Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 24

COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES

SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE


EXAMINATION: MAY 2019

COURSE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

DURATION: THREE (3) HOURS TOTAL MARKS: 120

INTERNAL EXAMINERS: Ms S. Price, Mrs R. Quilling, Mr R. Raghavjee


MODERATOR: Mrs S. Civilcharran

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. This paper consists of (?) pages. Please ensure that you have them all.
2. Students must answer all questions.
3. All questions are to be answered in the answer book provided.
4. Do not write in the right hand margins – these are for marking purposes only.
5. It is in your interest to write legibly and in ink.
6. Diagrams may be drawn and labelled in pencil.
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 2
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

Question 1 (5 marks, 7 minutes)

1.1 List two (2) technical skills that a systems analyst should have.
(2 marks)

1.1 Suggested solution:


LO Explain the importance of technical skills, people skills, and business skills for an
analyst
ChA pg OL-11
Recall

Any two (2) of:


• Computers and how they work
• File, database, and storage hardware and software
• Input and output hardware and software
• Computer networks and protocols
• Programming languages, operating systems, and utilities
• Communication and collaboration technology such as digital telephones,
• videoconferencing, and Web-based document management systems
• Systems analysis and design skills / modelling
• Be computer literate
• Skills in system testing

1.2 Systems analysts should be familiar with the information systems used in a range
of business sectors. Provide a brief explanation of the purpose of a Knowledge
Management (KM) system.
(1 mark)

1.2 Suggested solution:


ChA pg OL-9-10
LO: Describe the various types of systems and technologies an analyst might use
Recall
• A KMS supports the storage of, and access to documents from all parts of the
organisation. This can include data, policies, and procedures. A student may
also suggest it is a system which aims to keep track of specialist knowledge
that an organisation needs to function i.e. keeps the information of the experts
in the organisation

1.3 Students often underestimate the importance of personal integrity and ethics of
Information System professionals.

1.3.1 Briefly describe what is meant by “ethical behaviour”.


(1 mark)

1.3.2 Provide one (1) example of a situation where a systems analyst would need
to ensure they behave ethically.
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 3
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

(1 mark)

Suggested solution 1.3:


ChA pg OL-13: Comprehension
LO: Explain why ethical behaviour is crucial for a systems analyst’s career
Answers may vary.
1.3.1 There is no formal definition given for “ethics” in the text (although briefly
discussed in class). Students are required to have thought about what ethics
means to them. Fundamentally ethics are external guidelines which relate to
doing the correct thing i.e. knowing the difference between “what is right and
wrong” (whereas morals are an individual’s perception of what is right and
wrong).

1.3.2 The text (p OL-13) provides numerous examples but students’ answers
should be judged on merit:
• Keep employee personal information private e.g. salary
• Keep confidential corporate information private e.g. product or financial details
• Government organisation information may be important to national security
• A company’s security systems may need to be kept confidential
• If you as an analysts have made an error you admit to your error and take
responsibility for your behaviour i.e. admit to wrong doing or a mistake.

Banking details and company details will not get a mark. However, Bank PINs/logins,
CCV numbers, OTPs, Bank balance will also get a mark.

Question 2 (8 marks, 12 minutes)

2.1 Describe the difference between functional and non-functional system


requirements.
(2 marks)

2.1 Suggested solution:


Ch2 pg 45
LO: Describe the difference between functional and non-functional requirements
Recall
Functional requirements:
• the activities the system must perform to support the user’s work
• could also say: focuses on achieving the business processes
• or: focuses on the main purpose of the system by explaining an example e.g.
a sales system will focus on processing a sale and capturing customer details
and maintaining inventory
Non-functional requirements:
• required system characteristic other than the activities it must support or
perform
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 4
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

• could also say: other functions the system may need to ensure that the IS
can function correctly e.g. provide functions that help make it easier to use,
logins to help keep the system secure e.g.
• IT IS NOT SUFFICIENT to list the URPS requirements
The answer should stress that functional requirements focus on achieving the main
goal, or process(es) of the system; while the non-functional requirements are the
supportive functions that allow the system to operate more effectively and efficiently.

2.2 Provide two (2) functional requirements for an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine)
information system.
(2 marks)

2.2 Suggested solution:


Ch2 pg 45
LO: Describe the difference between functional and non-functional requirements
Recall/ comprehension

Any 2 reasonable answers should be credited. (1 mark per example, max 2 marks)
• Deposit money
• Withdraw money
• Request mini-statement
• Request full statement
• Transfer funds between two accounts
• Purchase airtime

2.3 Provide two (2) non-functional requirements for an ATM (Automatic Teller
Machine) information system.
(2 marks)

2.3 Suggested solution:


Ch2 pg 45
LO: Describe the difference between functional and non-functional requirements
Recall/ comprehension

Any reasonable answer should be credited. Any 2 of the following examples. The
student does NOT need to identify the type of non-functional requirement. A student
can supply 2 examples from the same category of non-functional requirements and
be credited for both
• Usability: Clear user interface e.g. large enough font, menu format, company
logo etc.
• Reliability: how much can you depend on the system e.g. can it detect an
error in processing and recover from it e.g. reboot correctly after a power
outage or react appropriately if the money is empty.
• Performance: checking that the system performs adequately in terms of how
fast it responds to a user request, the work load it can handle e.g. the number
of simultaneous users on the bank’s ATM system,
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 5
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

• Security: system login/ password to protect user’s accounts, using a secure


network connection, ensuring backups of banking data at more than 1 site to
protect users in case of problems at a data site.

2.4 List one (1) potential stakeholder for an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine)
information system. For this stakeholder, suggest one (1) way in which s/he
could contribute to specifying the system requirements.
(2 marks)

2.4 Suggested solution:


Ch2 pg 47-48
LO: Identify and understand different kinds of stakeholders and their contribution to
requirement definition.
Comprehension and application

The student can EITHER mention a category of stakeholder OR can mention the role
of a person. It should be noted that sometimes the same stakeholder could be seen
to fit into different categories depending on the specific scenario. For the purposes of
this question a lenient definition/ approach should be used.

Any 1 of the following examples:


• Internal stakeholder: understand the operational/ business processes, use the
system and can thus explain numerous functional and non-functional aspects.
Could include any employees of the company
o These could be operational stakeholders who regularly interact with the
system e.g. bank cashiers, accountants, etc.
o Or they could be executive stakeholders e.g. senior managers, board
of directors, CEO, CFO,CIO
o Operational managers could fit between these 2 groups so this could
be marked correct if listed for any of these 3 categories (internal,
operational, executive)
• External stakeholders: people outside the system who may interact with the
system (or products of the system). These people understand what they input
or receive from the system and what their expectations are.
o These could be people who interact with the system at an operational
level and have very specific requirements in terms of what they want to
be able to do and how they expect the system to look and operate.
They are key suppliers of functional requirements but may also expect
specific non-functional requirements such as password logins, good
backups and specific response times. E.g. bank customers. They could
also include partner organisations e.g. Mastercard, Visa, American
Express
o Executive / external stakeholders usually have some form of vested
interest – which is often a financial stake in the company and thus have
specific expectations of what they expect from the company (their
investment) and thus will suggest what they feel should be the
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 6
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

objectives of the system. They may have very specific reporting


requirements. E.g. investors and regulators (government agencies)
o External auditors are seen as potentially both operational and
executive external stakeholders
• THE STUDENT MUST EXPLAIN HOW THE STAKEHOLDER CAN
CONTRIBUTE TO REQUIREMENTS TO GAIN A FULL MARK. They cannot
just explain who the person is.

Question 3 (13 marks, 20 minutes)

3.1 Explain how use case diagrams and domain model class diagrams drive the
requirements gathering process.
(2 marks)

3.1 Suggested solution:


Ch3 pg 73
Ch4 pg 103
LO: Describe the notation and purpose for the use case diagram
LO: Explain how the concept of “things” in the problem domain also defines
requirements
Comprehension

The use case diagram defines the processes (e.g. functions) of the new system (what
the system must do) and the domain model class diagram defines what data needs to
be stored by the new system. Each system consists of processes and information, so
these two diagrams define what must be done.

3.2 Name one (1) technique for determining use cases.


(1 mark)

3.2 Suggested solution:


Ch3 pg 73-75, 146-147
LO: Describe the 2 techniques for identifying use cases (& 1 from Ch5)
Recall

Any one (1) of:


• User goals technique
• Event decomposition technique
• CRUD technique

3.3 Draw a use case diagram based on the following narrative, which describes the
“Muscles R Us” Gym membership system:

When a new gym member joins the gym, the membership assistant adds the
new member and his/her details to the system. Each time the member visits
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 7
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

the gym, the member swipes his/her membership card to record the visit.
Each time the member visits the gym, s/he gets a loyalty point. Members can
view how many loyalty points they have by logging into the gym’s website.
Each month, the gym manager gets a report on how many members visited
the gym that month.
(10 marks)

3.3 Suggested solution:


Ch3 pg 81-85
LO: Draw use case diagrams for actor and by subsystem
Application

“Muscles R Us” Gym Membership System

Add new member


Produce monthly gym
Membership visit reports
assistant

Gym manager
Record member
visits

View loyalty points

Member

Question 4 (18 marks, 27 minutes)

4.1 Based on the narrative below, draw a domain model class diagram.

“Build-a-Bear” is a shop which sells ready-made teddy bears, assembled by


the shop owner, as well as the parts for customers to make their own bears.
The bear parts that the shop stocks are heads, bodies and legs. An
assembled bear is made up of one head, four legs and one body.

For the assembled bears and the bear parts, the shop owner stores the colour
and price. Assembled bears can also be dressed with some items of clothing
– or they can have no clothing. An item of clothing can be worn by many
bears, or none. For each item of clothing, the shop records the name of the
item of clothing and its price.
(15 marks)
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 8
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

4.1 Suggested solution:


Ch4 pg 104-110
LO: Read, interpret, and create a domain model class diagram
Application

BearClothing

is-dressed-with
0..* 0..*

1..1 Bear 1..1 ItemOfClothing

colour name
price price
1..1

1..1 4..4 1..1

Head Leg Body

colour colour colour


price price price

An alternate solution:
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 9
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

4.2 Explain the concept of a compound attribute. Include an example in your


explanation. Structure your answer as follows:

- Explanation:
- Example:
(3 marks)

4.2 Suggested solution:


Ch4 pg 98
LO: Identify and analyse data entities and domain classes needed in the system
Application

Explanation: A compound attribute is the merging of two or more related attributes into
one.
Example: merging street number, street name, area, city attributes into a single
compound attribute called address
Any other logical alternative acceptable.

Question 5 (24 marks, 36 minutes)

5.1 Your team has been asked to continue a project that was recently discontinued.
This project involves the development of an information system for a driving
school. The three main processes are:

The learner driver submits his/her details to the driving school administrator,
who enters them into the system. The process then stores his/her details into
a learner data store.

Each instructor enters his/her available time into the system. This information
is stored in the available time data store.

Learners can book an appointment by choosing the time they want to have
the lesson and the instructor they prefer. This process provides the learner
with an instructor based on the instructor’s available times. The learner
details, chosen time and chosen instructor are stored in a bookings file.

You have been provided with the narrative above and the following Data Flow
Diagram (DFD) that was drawn by the previous analysts. Identify six (6) errors
in the diagram below and explain how the error should be corrected in order to
match the above description of the three processes.
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 10
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

D1 Learner details

Learner details

1.0
Driving
school Learner details Capture
admin learner
details

2.0
Provide available times Instructor
Available
times

Available times
Request Instructor
& lesson time
3.0

Book
appointment

Structure your answer as follows:

Error How to correct error


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

(12 marks)

5.2 Draw a level-0 Data Flow Diagram (DFD) fragment based on the narrative below:

The driving school has requested another task that the system must perform,
namely the task of evaluating instructors. After each lesson, the learner
provides a rating out of ten (10) to the allocated instructor by providing the
instructor name and his/her rating for that instructor. Each evaluation is
stored, and if a rating of three (3) or less is given, then this rating (low rating)
is sent to the owner of the driving school. The learner receives a rating
confirmation message.
(8 marks)
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 11
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

5.3 Draw two (2) examples of data flows that are NOT allowed according to Level-0
Data Flow Diagram (DFD) drawing conventions.
(4 marks)

Suggested solution:
ChB pg OL34-38
LO: Develop DFD, data element definitions, data store definitions and process
definitions
Application

5.1 Any six (6) of:

Error How to fix error


1. Driving school admin is not the Should change to Learner
source of data.
2. Process 2.0 is not in Verb-Noun form Label as a verb e.g. Store Available
Times
3. The data flow between Driving should be a noun (data) e.g.
school admin and process 3.0 is an Appointment time & Instructor request
action
4. The data flow between Instructor should be a noun (data) e.g. Available
and process 2.0 is an action Times
5. Process 3.0 is a black hole. Should be a data flow going from an
Available Times data store and the
bookings should be stored in the
bookings data store.
6. Process 3.0 should determine an Extra data flow indicating instructor for
instructor and provide information to learner.
the learner.
7. Process 2.0 cannot send data to Available times from Process 2.0 should
Process 3.0 in a Level-0 DFD be stored in a data store and that data
should go to Process 3.0
8. Data store missing Need to store the resultant appointment
after Process 3.0
9. Need to read Instructor name from Requires instructor data store to be
somewhere into Process 3 added and linked to Process 3.0
10. Output back to Learner missing from Data flow between process 3.0 and
Process 3.0 Learner with list of instructors and
available times
11. There should be a learner Add learner external entity (but don’t
state the Admin is incorrect). Accepted,
but cannot also receive credit for then
removing the Admin entity
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 12
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

12. Need an instructor available times Add Available times data store
data store
13. Need instructor details data store for Add Instructor details data store
Bookings
14. Book appointment is also a grey hole Will require Learner details, Available
as it doesn’t have all the input it times, Instructor details
requires

5.2 Suggested solution:

D2 Ratings

Instructor and rating

Instructor, Rating 4.0


Learner
Rating confirmation Evaluate
Instructor

Low rating

Owner

ChB pg OL 26-27
LO: Develop DFD, data element definitions, data store definitions and process
definitions
Application

5.3 Suggested solution


ChB pg OL-34-38
LO: Develop DFD, data element definitions, data store definitions and process
definitions
Application
Any two (2) of:
1. A data flow joining two external entities
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 13
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

2. A data flow joining two data stores


3. A data flow joining an entity with a data store
4. A data flow joining two processes
5. A data flow arrow with 2 arrow heads
6. A data flow with no label
7. A physical flow of goods should not be shown on a data flow arrow
8. A data flow would be incorrect if labelled with a verb-noun, instead of just a
noun

Question 6 (25 marks, 38 minutes)

6.1 Draw an activity diagram about a soccer fan who purchases tickets online for a
soccer match:

On the soccer match web page, the soccer fan clicks the “Buy tickets” button.
The system displays the number of tickets still available for the match, and the
price per ticket. The system then requests the number of seats to be
purchased. The soccer fan enters the number of seats s/he wants. The
system searches for available seats; it then displays the seat numbers and the
total price. The soccer fan clicks on the “Accept seats” button. The system
requests the fan’s personal details. The fan enters his/her name, cell number
and email address. For each ticket that the fan purchases, the system marks
the seat as being “booked”; it then adds the seat number to the ticket
information document. When all the seats have been processed, the system
displays payment options. The fan enters his/her card details. The system
verifies the card details and then processes the payment. The system also
saves the payment details, displays the ticket information document and
emails the ticket information document to the fan.
(23 marks)

6.1 Suggested solution:


Ch5 pg 137-139
LO: Develop activity diagrams to model flow of activities
Application
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 14
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

Purchase soccer tickets online

Soccer fan System

Click "Buy tickets" button Display no. of tickets available and price per ticket

Request number of seats

Enter number of seats to purchase Search for available seats

Display seat numbers & total price

Click "Accept seats" button Request personal details

Enter name, cell number & email address


for each ticket

Mark seat number as "booked"

Add seat number to ticket info document

end for each

Display payment options

Enter card details Verify card details

Process payment

Save payment details

Display ticket info document

Email ticket info document


UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 15
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

NB: Activities must be in “verb-noun” format. Each activity should have one arrow
leaving it.

Alternative solution (no synchronisation bars):


UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 16
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

Purchase soccer tickets online

Soccer fan System

Click "Buy tickets" button Display no. of tickets available and price per ticket

Request number of seats

Enter number of seats to purchase Search for available seats

Display seat numbers & total price

Click "Accept seats" button Request personal details

Enter name, cell number & email address

Mark seat number as "booked"

Add seat number to ticket info document

No

Yes
Added total no. of seats yet?

Display payment options

Enter card details Verify card details

Process payment

Save payment details

Display ticket info document

Email ticket info document


UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 17
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

6.2 Sihle and Bongi are two systems analysts who have identified two classes from
the narrative in question 6.1 above: SoccerFan and Match. Using the CRUD
technique, this is what they have so far:

CRUD letter CRUD letter stands for: Use case identified


C Create Add new soccer fan
C Create Add match details

Identify one (1) additional use case for SoccerFan or Match by filling in the table:
CRUD letter CRUD letter stands for: Use case identified

(2 marks)
6.2 Suggested solution:
Ch5 pg 146-147
LO: Use the CRUD technique to validate use cases
Application

Some examples are:

CRUD letter CRUD letter stands for: Use case identified


R Read/report View/Read soccer fan details
R Read/report Generate soccer fan report
U Update Update soccer fan details
D Delete Delete (archive) soccer fan details

R Read/report View/read match details


R Read/report Generate match details report
U Update Update match details
D Delete Delete (archive) match details

Question 7 (8 marks, 12 minutes)

7.1 Identify two (2) issues that need to be resolved when designing the application
components.
(2 marks)

7.1 Suggested solution:


Ch6 pg 165
LO: Explain each major design activity (Application components)
Application

Any two (2) of:


• Scope and size of the application
• Programming languages to be used s
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 18
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

• Build or buy the application

7.2 Explain the concept of Software as a Service (SaaS).


(3 marks)

7.2 Suggested solution:


Ch7 pg 196
LO: Explain architectural concepts that influence system design, including ubiquitous
computing and software, components, protocols, interoperability and distributed
architectures
Recall

No software is installed on the user’s device, rather the application is stored on a


remote server and access via a network. The data used by the application is also
stored on remote data servers

7.3 A group of systems designers are using the three-layer design architecture to
develop their online sales system. Naledi, one of the group members, feels it is
important to develop a system that will cater for users that speak different
languages. Sabelo says that this will mean that they will have to develop an
entirely new application to accommodate this. Is Sabelo correct? Give a reason
for your answer.
(3 marks)

7.3 Suggested solution:


Ch7 pg 199-200
LO: Explain architectural concepts that influence system design, including ubiquitous
computing and software, components, protocols, interoperability and distributed
architectures,
Application

Sabelo is incorrect. With the three-layer architecture, only the view layer needs to be
changed to accommodate user interfaces with different languages. The logic and
data layers remain unchanged

Question 8 (10 marks, 15 minutes)

8.1 Explain with reasons whether the error message below is useful or not.
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 19
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

(2 marks)

8.2 Provide two (2) reasons why designing web and application based user
interfaces for handheld devices is more difficult than designing interfaces for a
desktop or laptop computer.
(2 marks)

8.3 Explain the concept of a drill-down report.


(1 mark)

8.4 The symbols for buttons on an old Video Cassette Player (VCR) and DVD player
to play, rewind, forward, stop and pause are the same symbols used for buttons
on media players on computers and mobile devices. What type of metaphor is
being described in this case?
(1 mark)

8.5 Draw up a storyboard for the following scenario:

Administrator: Please provide your student number so we may access your


records.
Student: 201212345
Administrator: Your details show that you are Mr Virat Dhoni, your address
is 23 Rivondale Drive, Durban and your phone number is
083 1234 567.
(4 marks)

Suggested solution:
Ch8 pg 231
LO: Describe important characteristics of human interface objects that affect
usability
Application

8.1 The error message provides a good indication of the nature of the problem, what
the user has done wrong, as well as a suggestion of what to do next.
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 20
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

8.2
Ch8 pg 238-240 & 242-245
LO: Describe important guidelines in user-interface design for desktop applications
&
LO: Describe important guidelines in user-interface design for mobile devices
Application

Any two (2) of:


• Smaller screen size and different resolutions to consider (layout and
formatting)
• Handheld devices usually require smaller keyboards, touch screen keyboards
or voice input (data entry and user actions)
• Limited network/processing capacity
• Navigation and visibility

8.3
Ch8 pg 249
LO: Design printed and on-screen reports appropriate to users’ needs
Recall

Answers may vary, but logic should be applied. A drill-down report is an interactive
report that allows a decision maker to see further details related to an aspect of that
report.

8.4
Ch8 pg 221-222
LO: Describe the metaphors that can be used to assist in user-interface design
Comprehension
Direct manipulation metaphor.

8.5
Ch8 pg 235-237
LO: Explain how a storyboard can be used to help with user-interface design
Application
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 21
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

Question 9 (9 marks, 13 minutes)

9.1 List two (2) disadvantages of using the predictive approach to systems
development.
(2 marks)
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 22
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

9.1 Suggested solution:


Ch10 pg 298-299, tutorial question
LO: Compare the underlying assumptions and uses of a predictive and an adaptive
SDLC
Comprehension

Any two (2) of:


• The development team spends more time on documentation than on
developing code.
• If the customer (user/stakeholder) changes his/her requirements after the
analysis phase is complete, unless the development contract is renegotiated,
there is no way of updating or changing the requirements.
• If the analysts misunderstood what the users’ requirements were (and this was
not discovered in the analysis phase), the user (and the development team) will
only find out about this after system delivery, which is often a long time after
initial requirements are frozen.
• Users and stakeholders may have less buy-in to the final product, since they
were involved initially and then “ignored” while design and implementation took
place.
• If a waterfall project gets stopped half way, there will only be documents as
deliverables, whereas with the adaptive approach there will be some working
code (with not all the required functionality, but nevertheless there will be some
code).
Tutorial question

9.2 List two (2) disadvantages of using the adaptive approach to systems
development.
(2 marks)

9.2 Suggested solution:


Ch10, pg 304-305; lecture slides
LO: Compare the underlying assumptions and uses of a predictive and an adaptive
SDLC
Application

Any two (2) of:


• Users may not be constantly available to communicate with the team, pg 305
• Managers feel like they have less control over software developed with an
adaptive approach, pg 304
• If the software development team chooses a development approach which
turns out not to work in a later iteration, there is a lot of rework
• There is less documentation with the adaptive approach, so the system may
be more difficult to maintain
See lecture slides
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 23
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

9.3 Lumeshni and Courtney are two analysts who are working on a software
development project. Even though they do not like scope changes, they have
made a point of welcoming changes requested by users, rather than being
worried about meeting the deliverables in the original plan. When customers
want changes made, they concentrate on working with the customers rather
than concerning themselves with the details of how the contract would have
to change. They follow a similar route with their team members: they prioritise
communicating and interacting with each other more than blindly following a
particular process. In their team, they do not have a lot of system
documentation, but they find that the team produces good quality software that
works.

Based on the narrative above, identify two (2) agile development


philosophies/values, and quote the part of the text which illustrates that
philosophy or value. Structure your answer as follows:

Agile development Quote in text which illustrates this


philosophy/value philosophy/value

(4 marks)

9.3 Suggested solution:


Ch10 pg 304-305
LO: Describe the key features of agile development
Application

Any two (2) of:


Agile development Quote in text which illustrates this
philosophy/value philosophy/value
Value responding to change over “made a point of welcoming changes
following a plan requested by users, rather than being
worried about meeting the deliverables
in the original plan”
Value customer collaboration over “concentrate on working with the
contract negotiation customers rather than concerning
themselves with the details of how the
contract would have to change”
Value individuals over processes “they prioritise communicating and
and tools interacting with each other more than
blindly following a particular process”
Value working software over “do not have a lot of system
comprehensive documentation documentation, but they find that the
team produces good quality software
that works”
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 24
COLLEGE OF LAW AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNANCE

EXAMINATION: MAY 2019


MODULE AND CODE: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN (ISTN211)

9.4 Name one (1) Unified Process phase.


(1 mark)

9.4 Suggested solution:


Ch10 pg 308-309
LO: Understand and describe the key features of the unified process, extreme
programming, and Scrum agile system development methodologies
Recall

Any 1 of:
• Inception
• Elaboration
• Construction
• Transition

<END OF PAPER>

You might also like