Systems Development: Phases, Tools, and Techniques

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following systems development techniques requires IT specialists that

are in-house to develop information systems?

A. Outsourcing

B. Insourcing

C. In-house specialization

D. Selfsourcing

2. Which of the following systems development techniques allows end users to develop
information systems?

A. Outsourcing

B. Insourcing

C. Netsourcing

D. Selfsourcing
3. If you were developing marketing strategies and you decided to create a database
that tracked the progress of your marketing efforts, what kind of development would
you be engaging in?

A. Outsourcing

B. Netsourcing

C. Selfsourcing

D. Insourcing

4. Which of the following systems development techniques delegate development tasks

to a third party for a specified cost, period of time, and level of service?

A. Netsourcing

B. Outsourcing

C. Insourcing

D. Selfsourcing
5. What is the difference between insourcing and selfsourcing?

A. Selfsourcing requires the use of internal consultants; insourcing requires staff from
the IT department.

B. Selfsourcing is self-regulating; insourcing requires internal quality controls.

C. Selfsourcing allows for end user development; insourcing requires internal IT staff.

D. Selfsourcing allows for one person to complete the systems development life cycle;
insourcing is a team effort.

6. The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is:

A. a method for testing new IT applications.

B. a structured approach for developing information systems.

C. the analysis and assessment tasks that need to be completed when designing and
developing information systems.

D. a set of guidelines that an end user follows when developing their own business
applications.
7. The waterfall methodology is:

A. a sequential, activity-based process in which one phase of the SDLC is followed by

another.

B. an assessment methodology that ensures quality applications.

C. an outsource development methodology to information systems.

D. a process management technique that identifies and includes end users and
management in the SDLC.

8. The SDLC contains seven phases. Which phase is devoted to creating a solid plan for
developing your information system?

A. Initiation

B. Planning

C. Design

D. Analysis

9. Which of the following is a characteristic of a proposed system that is essential to the

success of your organization?

A. Quality and essence metric

B. Vital requirement

C. Critical success factor

D. Essential design feature

10. A project scope document is:

A. a document that outlines the project's strategy, the responsibilities of project team
members, and the assessment measures that will determine the rate of success

B. a one-paragraph statement about the scope of the proposed project

C. a detailed document identifying the goals, scope and strategy for the proposed
project

D. a document that identifies the parameters or boundaries of the proposed system

and how it fits into existing systems

11. Which of the following occurs when the scope of the project increases beyond its
original intentions?

A. Scope creep

B. Feature creep

C. Milestone

D. Rolling stone
12. Which of the following occurs when developers and end users add extra features that
were not part of the initial requirements?

A. Scope creep

B. Feature creep

C. Milestone

D. Rolling stone

13. What document defines the what, when, and who questions of systems development
including all activities to be performed, the individuals, or resources, who will perform
the activities, and the time required to complete each activity?

A. Requirements

B. Project plan

C. Project milestones

D. Critical success factors

14. _____ defines and develops the project plan, and tracks the plan to ensure that all key
project milestones are completed on time.

A. End user

B. Project manager

C. Project executive

D. IT Administrator
15. _____ represent key dates by which you need a certain group of activities performed.

A. Enduring goals

B. Business plans

C. Feature creeps

D. Project milestones

16. Which phase in the SDLC involves end users and IT specialist working together to
gather, understand, and document the business requirements for the proposed
system?

A. Initiation

B. Planning

C. Design

D. Analysis
17. Business requirements are:

A. the strategic and tactical goals that a business establishes for itself that software
must align with.

B. the detailed set of requests that the proposed information system must meet to be
successful.

C. the planning documents identifying the characteristics and functionality of the

proposed information system.

D. the logical designs for the proposed information system.

18. "The proposed information system must connect 25,000 employees, working in five
satellite sites of Europe, U.S., and Africa" is an example of a(n) ____.

A. company mission

B. milestone

C. feature creep

D. business requirement
19. When IT specialists and end users meet in one location to define and review the
business requirements of a proposed system, the meeting is called a ____.

A. requirements meeting

B. planning and analysis meeting

C. joint application development session

D. rapid prototyping

20. Once all the business requirements are defined, you must prioritize them in order of
business importance and place them in a formal comprehensive document, called
a(n) ____.

A. requirements assessment document

B. requirements definition document

C. document of requisites

D. essential requirements document

21. The primary goal of which phase in the SDLC is to build a technical blueprint of how
the proposed system will work?

A. Design

B. Planning

C. Analysis

D. Development
22. Which of the following is considered a technical architecture for a proposed system?

A. A description of the needed hardware, software, and telecommunications

equipment.

B. A drawing or graphical representation of the proposed system including proposed

screens, reports, software, and databases.

C. A logical model that defines the structure of needed modules and sub modules
and their interrelationships.

D. The needed data structures, definitions and business rules.

23. What is the difference between the design phase and the analysis phase?

A. The analysis phase follows the design phase and examines the requirements
developed during the design phase.

B. The design phase creates the code from the logical requirements developed in the
analysis phase.

C. Analysis and design belong to the same phase and create an iterative process
between the two activities.

D. The design phase takes the requirements developed in the analysis phase and
creates a design based on that.
24. The SDLC contains seven phases. Which phase transforms the design into an actual
system?

A. Design

B. Expansion

C. Development

D. Transformation

25. Which phase in the SDLC verifies that the system works and meets all the business
requirements developed in the analysis phase?

A. Development

B. Transformation

C. Implementation

D. Testing

26. To ensure that the newly developed information systems functions properly, what
should you create that lists the expected steps that the system should perform and
expected results from these steps?

A. Requirement documents

B. Test conditions

C. Design specifications

D. Logical design specifications

27. _____ verifies that separate systems can work together.

A. Unit testing

B. System testing

C. Integration testing

D. User acceptance testing

28. The SDLC contains seven phases. Which phase distributes the system to all the users
so that they can use it to perform their jobs?

A. Implementation

B. Testing

C. Maintenance

D. Expansion

29. When you install the system, you must provide employees with _____ that highlights
how to use the system.

A. test conditions

B. user documentation

C. technical architecture

D. requirements definition document

30. _____ training is most suitable for difficult systems for which employees need one-on-
one time with an individual instructor.

A. Online

B. Virtual

C. Workshop

D. Correspondence

31. If you were to implement the new system while the existing system continued to run,
what type of implementation method would you be following?

A. Pilot implementation

B. Phase implementation

C. Parallel implementation

D. Plunge implementation

32. If you were to allow only a select group of people to use the new system so that you
could determine if it was working correctly, what type of implementation method
would you be following?

A. Pilot implementation

B. Parallel implementation

C. Plunge implementation

D. Phase implementation
33. During the _____ phase of the SDLC, the new system is monitored and supported to
ensure it continues to meet the business goals.

A. implementation

B. testing

C. maintenance

D. operations

34. What is the difference between the implementation phase and the maintenance
phase?

A. The implementation phase creates the physical design (code) and tests it; the
maintenance phase places it into operations.

B. The implementation phase monitors new systems to ensure that they are working
properly; the maintenance phase makes minor adjustments when needed to meet
existing business goals.

C. The maintenance phase monitors new systems to ensure that they are working
properly; the implementation phase makes minor adjustments when needed to
meet new business goals.

D. The maintenance phase monitors and adjusts new and existing systems; the
implementation phase places new systems into operation.
35. _____ focuses on building small self-contained blocks of code that can be reused
across a variety of applications within an organization.

A. Rapid prototyping

B. Project scoping

C. Agile development

D. Component-based development

36. Which of the following methodologies emphasizes extensive user involvement in the
rapid and evolutionary construction of working prototypes?

A. SDLC

B. Waterfall modeling

C. Project scoping

D. Rapid application development (RAD)

37. Which of the following methodologies breaks a project into tiny phases;
programmers must develop the code for each phase before they can continue to the
next phase?

A. Project milestones

B. Extreme programming

C. Operational prototyping

D. Design and build prototyping

38. _____ is a form of XP, which aims for customer satisfaction through early and
continuous delivery of useful software components.

A. The agile methodology

B. The service-oriented architecture

C. Vista

D. Macintosh

39. What is the difference between extreme programming (XP) and the agile
methodology to software development?

A. XP focuses on component-base development; the agile methodology focuses on

the RAD.

B. XP uses prototyping; the agile methodology does not.

C. Agile methodology involves users much more than XP.

D. XP focuses more on team coding; the agile methodology focuses on limiting

project scope.
40. _____ is a high-level, holistic organizational approach to how your organization views
and acts on all its software needs.

A. Service-oriented architecture

B. Rapid prototyping

C. RAD

D. XP

41. _____ is the development and support of IT systems by knowledge workers with little
or no help from IT specialists.

A. End-user involvement

B. Outsourcing

C. Insourcing

D. Requirements definition

42. What group of people knows little about IT but a lot about their own domain?

A. Domain experts

B. Project managers

C. End users

D. Field professionals
43. Which of the following is not an advantage of selfsourcing?

A. It increases the speed of systems development.

B. It analyses the various design alternatives which lead to subpar IT systems.

C. It increases end user participation and sense of ownership.

D. It improves requirements determination.

44. Which of the following is a potential risk of selfsourcing?

A. Reduced technological know-how for future innovation.

B. Lack of documentation and external support leads to short-lived systems.

C. Reduced degree of control.

D. Increased dependency on outside organizations.

45. What type of selfsourcing development tool is paramount to the success of the
proposed software?

A. Easy to use development tools

B. Evolutionary prototyping tools

C. Extreme programming (XP) tools

D. Video editing tools

46. Because end users work with a wide range of data, what toolset should they select for
selfsourcing support?

A. Sophisticated GUI development

B. Online meeting software

C. Collaboration software

D. Database management systems

47. _____ is the process of building a model that demonstrates the features of a proposed
product, service, or system.

A. RAD

B. XP

C. Prototyping

D. Modeling

48. What is used to prove the technical feasibility of a proposed system?

A. Technical prototype

B. Virtual Prototype

C. Proof-of-concept prototype

D. Selling prototype
49. A prototype you use to convince people of the worth of a proposed system is a(n)
____.

A. buying prototype

B. physical prototype

C. proof-of-concept prototype

D. selling prototype

50. What is the first step in the prototyping process?

A. Revise and enhance the prototype

B. Develop initial prototype

C. Identify basic requirements

D. End user reviewing

51. What is the fourth and last step in the prototyping process?

A. Identify basic requirements

B. Develop initial prototype

C. Users reviewing

D. Revise and enhance the prototype

52. Which of the following is an advantage of prototyping?

A. Encourages active user participation

B. Helps resolve discrepancies among end users

C. Gives users a feel for the final system

D. All of the above

53. Which of the following is a disadvantage to prototyping?

A. Prototyping does not encourage active user participation.

B. Prototyping does not give an indication of performance under operational

conditions.

C. Prototyping does not help determine technical feasibility.

D. Prototyping does not help resolve discrepancies among users.

54. According to the Outsourcing Research Council, which business function is the top
outsourcing area for many contemporary companies?

A. IT

B. Accounting

C. Human Resources

D. Finance
55. Which SDLC phase is performed with both internal software development and
outsourcing?

A. Design

B. Development

C. Maintenance

D. Analysis

56. _____ is a formal document that describes in detail your logical requirements for a
proposed system and invites vendors to submit bids for its development.

A. Requirements document

B. Design specification

C. Request for proposal (RFP)

D. Project scope document

57. If you were constructing a legal document for your software vendor that stipulated
needed requirements, schedules, costs, acceptance criteria, and assessment metrics,
what would you be creating?

A. Service level agreement

B. Critical milestones

C. Critical success factors

D. Request for proposal

58. If your U.S.-based company were to hire a vendor located in New York City, you
would be using _____ outsourcing.

A. nearshore

B. domestic

C. onshore

D. interior

59. If your U.S.-based company were to hire a vendor from Mexico City, you would be
using _____ outsourcing.

A. offshore

B. onshore

C. nearshore

D. exterior

60. What is the trend called when a U.S. company outsources IT functions to other
countries that are geographically far away?

A. Foreign outsourcing

B. Offshore outsourcing

C. External outsourcing

D. Outer outsourcing
61. Which of the following is an advantage of outsourcing?

A. Increases technical know-how for future innovation

B. Reduces costs

C. Increases degree of control

D. Reduces vulnerability of your strategic information

62. Which of the following is a disadvantage of outsourcing?

A. It acquires outdated technology.

B. It increases dependency on other organizations.

C. It decreases performance accountability.

D. It cannot predict future costs.

True / False Questions

63. The systems development life cycle is an unstructured approach for developing
information systems.

True False
64. Project scope clearly defines the high-level system requirements.

True False

65. Adding additional features that were not part of the initial project definition is an
example of scope creep.

True False

66. Scope creep and feature creep lead to better systems development projects.

True False

67. The project plan defines the what, when, and who questions of system development.

True False

68. Joint application development is a meeting between users and IT specialists to define
and review business requirements for the project.

True False

69. Sign-off occurs when users and IT specialists meet to define or review the business
requirements for the system.

True False
70. During the development phase, you develop a technical blueprint of how the
proposed system will work.

True False

71. Users are usually involved in the testing phase as they are the most familiar with the
business requirements and test conditions.

True False

72. Online training is excellent when employees need one-on-one time with a trainer.

True False

73. Plunge implementation discards the old system completely and immediately uses the
new system.

True False

74. Once a system has been created and implemented, no changes should be made to
it.

True False
75. Component based development is a general approach to systems development that
focuses on building small self-contained blocks of code that can be reused across a
variety of applications within an organization.

True False

76. Rapid application development discourages end user involvement as it tends to slow
down the systems development process.

True False

77. Extreme programming (XP) methodology breaks the project down into many smaller
pieces or phases.

True False

78. The XP methodology, unlike the RAD methodology, relies heavily on reusing existing
software components contained in a software library.

True False

79. One of the reasons for XP's success is that it stresses customer satisfaction.

True False
80. The agile methodology is similar to XP but with more focus on team coding and less
on limiting project scope.

True False

81. The services within the SoA architecture perspective are exactly the same as
components in any of the component-based development methodologies.

True False

82. End users often use tools like DBMSs and spreadsheets to develop applications for
their own needs.

True False

83. Rather than combating the trend toward end-user application development, IT staff
should leverage it to offload solution building to end users.

True False

84. When you're developing a system just for yourself, you don't need to document how
it works.

True False
85. One of the advantages of selfsourcing is that it increases the speed of systems
development.

True False

86. One of the potential pitfalls of selfsourcing is that it increases the invisible backlog.

True False

87. Lack of organizational focus creates "privatized" IT systems.

True False

88. Lack of documentation and external support leads to short-lived systems.

True False

89. Prototyping is an essential part of the RAD methodology.

True False

90. An initial prototype cannot just include only user interfaces.

True False
91. Prototyping gives no indication of performance under operational conditions.

True False

92. The Internet is one of the main reasons behind the rapid growth of the outsourcing
industry.

True False

93. A service level agreement is an informal agreement between two parties.

True False

94. A U.S. bank doing onshore outsourcing of some of its work is using another U.S.
company.

True False

95. A U.S. media company is paying an Indian company to do its help desk support. This
would be an example of nearshore outsourcing.

True False

96. Outsourcing increases the technical know-how for future innovation.

True False
Fill in the Blank Questions

97. _____ occurs when IT specialists within the company develop new systems.

________________________________________

98. The _____ is a structured step-by-step approach for developing information systems.

________________________________________

99. The _____ phase of the SDLC involves determining a solid plan for developing your
information system.

________________________________________

100.A(n) _____ is a factor critical to your organization's success.

________________________________________

101. A(n) _____ document clearly defines the high-level system requirements.

________________________________________

102.Sometimes the overall project scope may increase gradually. This is known as ____.

________________________________________
103._____ occurs when developers add features that were not part of the initial
requirements.

________________________________________

104.The _____ defines the what, when, and who questions of system development
including all activities to be performed, the individuals, or resources, who will perform
the activities, and the time required to complete each activity.

________________________________________

105.A(n) _____ is an individual who is an expert in project planning and management,

defines and develops the project plan and tracks the plan to ensure all key project
milestones are completed on time.

________________________________________

106._____ represents key dates for which you need a certain group of activities
performed.

________________________________________

107.The _____ phase in the SDLC involves end users and IT specialists working together to
gather, understand, and document the business requirements for the proposed
system.

________________________________________
108._____ are the detailed set of end-user requests that the system must meet to be
successful.

________________________________________

109._____ is a session in which end users and IT specialists meet to define and review
business requirements.

________________________________________

110. A(n) _____ document is used to prioritize the business requirements and place them in
a formal comprehensive document.

________________________________________

111. During the _____ phase of the SDLC, you build a technical blue print of how the
proposed system will work.

________________________________________

112. _____ defines the hardware, software, and telecommunication equipment required to
run the system.

________________________________________
113. _____ is the activity of drawing a graphical representation of a design.

________________________________________

114.During the _____ phase of the SDLC, you take all your detailed design documents
from the design phase and transform them into an actual system.

________________________________________

115. During the _____ phase of the SDLC, the organization verifies if the new system works
and meets all business requirements.

________________________________________

116. _____ are the detailed steps the system must perform along with the expected results
of each step.

________________________________________

117. _____ testing focuses on individual pieces of code within a new system.

________________________________________

118. _____ testing verifies that separate systems can work together.

________________________________________
119. _____ implementation has only a small group of people using the new system until
you know it works correctly and then the remaining people are added to the system.

________________________________________

120.The _____ phase of the SDLC involves monitoring an information system to be sure it
meets business needs.

________________________________________

121. A group of people who responds to end users' questions is called a(n) ____.

________________________________________

122._____ is a general approach to system development that focuses on building small

self-contained blocks of code that can be reused across a variety of applications
within an organization.

________________________________________

123._____ emphasizes extensive user involvement in the rapid and evolutionary

construction of working prototypes of a system to accelerate the systems
development process.

________________________________________
124._____ programming methodology breaks a project into tiny phases.

________________________________________

125._____ methodology, a form of XP, aims for customer satisfaction through early and
continuous delivery of useful software components.

________________________________________

126.A(n) _____ is a software architecture perspective that focuses on the development,

use, and reuse of small self-contained blocks of code to meet all the application
software needs of an organization.

________________________________________

127._____ is the development and support of IT systems by end users with little or no help
from IT specialists.

________________________________________

128.The _____ is the list of all systems that an organization needs to develop but -
because of the prioritization of systems development needs - never get funded
because of the lack of organizational resources.

________________________________________
129._____ is the process of building a model that demonstrates the features of a
proposed product, service, or system.

________________________________________

130._____ prototype is used to prove the technical feasibility of a proposed system.

________________________________________

131. _____ prototype is used to convince people of the worth of a proposed system.

________________________________________

132._____ is the delegation of specific work to a third party for a specified length of time,
at a specified cost, and at a specific level of service.

________________________________________

133.A(n) _____ is a formal document that describes in detail your logical requirements for
a proposed system and invites outsourcing organizations to submit bids for its
development.

________________________________________
134.A(n) _____ is a formal contractual obligation agreement that defines the work to be
done, the time frame, the metrics that will be used to measure the success of the
systems development effort, and the costs.

________________________________________

135.In most service level agreements, the technical specifications are included in a
supporting document called a(n) ____.

________________________________________

136._____ outsourcing is using another company in the same country to perform IT

functions.

________________________________________

137.A U.S. company using a Canadian outsourcing company would be an example of

_____ outsourcing.

________________________________________

138._____ outsourcing is contracting with a company that is geographically far away.

________________________________________