing.
ii) Project definition.
iii) Design.
iv) Requirement analysis.
QUESTION 4
a) Prototyping is an alternative technique to the traditional techniques to system development.
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Required:
Outline a four step model of prototyping and give two advantages of acquiring an application package
over prototyping.
b) Explain the benefits of applying the open systems concept in an organization.
c) Explain how the following systems development tools or techniques can assist a systems developer to
reduce an application’s development and costs.
i) Fourth generation languages (4GLs).
ii) Prototyping.
iii) Computer aided software engineering (CASE) tools.
QUESTION 5
a) Using the concept of the general sytems theory, describe the main management functions in a business
system and highlight the information requirements of each function.
b) The logical system design and the physical system design are two important stages of sytems design
phase in the systems development life cycle.
Required:
i) Distinguish between the logical system design stage and the physical system design stage.
ii) Identify three tasks performed in each of the system design stages above.
c) In systems development, the analysts identify the methods and methodologies which will be used in
the design of quality systems.
Required:
i) Distinguish between methods and methodogies.
ii) Explain why it is important to use a methodology in systems development.
iii) Identify any two methodologies that can be used in systems development.
QUESTION 6
a) Explain the role of senior management during systems implementation.
b) Locating computer hardware, software and information communication staff in one area realizes a
number of benefits to an organization.
Required:
Explain the nature of the following advantages:
i) Economies of scale.
ii) Enforcement of systems development standards.
iii) Sharing of information between departments.
c) List any five activities which are performed during systems delivery process
QUESTION 7
a) During output design, the designer’s ideas are put to test. Some ideas are essential while others are
dictated by circumstances.
Required:
i) State the general principles applied in output design.
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ii) Outline the “Steps taken in designing an output.”
b) Describe the options available for the analyst to use when implementing an output.
c) Systems development projects are usually triggered by:
i) Problems
ii) Directives
Explain the meaning of these terms in the context of systems development.
QUESTION 8
a) Explain the type of information that should be maintained for the post-implementation review of a
system.
b) Explain the advantages to an organization in having users involved in developing an information
systems application.
c) Systems walkthroughs are procedures that are commonly used as a means of quality assurance in the
information systems development process.
Required:
i) Describe the composition and the roles of walk through teams
ii) Provide a checklist of items to be examined during the walkthrough.
QUESTION 9
a) Explain the importance of documenting and agreeing on the information systems requirements.
b) Name six guidelines required for the development of new information systems.
c) Explain the meaning of the following terms, bringing out clearly the distinction between the terms in
each pair:
i) Unit testing and systems testing.
ii) Preventive and perfective maintenance
iii) Co-processing and parallel processing.
iv) Logical and physical design of a system.
QUESTION 10
a) A washing machine is designed to rinse and spin clothes for some pre-determined intervals regardless
of whether the clothes are clean or not.
Required:
i) Using the general systems theory, indicate whether this is an open loop or closed loop control
system.
ii) Explain the importance of open loop and closed loop control concepts in the context of a business
system.
b) Your organisation is considering computerising its range of activities but due to shortage of systems
development staff, only a few of the proposed systems can be approved for development.
Give four possible courses of action that may be taken to overcome the shortage of staff and thus allow
full implementation of the system.
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