Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis Page 1 of 13

SAMPLE PAPER
Institute of Systems Science
National University of Singapore

GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS

SA Term 2 Examination
Sample Paper 3 (Module Code - 4104): Software Engineering

Matriculation Number:
(fill in your matriculation number here)

Instructions for Paper

Date: N.A.
Time: 9.00 am
Duration: 3 hours (9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.) excluding reading time
Place: NUS MPSH4

This is an open book examination.

You are given 30 minutes to read the questions before the examination starts. You are
NOT allowed to use any writing instrument during the reading time.

1. Read all instructions before answering any of the examination questions.

2. Write your matriculation number on the top of this front page in the box provided.

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3. Complete the front cover of each answer book you use. The blank lines on the front
cover to be filled in as follows:

Matriculation / Registration No: = (Your matriculation number)

Module Code/Title: = Sample Paper: Software Engineering
Semester: = SA Term 2
Number of books handed in: = (Indicate the number of booklets you have
used for each section.)

4. Write your matriculation number on ALL answer books you use.

5. This examination paper consists of two (2) sections with two (2) questions in each
section. There are a total of four (4) questions. You are to answer ALL questions.
There are four (4) attachments to this paper.

6. The total marks for this examination paper is eighty (80) marks. Twenty (20) marks
will be taken from the continuous assessment.

7. Use a separate answer book for each section.

8. Start the answer to each question on a new page.

9. After completing the paper, tie your answer books together according to sections.
List the questions that you have answered for each section on the front page of the
first answer book for that section.

10. The question paper is to be submitted together with the answer books. You are not
allowed to take the question paper with you.

11. Scrap paper may be used as required, but only answers written in the answer book
will be considered for credits.

12. Use a pen for writing your answers. Pencil may be used only for drawing diagrams.

13. Calculators may be used if required.

14. State clearly any assumptions you make in answering any question where you feel
the requirement is not sufficiently clear.

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Section A [40 marks]

Question 1 [20 marks]
(Please refer to Attachment 1)
There are six (6) parts to this question (a, b, c, d, e, & f).

The tasks below represent an IT implementation project:

Tasks Task Description Duration (days)
A User Requirements Specification 5
B Software Design 10
C Code and Unit Test 10
D Hardware Design 5
E Purchase and Install Hardware 5
F Write User Acceptance Test Plan 5
G Software Installation 2
H Write System Test Plan 5
I Conduct System Test 5
J Conduct Acceptance Test and Roll Out 5

a. Using Attachment 1 which depicts the network diagram for this project, complete
the Precedence Diagram with the remaining EST, EST, LST, LFT and Float for
each task.

(9 Marks)

b. Identify the critical path.

(2 Marks)

After review, it was discovered that 2 tasks have been left out. These have been included in
the network diagram (Figure 1-1) below. They are:

Tasks Task Description Duration (days)

K Write Integration Test Plan 3
L Conduct Integration Test 3

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Figure 1-1

c. Which of the existing tasks will be impacted by the two new tasks?
(3 Marks)

d. What difference has tasks K and L made to the Critical path? ( if any)
(2 Marks)

e. What is the total project duration with the inclusion of the two tasks K & L?
(2 Marks)

f. Task E was later changed to 20 days due to delay in the delivery of the hardware.
What is the impact to the project’s critical path and total duration?
(2 Marks)

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Question 2 [20 marks]

A Distributed Scrum Project

Super Agile Pte Ltd has been a leading regional provider of IT services for the retail sector
for the past 12 years. It has recently been engaged by a local company to build a system that
allows individuals on demand to access their own records in a private and secure way,
anytime anywhere, as needed. This project includes developers from Super Agile that are
based in two countries, namely Singapore and China.
The system consists of a server side component (IBM technology based) and a mobile
component, which includes an Android and iOS version, available for the respective
markets in Singapore and China. The customer has engaged Super Agile to build the system
from scratch. Super Agile has introduced an Agile approach using Scrum, focusing on close
cooperation with the customer, open communication and working in small increments of 2
weeks.
The following table lists the key Scrum activities that will be undertaken in this project:

Key Activities Details of Activities

Estimating Product Backlog Periodically the Scrum Team will estimate the
size of each item on the Product Backlog.

Prioritizing the Backlog The items in the Product Backlog are

prioritized by the Product Owner prior to
release and sprint planning.

Release Planning At the beginning of a project the team will

create a high-level release plan.

Sprint Planning Meeting Scrum Team and Product owner determine

which features and tasks will be attempted in
the upcoming sprint.

The Daily Scrum The Daily Scrum is a quick meeting

comprised of all members of the Scrum Team
and the Scrum Master.

Sprint Review Meeting Each sprint concludes with a Sprint Review

where the team demonstrates a potentially
shippable product increment.

Sprint Retrospective Following the Sprint Review, the team gets

together for the Sprint Retrospective. It is an
opportunity for the team to discuss what's
working and what's not working, and agree on
changes to try.

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There are two (2) parts to this question (a & b).

a. You are the project manager for this project. The project is planned to start with the
inception phase which will last 8 weeks. The following are two objectives to be
achieved in the phase:
i. Align expectations and create personable relationships.
ii. Establish common understanding and build up team morale and confidence.
Describe five (5) activities you would include in this phase to meet these two
objectives. Justify your answer.
(10 Marks)

b. Due to short timeframe required to bring the system to market, Super Agile has
decided to augment staff resources by engaging 20 off-shore developers based in
China to supplement the local team of 15 developers. You have concerns over a few
challenges imposed on the standard Scrum practices by such a distributed project
team, such as team work synchronization across countries, progress monitoring and
tracking, quality of tested and working product increment.
Describe how you manage the above challenges with constructive practices you can
implement on the project.
(10 Marks)

~~~~~~~~ End of Section A ~~~~~~~

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Section B [40 marks]

Question 3 [20 marks]

There are two (2) parts to this question (a & b).

a. You are assigned to a project for a new HR system, and your team is required to
develop the WBS based on a RUP template provided in Table 3-1. Review the
template provided and adapt it to include additional phases/tasks, and/or exclude any
redundant phases/tasks as needed, and to ensure that the following concerns are
addressed. Use a copy or copies of Attachment 2 to document your answer.

 The Project Sponsor is unhappy with how the last project was delivered as there
were many complaints from the users about a lack of reference material on how
to use and navigate the system even after the some training was conducted.

 In addition, it was only discovered during User Acceptance Test, that what the
users asked for was completely misinterpreted. There was a huge argument
about who was at fault. That caused a delay to the project.

 As the team is new to the company, you only recently found out that all
technical designs would be required to be reviewed and endorsed by the
Architecture Review Committee.

 As the new system would be used by at least 2000 users during peak hours, the
management is concerned that the system may not be able to handle the load
when it is rolled out.
(10 Marks)

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Company Standard Template for RUP projects. This should be adapted to your project’s
requirements.

Table 3-1 Company Standard RUP Template

Phase : Project Planning

Task 1 Set up filing system
Phase : Business Modelling
Task 1 Interviewing users
Task 2 Produce Business use case model document
Task 3 Produce Business use case realization report
Task 4 Produce Business modelling class diagram
Phase : Requirements
Task 1 Produce requirement use case analysis
Task 2 Identify non-functional requirements
Task 3 Conduct usability review
Task 4 Compile user req. spec
Phase : Analysis
Task 1 Produce use case realization report (analysis)-
Task 2 Review/approve use case realization report.
Phase : Design
Task 1 Produce design model report
Task 2 Review/approve design model report
Phase : Implementation
Task 1 Set up development environment
Task 2 Code and unit test programs
Phase : System Integration and Test
Task 1 Prepare SIT environment/install software
Task 2 Prepare SIT plans
Task 3 Integrate software and conduct SIT
Task 4 Review SIT results/perform corrections
Phase : Deployment
Task 1 Develop UAT plans
Task 2 Review/approve UAT plans
Task 3 Conduct UAT
Task 4 Review test results/perform corrections
Task 5 Signoff/handover

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b. After the requirements gathering phase, your team has determined that there is a
need to develop two add-on modules for the HR system. Table 3-2 below shows the
profile of the new modules based on the significant features such as number of
screens, language/technology used, application domain, team experience and
familiarity with users. Table 3-3 provides data regarding completed projects in your
company.

Table 3-2 Estimates for new HR Modules

Module System Size Language/ Application Team Team Man-effort

based on technology Domain development familiarity (months)
number of experience with users
screens
1 10 .Net Staff H H ?
declaration
for conflict
of interests
2 8 *Documentum Content L H ?
management
system for
digitization
of employee
claims and
receipts
*Note : Documentum is an enterprise content management platform

Table 3-3 Data of Completed Projects

Project System Size Language/ Application Team Team Man-

based on Technology Domain development familiarity effort
number of experience with users (months)
screens
A 15 .Net HR M H 15
recruitment
B 20 Java Inventory H H 20
Management
C 25 *COTS HR payroll L H 15
Package and benefits
D 20 Java Sales and M H 25
Finance
E 30 .Net Ticketing & L L 24
problem
reporting
F 20 .Net HR self - M H 20
service : leave
application
*Note: COTS = Commercial-Off-The-Shelf software such as SAP, Oracle, etc.

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i. You are required to use the cost-by-analogy method to obtain an estimate of the
effort needed (man-months) for module 1 and 2.

(NOTE : You must provide your step-by-step workings and explanations and any
assumptions made)

(5 Marks)

ii. What is your confidence level (high, medium low) in the estimates for Module 1 and
2? Explain your answer.

(2 Marks)

iii. Name one other estimation method that you would use to validate the estimated
efforts for Module 1 and 2. Explain your answer.

(3 Marks)

(Write your Matriculation Number on all copies of Attachment 2 that you have used and
attach them to your answer booklet for Section B)

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Question 4 [20 Marks]

There are five (5) parts to this question (a, b, c, d, & e).

You are assigned to the MSP Project. The project plan for the MSP Project is given overleaf
(Page 13 and 14) together with the actual progress.

a. Update the Tracking Gantt Chart which is provided in Attachment 3. Note that the
planned activities are already shown in the chart. You are required to plot the progress of
your project against the planned activities, and indicate the projected end date on the
chart.

(4 Marks)

b. Management now wants the schedule to be compressed as much as possible, using

“Crashing” and “Fast Tracking”.
Explain if both of these two methods can be applied to the project, and why.

(4 Marks)

c. If you still have to meet the schedule of day 19, using one or more copies of
Attachment 4, draw the new tracking Gantt chart to reflect how you would meet day
19. You are required to indicate the different resources assignment within each task in
the chart.

(4 Marks)

d. Assuming both SA and PR have committed that they will be available till the project
ends, what is your confidence level (High, Medium, Low) that the scheduled end date of
19th would be met? Explain your answer. In addition, what would you do to ensure that
work is progressing according to the plan?
(4 Marks)

e. This project has two main constraints in place: no budget for additional resources, and
no working on weekends. Which one of these constraints would you want to remove in
order to reduce the risk of not meeting the end date of day 19? Explain why you choose
one over the other.

(4 Marks)

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The MSP Project

1. The Project Plan
This project consists of 5 tasks
Task 1. Perform Use Case Analysis.
Task 2. Perform Design Modelling.
Task 3. Coding.
Task 4. Integrate Software.
Task 5. Perform Use Case Testing.

The dependencies between the tasks are illustrated below. These dependencies are mandatory.

Perform
Perform Use Perform Integrate Use Case
Coding
Case Analysis Design Software Testing
Modeling

Only two staff members are assigned to the project. There is no budget for additional resources.
The two staff assigned are:
 A Systems Analyst (SA)
 A Programmer (PR)
The Systems Analyst (SA) and Programmer (PR) are 100% committed to the project. The SA
was previously a full time programmer. The SA is getting married and will be on leave on the
12th and 15th day. It is not possible to postpone his leave. On the other hand, the Programmer
(PR) is inexperienced. You can assume that they will not work on weekends.
The effort for each task and the planned assignment of staff to the tasks is as follows:
Task
Total effort
Estimated effort duration
(man-days)
# Task (days)
Systems Programmer
Analyst (SA) (PR)
1 Perform Use Case Analysis 2 2 4 2
2 Perform Design Modelling 3 3 6 3
3 Coding - 6 6 6
4 Integrate Software 1 2 3 2
5 Perform Use Case Testing 2 2 4 2
Total effort 8 15 23

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The Gantt chart for the project is shown below:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr
Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Task 4

Task 5

The project ends on day 19.

2. Actual Progress at the end of Day 8

Task Planned Planned Actual Actual Effort- Task status
budget duration Duration expenditure require- to-
to-date complete
Perform Use 2(SA) 2 2 2(SA) - Complete
Case Analysis 2(PR) 2(PR)
Perform Design 3(SA) 3 3 3(SA) 1(SA) Complete
Modelling 3(PR) 3(PR)

Coding 6(PR) 6 - - 9(PR) Not yet started.

Work was resized
due to complexity
after the design
modelling
Integrate 1(SA) 2 - - 1(SA) Not yet started
Software 2(PR) 2(PR)
Perform Use 2(SA) 2 - 2(SA) Not yet started
Case Testing 2(PR) 2(PR)

(Write your Matriculation Number on all copies of Attachments 3 and 4 that you have used
and attach them to your answer booklet for Section B)

~~~~~~~~ End of Section B ~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~ End of Paper 3~~~~~~~

SA Term 2 Examination Sample (Software Engineering)