Net Present Value Method—projects with a positive net

Backbone System—basic system structure on which to present value are economically feasible to present the
build. value of the costs deducted from the present value of the
benefits over the life of the system.
Break-even Point—the point where total costs equal total
benefits. New Systems Development—a process that involves five
steps: identifying the problem, understanding what needs
Class—it is a blueprint that defines the attributes and the to be done, considering alternative solutions, selecting the
methods common to all objects of a certain type. best solution, and implementing the solution.

Cold Turkey Cutover—under this approach, the firm Novice—little or no experience with computers and about
switches to the new system and simultaneously terminates their assigned tasks.
the old system.
Object—equivalent to nouns in the English language.
Conceptual Design—the production of several alternative
designs for the new system. Object-oriented Design (OOD) Approach—building
information systems from reusable standard components
Cutover—the process of converting from the old system to or modules.
the new system.
Object-oriented Programming (OOP) Language—based
Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs)—the top-down on high-level programming language and processes with
decomposition of a hypothetical business process. the design of software and applications.

Database Conversion—the transfer of data from its Occasional Users—users who once understood the
current form to the format by the new system. system but have forgotten some essential commands and
procedures.
Detailed Design—design of screen outputs, reports, and
operational documents; entity relationship diagrams; Office Automation System—computer systems that
normal form designs for database tables; updated data improve the productivity of office workers automation
dictionary; designs for all screen inputs and source systems include word processing packages, database
documents; context diagrams for overall system; low-level management systems, spreadsheet programs, and
data flow diagrams; structure diagrams for program desktop publishing systems.
modules.
Operational Feasibility—the new system may require
Detailed Design Report—depict the top-down adopting new procedures and retraining operations
decomposition of a hypothetical business process. personnel skills and the operational requirements of the
new system.
Economic Feasibility—financial analysis to the project in
view of other competing capital projects under Parallel Operation Cutover—running two systems in
consideration. parallel essentially doubles resource consumption.

Encapsulation—the act of placing data and methods in Payback Method—product life cycles and rapid advances
the same class and thus restricting access to the object’s in technology, the effective lives of information systems
components. tend to be short.

End User—users for whom the system is built. Phased Cutover—operating the new system in modules
phasing in the new system in modules reduces the risk of a
Event-driven Language—designed to respond to external devastating system failure.
actions commenced by the user.
Polymorphism—ability of a variable, function, or object to
Frequent Light User—tends not to explore beneath the take on multiple forms. It allows multiple and different
surface and lack depth of familiarity with limited aspects of objects to respond to the same message.
the system knowledge.
Procedural Language—well-structured steps and
Frequent Power User—users who understand the existing procedures within its programming context to compose a
system and will readily adapt to new systems. They are program.
intolerant of detailed instructions that waste their time.
They like to find shortcuts and use macro commands to Project Planning—allocation of resources to individual
improve performance. This group requires only abbreviated applications within the framework of the strategic plan.
documentation.
Project Proposal—document provides management with
General Accounting System—designed to serve a wide a basis for deciding whether to proceed with the project.
variety of user needs.
Project Schedule—document that formally presents
Help Features—analyzes the context problem and management’s commitment to the project.
displays error messages on the screen.
Quality Assurance Group—programmers, analysts,
Inheritance—each object instance inherits the attributes users, and internal auditors to simulate the operation of the
and methods of the class to which it belongs. system to uncover errors, omissions, and abiguities in the
design.
Instance—single occurrence of an object within a class.
Documentation—written description of how the system
Intangible Benefits—overriding importance in information works.
system decisions.
Run Manual—computer operators use documentation
Iterative Approach—modules cycle through all of the transaction (input) files, master files, and output files used
SDLC phases rather rapidly, with a short time frame from in the system.
beginning to end.
Schedule Feasibility—the firm’s ability to implement the
Legal Feasibility—the company’s ability to discharge its project within an acceptable time.
legal responsibilities between the conceptual systems.
Special-purpose System—software vendors create Walkthrough—analysis of system design to ensure the
accounting procedures to selected target segments of the design is free from conceptual errors that could become
economy. programmed into the final system.

Stakeholders—entities either inside or outside an

organization that have direct or indirect interest in the firm.

Steering Committee—an organizational committee

consisting of senior-level management responsible for
systems planning.

Strategic Systems Planning—budgeting resources for

other strategic activities of systems resources at the macro
level.

Structure Diagram—design is usually documented by

data flow and structure diagrams to depict the top-down
decomposition of a hypothetical business process.

Structured Design—disciplined way of designing systems

from the top down.

System Implementation—development process new

system is installed; database structures are created and
populated with data.

System Survey—determination of what elements, if any, of

the current system should be preserved as part of the new
system.

Systems Analysis—two-step process that involves a

survey of the current system and then an analysis of the
user’s needs.

Systems Analysis Report—analysis and

recommendations for the new system.

Systems Development Life Cycle—formal process

consisting of two major phases: new systems development
and maintenance.

Systems Evaluation and Selection—an optimization

process that seeks to identify the best system.

Systems Maintenance—modifying the system to produce

a new report or changing the length of a data field.

Systems Planning—linking of individual system projects

or applications to the strategic objectives of the firm.

Systems Professional—system analysts, systems

engineers, database designers, and programmers gather
facts about problems with the current system, analyze
these facts, and formulate a solution to solve the problems.

Systems Selection Report—the deliverable product of the

systems selection process.

Tangible Benefits—organization to reduce inventories and

at the same time improve customer service by reducing
stock outs.

Technical Feasibility—the physical basis for most of the

system’s design features, this aspect bears heavily on the
overall feasibility of the competing system.

Third-generation Languages (3GLs)—program logic is

executed by the programmer to specify the precise order in
procedural language.

Turnkey System—completely finished and tested systems

that are ready for implementation.

Tutorial—train the novice or the occassional user.

User Handbook—documentation will guide the user

interactively in the use of the system.

Vendor-supported System—custom systems that

organizations purchase from commercial vendors.