146

Determining System Requirements

Chapter 7
Determining System Requirements
True-False Questions
1.

Requirements determination, requirements structuring, and alternative generation and choice are the
three parts to analysis.
Answer: True

2.

Reference: p. 204

Difficulty: Hard

Reference: p. 204

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 205

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 205

Collection of information is at the core of systems analysis.

Answer: True

9.

Difficulty: Hard

Joint Application Design and prototyping can help keep the analysis effort at a minimum yet still
effective.
Answer: True

8.

Reference: p. 204

Requirements creep is a term used to describe a project that has bogged down in an abundance of
analysis work.
Answer: False

7.

Difficulty: Hard

Finding the best solution to a business problem or opportunity describes the attention to details
characteristic that a systems analyst should exhibit during the requirements determination phase.
Answer: False

6.

Reference: p. 204

Assuming anything is possible and eliminating the infeasible describes the reframing characteristic
that a systems analyst should exhibit during the requirements determination phase.
Answer: False

5.

Difficulty: Med

Challenging yourself to look at the organization in new ways describes the impertinence characteristic
that a systems analyst should exhibit during the requirements determination phase.
Answer: False

4.

Reference: p. 202

During requirements determination, information can be gathered from users of the current system,
forms, reports, and procedures.
Answer: True

3.

Difficulty: Med

Difficulty: Easy

Reference: p. 205

Contrary to popular belief, interviewing is not one of the primary ways analysts gather information
about an information systems project.
Answer: False

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 206

147

Determining System Requirements

10.

In order to promote more truthful responses, the general nature of the interview should not be
explained to the interviewee in advance.
Answer: False

11.

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 208

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 208

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 208

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 209

Difficulty: Easy

Reference: p. 209

You should use the interview process to set expectations about the new or replacement system.
Answer: False

21.

Reference: p. 208

Multiple choice, rating, and ranking are types of closed-ended questions.

Answer: True

20.

Difficulty: Med

A major disadvantage of closed-ended questions is that useful information that does not quite fit the
defined answers may be overlooked as the respondent tries to make a choice instead of providing his
or her best answer.
Answer: True

19.

Reference: p. 208

Closed-ended questions work well when the major answers to the questions are known.
Answer: True

18.

Difficulty: Med

Open-ended questions put the interviewee at ease, are easily summarized, and save time.
Answer: False

17.

Reference: p. 207

Open-ended questions can put the interviewee at ease because she can respond in her own words using
her own structure.
Answer: True

16.

Difficulty: Med

Open-ended questions are usually used to probe for information when you cannot anticipate all
possible responses or when you do not know the precise question to ask.
Answer: True

15.

Reference: p. 206

Unstructured questions are questions in interviews and on questionnaires that have no prespecified
answers.
Answer: False

14.

Difficulty: Med

As a general guideline, you should prepare an agenda with approximate time limits for different
sections of the interview.
Answer: True

13.

Reference: p. 206

Neutrality is a guideline for effective interviewing.

Answer: True

12.

Difficulty: Med

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 209

Compared to interviews, questionnaires are time-consuming and expensive to conduct.

Answer: False

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 210

Chapter 7

22.

Determining System Requirements

Random, stratified, classified, and concentrated are four methods for choosing questionnaire
respondents.
Answer: False

23.

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 210

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 210

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 211

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 212

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 212

When comparing interviews with questionnaires, the time required for an interview would be rated as
moderate.
Answer: False

32.

Reference: p. 210

When comparing interviews with questionnaires, the information richness of an interview would be
rated as moderate to low.
Answer: False

31.

Difficulty: Med

Questionnaires are most useful in the requirements determination process when used for very specific
purposes rather than for more general information gathering.
Answer: True

30.

Reference: p. 210

One of the primary advantages to questionnaires is that they provide a direct means by which to ask
follow-up questions.
Answer: False

29.

Difficulty: Hard

When designing a questionnaire, open-ended questions are preferable to closed-ended questions

because they are easier to complete.
Answer: False

28.

Reference: p. 210

In general, questionnaires take less time to complete than interviews structured to obtain the same
information.
Answer: True

27.

Difficulty: Hard

Nonresponse bias is a systematic bias in the results because those who responded are different from
those who did not respond.
Answer: True

26.

Reference: p. 210

Using a purposeful sample, you would obtain a list of all current system users, and choose every nth
person on the list.
Answer: False

25.

Difficulty: Med

Using a stratified sample, you specify only the people who satisfy certain criteria, such as users of the
system for less than one year.
Answer: False

24.

148

Difficulty: Hard

Reference: p. 212

Since observations are unbiased, they are preferable to other requirements determination techniques.
Answer: False

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 215

149

Determining System Requirements

33.

While being observed, employees may follow exact procedures more carefully than they typically do.
Answer: True

34.

Difficulty: Hard

Reference: p. 217

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 218

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 220

Difficulty: Hard

Reference: p. 220

Difficulty: Hard

Reference: p. 220

When comparing observations and document analysis, the time required for document analysis is rated
as low to moderate.
Answer: True

44.

Reference: p. 216

When comparing observations and document analysis, the chances for follow-up and probing with
document analysis are rated high to excellent.
Answer: False

43.

Difficulty: Med

When comparing observations and document analysis, the expense of observations is rated moderate.
Answer: False

42.

Reference: p. 216

When gathering system requirements, document analysis and observation are used the least.
Answer: False

41.

Difficulty: Med

Informal systems develop because of inadequacies of formal procedures, individual work habits and
preferences, and resistance to control.
Answer: True

40.

Reference: p. 216

If you encounter contradictory information about procedures from interviews, questionnaires, or

observations, you should reconcile the contradictions before proceeding to other analysis tasks.
Answer: False

39.

Difficulty: Med

As a systems analyst, it is part of your job to create a document for a missing work procedure.
Answer: False

38.

Reference: p. 215

In documents you can find information about special information processing circumstances that occur
irregularly.
Answer: True

37.

Difficulty: Med

In documents you can find information about the values of the organization or individuals who can
help determine priorities for different capabilities desired by different users.
Answer: True

36.

Reference: p. 215

When performing observations, it is best to select typical people and sites as opposed to atypical
people and sites.
Answer: False

35.

Difficulty: Easy

Difficulty: Hard

Reference: p. 220

The primary purpose of using JAD in the analysis phase is to collect systems requirements
simultaneously from the key people involved with the system.
Answer: True

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 221

Chapter 7

45.

Determining System Requirements

A JAD is an inexpensive, popular requirements determination technique.

Answer: False

46.

Reference: p. 222

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 227

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 227

Disruptive technologies enable the breaking of long-held business rules that inhibit organizations from
making radical business changes.
Answer: True

50.

Difficulty: Med

BPR efforts often result in the development of information systems maintenance requests or requests
for systems maintenance.
Answer: True

49.

Reference: p. 221

A first step in any BPR effort is to understand what processes need to change.
Answer: True

48.

Difficulty: Med

Referencing a JAD session, the sponsor is the individual responsible for organizing and running a JAD
session.
Answer: False

47.

150

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 228

Determining systems requirements for an Internet-based electronic commerce application is no

different than the process followed for other applications.
Answer: True

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 229

Multiple Choice Questions

51.

The first sub-phase of analysis is:

a.
b.
c.
d.

alternative generation and choice

requirements structuring
requirements determination
project identification and selection

Answer: c
52.

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 202

The impertinence characteristic of a good systems analyst is represented by which of the following
statements?
a.
b.
c.
d.

You must challenge yourself to look at the organization in new ways.

Every fact must fit with every other fact.
Assume anything is possible, and eliminate the infeasible.
You should question everything.

Answer: d

Difficulty: Hard

Reference: p. 204

151

Determining System Requirements

53.

The reframing characteristic of a good systems analyst is represented by which of the following
statements?
a.
b.
c.
d.

You must challenge yourself to look at the organization in new ways.

Every fact must fit with every other fact.
Assume anything is possible, and eliminate the infeasible.
You should question everything.

Answer: a
54.

You must challenge yourself to look at the organization in new ways.

Your role is to find the best solution to a business problem or opportunity.
Assume anything is possible, and eliminate the infeasible.
You should question everything.

Answer: b

Reference: p. 204

analyzed responses from questionnaires

transcripts of interviews
notes from observation and from analysis documents
all of the above

Answer: d

Difficulty: Easy

Reference: p. 204

The term used to refer to systems development projects bogged down in an abundance of analysis
work is:
a.
b.
c.
d.

information overload
analysis paralysis
analysis overload
information abundance

Answer: b
57.

Difficulty: Hard

The primary deliverables from requirements determination include:

a.
b.
c.
d.

56.

Reference: p. 204

The impartiality characteristic of a good systems analyst is represented by which of the following
statements?
a.
b.
c.
d.

55.

Difficulty: Hard

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 205

Techniques developed to keep the analysis effort minimal, yet still effective include:
a.
b.
c.
d.

JAD
interviewing
observations
quiz sessions

Answer: a

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 205

Chapter 7

58.

Determining System Requirements

Traditional methods of collecting systems requirements include:

a.
b.
c.
d.

individually interview people

survey people via questionnaires
interview groups of people
all of the above

Answer: d
59.

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 206

Questions in interviews and on questionnaires that have no pre-specified answers are:

a.
b.
c.
d.

nonspecific questions
closed-ended questions
open-ended questions
investigative questions

Answer: c

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 208

One advantage of open-ended questions in an interview is:

a.
b.
c.
d.

a significant amount of time can be devoted to each interviewee

the interviewee is restricted to providing just a few answers
previously unknown information can result
they work well when the answers to the questions are well known

Answer: c
62.

Reference: p. 206

group support systems

interview groups of people
Joint Application Design
Rapid Application Development

Answer: b

61.

Difficulty: Easy

Which of the following is a traditional method of collecting systems requirements?

a.
b.
c.
d.

60.

152

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 208

Questions in interviews and on questionnaires asking those responding to choose from among a set of
specified responses are:
a.
b.
c.
d.

specific questions
closed-ended questions
open-ended questions
structured questions

Answer: b

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 208

153

Determining System Requirements

63.

Which of the following is an advantage of closed-ended questions?

a.

Interviews based on closed-ended questions do not necessarily require a large time commitment,
so more topics can be covered.
b. Closed-ended questions enable the analysts to explore information that does not quite fit defined
answers.
c. The analyst can obtain previously unknown information.
d. Closed-ended questions often put the interviewee at ease.
Answer: a
64.

open-ended question
JAD question
closed-ended question
rating question

Answer: c

Reference: p. 209

phrasing the question to illicit the correct response

typing your notes within two weeks of the interview
establishing expectation levels about the new system
seeking a variety of perspectives from the interviews

Answer: d

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 209

A representative sample can be achieved by:

a.
b.
c.
d.

using a stratified sample

selecting those convenient to sample
using a random sample
all of the above

Answer: d
67.

Difficulty: Med

Good interview guidelines consist of:

a.
b.
c.
d.

66.

Reference: p. 208

Rating a response or idea on some scale, say from strongly agree to strongly disagree, would be
classified as a(n):
a.
b.
c.
d.

65.

Difficulty: Med

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 210

Having several categories of people to include in a sample and choosing a random set from each
category is an example of a:
a.
b.
c.
d.

stratified sample
convenient sample
purposeful sample
random sample

Answer: a

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 210

Chapter 7

68.

Determining System Requirements

Selecting only people who satisfy a certain criteria, such as users of the system for more than four
years, is an example of a:
a.
b.
c.
d.

stratified sample
convenient sample
purposeful sample
random sample

Answer: c
69.

154

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 210

A nonresponse bias refers to:

a. less than 25 percent of the questionnaires not being returned
b. a systematic bias in the results since those who responded are different from those who did not
respond
c. no questionnaires being returned
d. ensuring that questions are worded correctly
Answer: b

70.

take less time to complete

provide you with the chance to judge the accuracy of the responses
are richer in information content than interviews
are administered to fewer people

Answer: a

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 212

Compared to questionnaires, interviews:

a.
b.
c.
d.

take less time to complete

are quite time-intensive and expensive
are less rich in information content than questionnaires
can be used to collect information from large numbers of people

Answer: b
72.

Reference: p. 210

Compared to interviews, questionnaires:

a.
b.
c.
d.

71.

Difficulty: Med

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 212

Comparing interviews to questionnaires, which of the following is correct?

a.
b.
c.
d.

Using a questionnaire enables the interviewer to identify the interviewee.

The involvement of the subject via the questionnaire is very active.
The potential audience of an interview can be quite large.
The time required to administer a questionnaire is low to moderate.

Answer: d

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 212

155

Determining System Requirements

73.

If you know little about the system or the organization, a good strategy would be to:
a.

identify key users and stakeholders and interview them, then use this information to create a
questionnaire that can be distributed to a large number of users
b. interview only one or two key users or stakeholders
c. administer a questionnaire to key stakeholders, and then interview all end users
d. administer a questionnaire to all end users, and then select the best responses to interview
Answer: a
74.

stakeholder interviewing
group interviewing
user interviewing
strategic interviewing

Answer: b

Reference: p. 213

Group interviewing does not effectively utilize your time.

Interviewing several people together allows them to hear the opinions of other key people.
Group interviewing requires significantly more time than does the JAD process.
Scheduling group interviews can be a problem.

Answer: d

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 213

A facilitated process that supports idea generation by groups where at the beginning of the process,
group members work alone to generate ideas, which are then pooled under the guidance of a trained
facilitator best describes:
a.
b.
c.
d.

affinity clustering
requirements structuring
group interviews
nominal group technique

Answer: d
77.

Difficulty: Med

Which of the following is a disadvantage to group interviewing?

a.
b.
c.
d.

76.

Reference: p. 212

Interviewing several key people at once refers to:

a.
b.
c.
d.

75.

Difficulty: Hard

Difficulty: Hard

Reference: p. 213

Which of the following is a reason for directly observing end users?

a.
b.
c.
d.

The analyst gets a snap-shot image of the person or task being observed.
Observations are not very time consuming.
People often do not have a completely accurate appreciation of what they do or how they do it.
Employees will alter their performance if they know that they are being observed.

Answer: c

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 214

Chapter 7

78.

Determining System Requirements

Which of the following documents are useful in understanding possible future system requirements?
a.
b.
c.
d.

written work procedures

documents that describe the current information system
reports generated by current systems
all of the above

Answer: d
79.

156

Difficulty: Easy

Reference: p. 216

The analysis of documents can help you identify:

a. problems with existing systems
b. special information processing circumstances that occur irregularly and may not be identified by
any other requirements
c. the reason why current systems are designed the way they are
d. all of the above
Answer: d

80.

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 216

A written work procedure:

a. indicates the job an analyst will need to perform on a given project
b. describes how a particular job or task is performed, including data and information that are used
and created in the process of performing the job
c. indicates what data flow in or out of a system and which are necessary for the system to function
d. enables you to work backwards from the information on a report to the necessary data
Answer: b

81.

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 216

If your analysis of several written procedures reveals a duplication of effort in two jobs, you should:
a. indicate that one job be deleted from the new system
b. call the duplication to the attention of management as an issue to be resolved before system design
can proceed
c. justify the duplication of effort
d. restructure the tasks so that the duplication is removed
Answer: b

82.

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 216

The official way a system works as described in organizational documentation is referred to as a(n):
a.
b.
c.
d.

formal system
informal system
official system
desired system

Answer: a

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 218

157

Determining System Requirements

83.

The way a system actually works is referred to as a(n):

a.
b.
c.
d.

unofficial system
informal system
actual system
formal system

Answer: b
84.

indicate the correct sequencing of tasks

describe how particular tasks are performed
indicate what data flow in or out of a system and which are necessary for the system to function
enable you to work backwards from the information on a report to the necessary data

Answer: c

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 219

Forms are most useful:

a.
b.
c.
d.

when they do not contain any data

during the initial planning stages
when they contain actual organizational data
during the design stage

Answer: c
86.

Reference: p. 218

Forms are important for understanding a business because they:

a.
b.
c.
d.

85.

Difficulty: Med

Difficulty: Easy

Reference: p. 219

A report:
a. indicates the inputs required for the new system
b. describes how a particular job or task is performed, including data and information that are used
and created in the process of performing the job
c. indicates what data flow in or out of a system and which are necessary for the system to function
d. enables you to work backwards from the information on a report to the data that must have been
necessary to generate them
Answer: d

87.

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 219

When comparing observations and document analysis:

a.
b.
c.
d.

the time required to conduct observations compared to document analysis is low

the observee is not known to the interviewer
the potential audience of the observation method is limited
with document analysis, a clear commitment is discernible

Answer: c

Difficulty: Hard

Reference: p. 220

Chapter 7

88.

Determining System Requirements

Which of the following is not a modern method for collecting

?
a.
b.
c.
d.

interviewing
group support systems
CASE tools
Joint Application Design

Answer: a
89.

158

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 220

Which of the following is a true statement regarding JAD?

a.

The primary purpose of using JAD in the analysis phase is to collect systems requirements
simultaneously from the key people involved with the system.
b. JAD follows a particular structure of roles and agenda that are similar to the group interview.
c. JAD sessions are usually conducted in the organizations conference room.
d. A JAD session is inexpensive to conduct.
Answer: a
90.

a session leader
a scribe
a sponsor
all of the above

Answer: d

Difficulty: Easy

Reference: p. 221

The trained individual who plans and leads Joint Application Design sessions is referred to as the:
a.
b.
c.
d.

scribe
JAD session leader
JAD manager
JAD contributor

Answer: b
92.

Reference: p. 221

The typical participants in a JAD include:

a.
b.
c.
d.

91.

Difficulty: Med

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 221

The person who makes detailed notes of the happenings at a Joint Application Design session is
referred to as the:
a.
b.
c.
d.

JAD analyst
scribe
JAD manager
JAD session leader

Answer: b

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 222

159

Determining System Requirements

93.

The CASE tools most useful to the analyst during JAD are:
a.
b.
c.
d.

lower CASE
cross life cycle CASE
upper CASE
code generators

Answer: c
94.

Reference: p. 223

Which of the following is a way that JAD can benefit from GSS?
a.
b.
c.
d.

GSS-supported JADs tend to be more time-efficient than traditional JADs.

Comments are more likely to be obtained from everyone.
Important ideas are less likely to be missed.
All of the above are correct.

Answer: d
95.

Difficulty: Med

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 225

Drawbacks to prototyping include:

a.

a tendency to avoid creating formal documentation of systems requirements which can then make
the system more difficult to develop into a fully working system
b. prototypes becoming very idiosyncratic to the initial user and difficult to diffuse or adapt to other
potential users
c. prototypes being built as stand-alone systems
d. all of the above
Answer: d
96.

Reference: p. 226

Prototyping is most useful for requirements determination when:

a.
b.
c.
d.

user requirements are well understood

communication problems have existed in the past between users and analysts
possible designs are simple and require an abstract form to fully evaluate
multiple stakeholders are involved with the system

Answer: b
97.

Difficulty: Med

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 226

The search for, and implementation of, radical change in business processes to achieve breakthrough
improvements in products and services best defines:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Joint Application Design

Rapid Application Development
structured programming
business process reengineering

Answer: d

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 226

Chapter 7

98.

Determining System Requirements

The structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specific output for a particular
customer or market best defines:
a.
b.
c.
d.

formal systems
key business processes
secondary activities
production systems

Answer: b
99.

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 227

Technologies that enable the breaking of long-held business rules that inhibit organizations from
making radical business changes best defines:
a.
b.
c.
d.

technology barriers
business process reengineering
disruptive technologies
business constraints

Answer: c
100.

160

Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 228

Which of the following technologies disrupted the business rule that information can appear only in
one place at a time?
a.
b.
c.
d.

high-performance computing
distributed databases
expert systems
advanced telecommunications networks

Answer: b

Difficulty: Hard

Reference: p. 228

Fill In the Blanks

101.

During requirements determination, the systems analyst characteristic that says you should question
everything is impertinence.
Difficulty: Med

102.

During requirements determination, the systems analyst characteristic that says your role is to find the
best solution to a business problem is impartiality.
Difficulty: Med

103.

Reference: p. 204

During requirements determination when you assume anything is possible and eliminate the infeasible,
this corresponds to the systems analyst characteristic of relaxing of constraints.
Difficulty: Hard

104.

Reference: p. 204

Reference: p. 204

During requirements determination when every fact must fit with every other fact, this corresponds to
the systems analyst characteristic of attention to details.
Difficulty: Hard

Reference: p. 204

161

Determining System Requirements

105.

During requirements determination, challenging yourself to look at the organization in new ways
corresponds to the systems analyst characteristic of reframing.
Difficulty: Hard

106.

General types of deliverables associated with requirements determination are information collected
from conversations with users or observations of users, existing written information, and computerbased information.
Difficulty: Med

107.

Reference: p. 210

Referencing questionnaire respondent selection, the random group method chooses every nth person
on the list.
Difficulty: Med

115.

Reference: p. 208

Referencing questionnaire respondent selection, a convenience sample selects individuals willing to

be surveyed, or those most motivated to respond.
Difficulty: Med

114.

Reference: p. 208

Closed-ended questions are questions in interviews and on questionnaires that ask those responding to
choose from among a set of specified responses.
Difficulty: Med

113.

Reference: p. 208

Open-ended questions are usually used to probe for information when you cannot anticipate all
possible responses or when you do not know the precise questions to ask.
Difficulty: Med

112.

Reference: p. 206

Open-ended questions are questions in interviews and on questionnaires that have no prespecified
answers.
Difficulty: Med

111.

Reference: p. 205

Traditional methods of collecting system requirements include interviews, questionnaires,

observations, and business documents.
Difficulty: Med

110.

Reference: p. 205

JAD and prototyping techniques were developed to keep the analysis effort to a minimum yet still
effective.
Difficulty: Med

109.

Reference: p. 205

Analysis paralysis describes a project that has bogged down in an abundance of analysis work.
Difficulty: Med

108.

Reference: p. 204

Reference: p. 210

Referencing questionnaire respondent selection, the purposeful sample method selects only people
who satisfy certain criteria.
Difficulty: Med

Reference: p. 210

Chapter 7

116.

Determining System Requirements

Referencing questionnaire respondent selection, the stratified sample method chooses a random set
from each category of people that you definitely want to include.
Difficulty: Hard

117.

Reference: p. 226

Key business processes are the structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specific
output for a particular customer or market.
Difficulty: Med

125.

Reference: p. 225

Business process reengineering is the search for, and implementation of, radical change in business
processes to achieve breakthrough improvements in products and services.
Difficulty: Med

124.

Reference: p. 222

Prototyping is a repetitive process in which analysts and users build a rudimentary version of an
information system based on user feedback.
Difficulty: Med

123.

Reference: p. 221

A scribe is the person who makes detailed notes of the happenings at a Joint Application Design
session.
Difficulty: Hard

122.

Reference: p. 218

A JAD session leader is the trained individual who plans and leads Joint Application Design sessions.
Difficulty: Med

121.

Reference: p. 218

An informal system is the way a system actually works.

Difficulty: Med

120.

Reference: p. 213

A formal system is the official way a system works as described in organizational documentation.
Difficulty: Med

119.

Reference: p. 210

The Nominal Group Technique is a facilitated process that supports idea generation by groups; at the
beginning of the process, group members work alone to generate ideas, which are then pooled under
the guidance of a trained facilitator.
Difficulty: Hard

118.

162

Reference: p. 227

Disruptive technologies are technologies that enable the breaking of long-held business rules that
inhibit organizations from making radical business changes.
Difficulty: Hard

Reference: p. 228

163

Determining System Requirements

Matching Questions
Match each of the following terms with its corresponding definition.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
126.

business process reengineering

closed-ended questions
disruptive technologies
formal system
informal system
JAD session leader
key business processes
open-ended questions
scribe

Technologies that enable the breaking of long-held business rules that inhibit organizations from
making radical business changes.
Answer:

127.

Reference: p. 208

Reference: p. 226

Reference: p. 221

Reference: p. 218

The official way a system works as described in organizational documentation.

Answer:

134.

The way a system actually works.

Answer:

133.

Reference: p. 227

The trained individual who plans and leads Joint Application Design sessions.
Answer:

132.

The search for, and implementation of, radical change in business processes to achieve breakthrough
improvements in products and services.
Answer:

131.

Reference: p. 222

Questions in interviews and on questionnaires that ask those responding to choose from among a set of
specified responses.
Answer:

130.

The structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specific output for a particular
customer or market.
Answer:

129.

Reference: p. 228

The person who makes detailed notes of the happenings at a Joint Application Design session.
Answer:

128.

Reference: p. 218

Questions in interviews and on questionnaires that have no prespecified answers.

Answer:

Reference: p. 208

Chapter 7

Determining System Requirements

164

For each of the following statements, answer a if it is characteristic of an interview, or answer b if it is

characteristic of a questionnaire.
135.

In terms of information richness, it is regarded as high.

Answer:

136.

Reference: p. 212

Reference: p. 212

In terms of subject involvement, the respondent is passive, no clear commitment.

Answer:

139.

In terms of potential audience, it has limited numbers, but complete responses.

Answer:

138.

Reference: p. 212

In terms of confidentiality, the respondent can be unknown.

Answer:

137.

Reference: p. 212

Reference: p. 212

In terms of expense, it can be high.

Answer:

For each of the following statements, answer a if it is characteristic of an observation, or answer b if it

is characteristic of document analysis.
140.

In terms of information richness, it is judged low (passive) and old.

Answer:

141.

Reference: p. 220

Reference: p. 220

In terms of subject involvement, there is no clear commitment.

Answer:

144.

In terms of confidentiality, the individual is known.

Answer:

143.

Reference: p. 220

In terms of expense, it can be high.

Answer:

142.

Reference: p. 220

In terms of potential audience, there are limited numbers and limited time (snap shot) of each.
Answer:

Reference: p. 220

165

Determining System Requirements

Match each of the following typical JAD participants with its description.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
145.

scribe
systems analyst
sponsor
user
JAD session leader
manager
IS staff

This individual takes notes; a personal computer or laptop is usually used to take the notes.
Answer:

146.

Reference: p. 221

Reference: p. 221

Reference: p. 222

This individual provides insight into new organizational directions, motivations for and organizational
impacts of systems, and support for requirements determined during the JAD.
Answer:

151.

This individual is part of the development team; she attends the JAD session to learn from the users
and managers.
Answer:

150.

Reference: p. 222

This individual is the only one who has a clear understanding of what it means to use the system on a
daily basis.
Answer:

149.

This person organizes and runs the JAD, and has been trained in group management and facilitation,
as well as in systems analysis.
Answer:

148.

Reference: p. 222

A person who is relatively high level in the company and usually attends only at the very beginning or
the end of the session.
Answer:

147.

Reference: p. 221

This individual may attend JAD to learn from the discussion and possibly to contribute ideas on the
technical feasibility of ideas or on technical limitations of current systems.
Answer:

Reference: p. 222

Chapter 7

Determining System Requirements

166

For each of the following situations, answer a if prototyping would be useful or answer b if prototyping
would not be useful.
152.

User requirements are well understood.

Answer:

153.

Reference: p. 226

Reference: p. 226

Communication problems have existed in the past between users and analysts, and both parties want to
be sure that system requirements are as specific as possible.
Answer:

156.

Possible designs are complex and require concrete form to fully evaluate.
Answer:

155.

Reference: p. 226

A significant number of users or stakeholders are involved with the system.

Answer:

154.

Reference: p. 226

Tools and data are readily available to build working systems rapidly.
Answer:

Reference: p. 226

Essay Questions
157.

Briefly identify several characteristics for a good systems analyst to have during requirements
determination.
Five characteristics that will come in handy during the requirements determination stage are
impertinence, impartiality, relax constraints, attention to details, and reframing. Impertinence
questions everything. Impartiality describes your quest to find the best solution to a business problem
or opportunity. Assuming anything is possible, and eliminating the infeasible defines the third
characteristic, relax constraints. By making sure that every fact fits with every other fact, the analyst
is paying attention to details. Since analysis is a creative process, the analyst should challenge himself
to look at the organization in new ways. This characteristic is referred to as reframing.

158.

Briefly identify the traditional methods for determining requirements.

The traditional methods for collecting system requirements are interviews, questionnaires,
observations, Nominal Group Technique, and document analysis.

159.

Briefly identify and describe the modern methods for determining requirements.
Prototyping and JAD are two methods mentioned in the textbook. Prototyping is a repetitive process
in which analysts and users build a rudimentary version of an information system based on user
feedback. Joint Application Design is a structured process in which users, managers, and analysts
work together for several days to specify or review system requirements.

167

Determining System Requirements

160.

Briefly identify and discuss four types of documents that would be helpful in determining future system
requirements.
While any written document can provide insight into the future system requirements, four documents
were specifically mentioned in the chapter. They are the written work procedure, business form,
report, and current system documentation. The written work procedure describes how a particular job
or task is performed and includes data and information requirements needed by the job. Business
forms are important because they can demonstrate what data flow in or out of a system and which are
necessary for the system to function. Reports are beneficial because they provide information about
system output. The fourth type of documentation, current system documentation, refers to documents
that describe the current information system. This type of documentation can provide insight
concerning how the systems were built and how they work.

161.

Briefly identify and describe the participants of a JAD session.

A JAD session consists of a JAD session leader, users, managers, sponsors, systems analysts, a scribe,
and information systems staff. The JAD session leader is responsible for running the session. The
scribe is the individual who takes notes during the session. Users are important because they
understand the current system. Managers are needed to provide insight into new organizational
directions, motivations, organizational impacts of systems, and support for requirements determined
during the JAD. Since new systems cost money, high-level management support is demonstrated
through the appearance of system sponsors. Attendance by these individuals is usually at the
beginning or ending of the session. Systems analysts are present so they can learn from the users and
managers. Information systems staff can contribute ideas to the process as well as learn from it.

162.

Define disruptive technologies. Identify eight disruptive technologies and how they have eliminated
long-held organizational rules.
Disruptive technologies enable the breaking of long-held business rules that inhibit organizations from
making radical business changes. Distributed databases, expert systems, advanced
telecommunications networks, decision-support tools, wireless data communication and portable
computers, interactive communication technologies, automatic identification and tracking
technologies, and high-performance computing are eight disruptive technologies. Distributed
databases allow the sharing of information, and expert systems can aid nonexperts. Advanced
telecommunications networks can support dynamic organizational structures; decision-support tools
can aid nonmanagers. Wireless data communication and portable computers provide a virtual office
for workers. Interactive communication technologies allow complex messaging capabilities.
Automatic identification and tracking technology know where things are, and high-performance
computing can provide real-time updating.

163.

Identify four drawbacks to using prototyping as a requirements determination tool.

The four drawbacks mentioned in the textbook are: (1) a tendency to avoid creating formal
documentation of system requirements; (2) prototypes become very idiosyncratic to the initial user and
difficult to diffuse or adapt to other potential users; (3) prototypes are often built as stand-alone
systems, often ignoring issues of sharing data, interactions with other existing systems, and scaling up
applications; and (4) checks in the SDLC are bypassed so that some more subtle system requirements
might be forgotten.

Chapter 7

164.

Determining System Requirements

168

Assume you are analyzing a golf course scheduling system. Identify two open-ended questions and
two closed-ended questions you might ask.
Open-ended questions might include the following: What information is currently provided by the
scheduling system? What information would you like to have that the current scheduling system does
not provide? Closed-ended questions might ask the system users to rate a response to the following
questions: Does the existing system provide tee-scheduling information in a timely manner? Is the
existing system easy to use?

165.

What is the Nominal Group Technique? How is it beneficial to requirements determination?

The Nominal Group Technique is a facilitated process that supports idea generation by groups. At the
beginning of the process, group members work alone to generate ideas, which are then pooled under
the guidance of a trained facilitator. During requirements determination, the group will identify and
prioritize a list of problems associated with the existing system, or they may identify and prioritize a
list of requirements for the new system.

166.

How can a GSS benefit JAD?

GSS alleviates many of the problems associated with a JAD. With JAD, individuals have limited time
to state a particular view; an individual may dominate the discussion; individuals may fear personal
criticism, and individuals may fear contradicting their boss. GSS are more time efficient and
encourage equal participation from all individuals. Idea contribution is anonymous, thus alleviating
the fear of criticism directed at the individual and fear of retribution.