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Chapter 5 System Development and Program Change Activities PT 8

This document contains responses to discussion questions about system development and program change activities. It addresses issues such as: - The dangers of understating intangible benefits in estimates. Intangible benefits should be included in analysis and decision making. - That while a firm may decide early on a package like SAP, the systems development life cycle process should still be conducted to determine needs. - The importance of testing "bad" data during testing procedures to verify all error checking routines. - Why all modules must be tested together when a system is behind schedule but individual modules test without issues. Interactions between modules must be ensured. - Why run manuals for computer operators are important, like checklists for pilots

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Hiraya Manawari
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89 views2 pages

Chapter 5 System Development and Program Change Activities PT 8

This document contains responses to discussion questions about system development and program change activities. It addresses issues such as: - The dangers of understating intangible benefits in estimates. Intangible benefits should be included in analysis and decision making. - That while a firm may decide early on a package like SAP, the systems development life cycle process should still be conducted to determine needs. - The importance of testing "bad" data during testing procedures to verify all error checking routines. - Why all modules must be tested together when a system is behind schedule but individual modules test without issues. Interactions between modules must be ensured. - Why run manuals for computer operators are important, like checklists for pilots

Uploaded by

Hiraya Manawari
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 5 System Development and Program Change Activities

Discussion Questions

11. Intangible benefits are usually extremely difficult to quantify accurately. Some designers
argue that if you understate them, then conservative estimates are produced. Any excess
benefits will be greatly welcomed but not required for the new system to be a success. What
are the dangers of this viewpoint?
Response: If intangible benefits are not carefully and diligently estimated and considered,
then a suboptimal system may be chosen (i.e., one that does not provide as much customer
satisfaction as another option). Because of their inherent nature, intangible benefits are easy
targets for manipulation. These benefits should be included in the analysis and decision- making
process in some form. Decision support systems exist that allow inclusion of both tangible and
intangible decisions.
12. If a firm decides early on to go with a special-purpose system, such as SAP, based on the
recommendations of the external audit firm, should the SDLC be bypassed?
Response: The systems development life cycle should be conducted, albeit in a modified
form. Better yet, the firm should not decide on a package until it has determined its needs
requirements and considered alternatives.
13. During a test data procedure, why should the developers bother testing “bad” data?
Response: If only “good” data is tested, then the control procedures for flagging “bad”
data cannot be tested. Thus, bad data that can verify all error checking routines should be
included, and testing it is just as important as testing good data.
14. If the system is behind schedule and if each program module is tested and no problems
are found, is it necessary to test all modules in conjunction with one another? Why or why
not?
Response: Yes, all modules must be tested in conjunction with another. This is necessary
to ensure that modules interact together in the desired fashion. In other words, the data may be
processed by multiple modules and tests are necessary to ensure that one module does not corrupt
the data processed by another module.
15. Run manuals for computer operators are similar in theory to the checklists that airplane
pilots use for takeoffs and landings. Explain why these are important.
Response: Run manuals list each system and the frequency with which it should be run.
Further, the required hardware and file requirements are listed. These lists tend to be numerous,
and even a seasoned computer operator may occasionally forget exactly which run should be
performed on a given day. Pilots are trained and licensed to fly airplanes, yet they still have
checklists to which they refer for pre-flight, take-offs, and landing just to ensure that one of the
many procedures is not forgotten. Like pilots, computer operators should refer to run lists just to
make sure they have not forgotten any runs on any particular day.

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