SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page1of33

SystemsAnalysisandDesign
NinthEdition
EndofChapterSolutions
CHAPTERFOUR

REQUIREMENTSMODELING

ANSWERSTOCASESIM:SCRASSOCIATES

1. GroupmanagerssaiditwasOKfortheirpeopletoattendathreedayJADsessionnext
week.SendamessagetotheJADteammembers,withabriefexplanationofJADmethods
andaproposedagenda.
Answersforthemessagetaskwillvary,butstudentsshouldhaveanunderstandingofJAD
fromthischapterandbeabletowriteamemothatmightlooksomethinglikethefollowing:

ToJADteammembers:

Mostpeopleontheteamknoweachother,butsomeofusarenewtoSCR.Heresa
listofJADteammembersandtitles:

JillMartin,traininggroupmanager
SandyWise,recordsassistant
AmyHawkins,clientservicerepresentative
MarkMartin,Webdesigner
DaveSpencer,programmer
MegHarris,corporatetrainer

Answersfortheagendataskwillvary.ThefollowingexampleisadaptedfromFigure44
onpage145.

Agenda:DiscussionLeader
Topic
Projectleader(studentname)

IntroduceallJADteammembers
Discussgroundrules,goals,andobjectivesfortheJADsessions
Page2of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

ExplainmethodsofdocumentationandpossibleuseofCASEtool
MemberofSCRexecutivecommittee
Explainthereasonsfortheproject
Expresstopmanagementauthorizationandsupport
Projectleader(studentname)
Provideoverviewofthecurrentsystem
Describeproposedprojectscopeandconstraints

2. DesignaquestionnaireforformerandpotentialstudentsinSCRstrainingclasses.
Also,replytoJessesmessageaboutsampling.Giveherarecommendationandreasons.
Studentsshouldfollowthetextguidelinesforquestionnaires,usingthequestionnaireshown
inFigure422onpage166asanexample.Thequestionnairesshouldcontainoneormore
examplesofopenended,closedended,andrangeofresponsequestions.Answerswill
vary.

StudentsalsoareaskedtoreplytoJesseBakersemailmessageaboutsampling.Most
studentswillsuggestastratifiedsampleofformerstudentsandprospectivestudents.Itis
relativelyeasytoidentifyformerstudentsfromSCRtrainingrecords,butwhatabout
prospectivestudents?SCRmightapproachthisinseveralways.Thecompanymightsolicit
surveyinputonitsWebsiteorfromcorporateclientswithwhomSCRhasdoneITprojects
inthepast.Perhapsthecompanyhasalistofpeoplewhohaverequestedinformationabout
SCRtraininginthepast,butnevertookacourse.Anotherlevelofstratifiedsamplingmight
betakenamongformerstudents.
Also,isthereanyconnectionbetweenthetrainingneedsandthesizeofthefirm?Should
SCRattempttoobtainsamplesfromsmall,medium,andlargerfirms?Itishardtoknow
theanswerfromthelimitedfactualbackgroundpresented,butstudentsshouldbe
encouragedtousetheirimaginationincompletingthistask.

3. ReadtheJADsessionsummaryintheDataLibraryandputtogetheralistofsystem
requirements,includingoutputs,inputs,processes,performance,andcontrols.
TheJADsummaryportioncontainsquiteabitofinformation,butstudentswillhavetouse
theirimagination.Basedonthematerialprovided,answersmightincludethefollowing:
Outputs
Courserosters
Rolling90dayscheduleofcourseofferings
Studentbackgroundinformationsummary
Coursecompletioncertificates
Instructorassignmentlist
Schedulereportoncompletedcoursesandnumberofstudents
Studentperformancereportforcorporateclients
Inputs
Studentregistrationforms
Instructorspecificbackgrounddataforms
Processes
TIMSmustinterfacewiththeSCRaccountingsystem
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page3of33

Performance
TIMSmustbeabletotrackregistrationrightupuntilthedaythecourseisheld
TIMSmustbeabletohandleonlineregistrationinthefuture
Controls
TIMSmustbeabletoprovideaccountingdatanecessarytoreconcilestudent
accountsandbillcorporateclients
TIMSmustgenerateinformationtohighlightmorepopularandlesspopular
courses

4. DrawanFDDofthemainfunctionsforTIMSandsendittoJesse.
WhentheJADteammembersreturnfromtheirsubgroupmeeting,DaveSpencerreported
thatTIMSwouldhavefourmainfunctions,withothersubordinatefunctionsthatwouldfall
I n it ia l F D D ( F u n c t io n a l D e c o m p o s it io n D ia g r a m ) fo r t h e T I M S S y s t e m

T IM S
S y s te m

M anage R e g is t e r M a in t a in P ro d u c e
C o u r s e S c h e d u lin g S tu d e n ts T r a in in g R e c o r d s R e p o rts
u
nderthesegroups.Basedonthatinformation,studentsshouldbeabletodrawanFDD
similartothefollowing:

ANSWERSTOCHAPTEREXERCISES

ReviewQuestions
1. Whatarethefivequestionstypicallyusedinfactfinding?Whatadditionalquestioncanbe
askedduringthisprocess?
Duringrequirementsmodeling,theanalystperformsfactfindingandasksthequestions
who,what,when,where,andhow.Asshowninthetableonpage157,theadditional
question,whichisveryimportanttoask,iswhy?(Page157)

2. Whatisasystemsrequirement,andhowaresystemsrequirementsclassified?
Asystemrequirementisafeaturethatmustbeincludedinorderforthesystemtobe
acceptabletousers.Thefivecategoriesintowhichsystemrequirementsareclassifiedare
outputs,inputs,processes,performance,andcontrols.(Page153)

3. WhatareJADandRAD,howdotheydifferfromtraditionalfactfindingmethods?What
aretheirprosandcons??
JAD(jointapplicationdevelopment)referstoateamofusers,managers,andIT
professionalsthatworktogethertoanalyzetheexistingsystem,workonpotentialsolutions,
anddeveloptherequirementsfornewsystems.JADcanbemoreexpensivethantraditional
Page4of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

methods,andiftheteamistoolargefortheproject,thentheJADprocesscanbe
cumbersome.ThewiderangeofinputsandinteractionamongtheparticipantsinJADcan
resultinamoreaccurateassessmentofsystemrequirements,betterunderstandingofgoals,
andstrongercommitmenttothesuccessofthenewsystem.
LikeJAD,RAD(Rapidapplicationdevelopment)usesagroupapproach,butgoesmuch
further.WhileJADfocusesontherequirementsmodelingprocess,RADisacomplete
methodology,withafourphaselifecyclethatparallelsthetraditionalSDLCphases.The
endproductofRADisthenewinformationsystem.CompaniesuseRADtoreducecostand
systemdevelopmenttime,aswellasincreasetheprobabilityofsuccess.
RADreliesheavilyonprototypinganduserinvolvement.Userscanexamineaworking
modelasearlyaspossible,determineifitmeetstheirneeds,andsuggestnecessary
changesbyusingtheRADprocess.Basedonuserinput,theprototypeismodified,andthe
interactiveprocesscontinuesuntilthesystemcompletelyisdevelopedandusersare
satisfied.TheRADmodelconsistsoffourphases:requirementsplanning,userdesign,
construction,andcutover.(Page144146)

4. Whatistotalcostofownership(TCO),andwhyisitimportant?
Inadditiontodirectcosts,systemsdevelopersmustidentifyanddocumentindirectexpenses
thatcontributetothetotalcostofownership(TCO).Thatespeciallyisimportantwherethe
developmentteamisassessingseveralalternatives.Afterconsideringtheindirect(and
sometimeshidden)costs,asystemthatseemsinexpensiveinitiallymightturnouttobethe
mostcostlychoice.(Page155)

5. Provideexamplesofclosedended,openended,andrangeofresponsequestions.
Aquestioncanbeopenended,closedended,orarangeofresponse.Openended
questionsencouragespontaneousandunstructuredresponses.Closedendedquestions
limitorrestricttheresponsetoelicitspecificinformationorverifyfacts.Rangeofresponse
questionslimitanswerstoaspecificsetofresponsesoranumericscale.(Page160)

6. Whatarethreetypesofsampling,andwhywouldyouusethem?
Thethreetypesofsamplingaresystematic,stratified,andrandomsampling.Asystematic
sample,suchaseverytenthperson,wouldbeusedtoprovideevencoverageofanoverall
group.Stratifiedsamplingcanbeusedtoobtainarepresentativesamplefromseparate
categorieswithintheoverallgroup.Randomsamplingwillprovidealistofany50
customers.
Considerthefollowingexample:Abusinessmighthavethreecategoriesofcustomers.Ifit
needsasamplefromeachcustomercategory,itcanusestratifiedsamplingoften
customersfromeachcategory.Foranevenlydistributedsamplefromthetotalcustomer
group,systematicsamplinggivesarepresentingsample.Ifnosignificantdifferencesexist
amongthecustomercategories,randomsamplingmightbeacceptable.(Page167168)

7. WhatistheHawthorneEffect?Whyisitsignificant?
TheHawthorneEffectreferstotheideathatpeopleperformdifferentlywhentheyrealize
theyarebeingobserved.Whenasystemsanalysttriestoobserveproceduresasthey
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page5of33

actuallyoccur,theHawthorneEffectsuggeststhatthepresenceoftheanalystwillinfluence
theperformance,andwhattheanalystseesisnotnecessarilywhatoccursinactual
practice.Itmightbehelpfultomeetwithworkersandtheirsupervisorsbeforeconducting
anobservationtoexplaintheprocessandmakethemmorecomfortable.(Page165166)

8. Whatisafunctionaldecompositiondiagram(FDD)andwhywouldyouuseone?Explain
howtocreateanFDD.
Afunctionaldecompositiondiagram(FDD)isatopdownrepresentationofafunctionor
process.UsinganFDD,ananalystcanshowbusinessfunctionsandbreakthemdowninto
lowerlevelfunctionsandprocesses.
CreatinganFDDissimilartodrawinganorganizationchartyoustartatthetopand
workyourwaydown.Figure48showsanFDDofalibrarysystemdrawnwiththeVisible
AnalystCASEtool.FDDscanbeusedatseveralstagesofsystemsdevelopment.During
requirementsmodeling,analystsuseFDDstomodelbusinessfunctionsandshowhowthey
areorganizedintolowerlevelprocesses.Thoseprocessestranslateintoprogrammodules
duringapplicationdevelopment.
(Pages150)

9.Whatareagilemethods,andwhataresomeadvantagesanddisadvantagesofthisapproach?
Agilemethods,whicharediscussedindetailinChapter1,haveattractedawidefollowing
andanentirecommunityofusers.Agilemethodstypicallyuseaspiralmodel,which
representsaseriesofiterations,orrevisions,whicharebasedonuserfeedback.Proponents
ofthespiralmodelbelievethatthisapproachreducesrisksandspeedsupsoftware
development.Analystsshouldrecognizethatagilemethodshaveadvantagesand
disadvantages.Bytheirnature,agilemethodsallowdeveloperstobemuchmoreflexibleand
responsive,butcanberiskierthanmoretraditionalmethods.Forexample,withoutadetailed
setofsystemrequirements,certainfeaturesrequestedbysomeusersmightnotbeconsistent
withthecompanyslargergameplan.Otherpotentialdisadvantagesofadaptivemethodscan
includeweakdocumentation,blurredlinesofaccountability,andtoolittleemphasisonthe
largerbusinesspicture.Also,unlessproperlyimplemented,alongseriesofiterationsmight
actuallyaddtoprojectcostanddevelopmenttime.(Pages147149)

ToolkitTimeNote:
AnswerReviewQuestion10afteryoucompletethePresentationssectioninPartAofthefour
partSystemsAnalystsToolkitthatfollowsChapter12.

10.Towhatthreedifferentaudiencesmightyouhavetogiveapresentation?Howwouldthe
presentationdifferforeach?Ifonlyonepresentationisgivenwithallinterestedparties,to
whomshouldthepresentationprimarilybeaddressed?
Inadditiontoapresentationgiventomiddlemanagement,youmightgiveasecond
presentationtoupperlevelmanagementandathirdpresentationtotheinformationsystems
staff.Apresentationtoupperlevelmanagementusuallyislessdetailed,presentingmoreof
anoverview.Apresentationtoinformationsystemspersonnelusuallyismoretechnical.
Whentheaudienceconsistsofseveraldifferenttypesandlevelsofpeople,the
Page6of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

presentationshouldbeaimedatthoselistenerswhowillbemakingadecisionbasedonthe
informationinthepresentation.(RefertoPartAoftheSystemsAnalystsToolkitthat
followsChapter12)

DiscussionTopics
1. Agroupmeetingsometimesissuggestedasausefulcompromisebetweeninterviewsand
questionnaires.Insuchagroupmeeting,onesystemsanalystmeetswithandasksquestions
ofanumberofusersatonetime.Discusstheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofsuchagroup
meeting.
Somepossibleadvantagesare:
a. Agroupmeetingrequireslesstimethanindividualinterviewswithalltheparticipants.
Withthesameamountoftheanalyststime,moreenduserscancontributetheir
knowledgeandopinions.
b. Thesystemsanalystcanrespondtowhatissaidandaddressfollowupquestionsto
morethanoneuser.
c. Thecommentsofoneparticipantcantriggerthoughtsanddiscussionfromothersinthe
group.
d. Theanalystcanobserveinteractionamongtheparticipants.Thiscanreveal
informationaboutthewaytheorganizationfunctions.
Somepossibledisadvantagesare:
a. Agroupmeetingislesspersonalthananinterview.Someparticipantsmightbeless
candidinagroupmeetingthantheywouldbeinaonetooneinterview.
b. Itcanbedifficulttofindatimewhenallthedesiredparticipantscanattendagroup
meeting.
c. Becauseeachpersonmustbegivensufficienttimetoparticipate,agroupmeetingcan
becomelengthyandrepetitive.
d. Oneparticipantmightdominatethediscussion,takingupthetimeofalltheother
participants.
e. Aquestionnairecanreachmanymorepeoplethancouldattendagroupmeeting.

2. JADrequiresstronginterpersonalandcommunicationskillsonthepartofthesystems
analyst.Arethoseskillsdifferentfromtheonesthatananalystneedswhenconductingone
tooneinterviews?Explainyouranswer.
A systems analyst working with JAD or RAD requires the same skills needed when working one-
to-one; however, the analyst also must be able to work as a member of a team. The systems analyst
also will have to meet deadlines, which he or she did not create and might be dependent on other
members of the team. A JAD or RAD team will have a project leader and this person must have the
skills to direct a group, resolve conflicts, and focus the team on the task at hand.
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page7of33

3. ResearchtheInternet,magazines,ortextbookstofindexamplesofeachofthefollowing
typesofvisualaids:barchart,piechart,linechart,table,diagram,andbulletedlistofkey
points.Howeffectivedoyouthinkeachaidis?Findatleastoneexamplethatyoufeel
couldbeimproved.Discussitsshortcomingsandprepareanimprovedversion.
Answers will vary. The objective is to generate examples of visual aids, and discuss what makes
some more powerful and effective than others.

4. ReviewthepresentationssectioninPartAoftheSystemsAnalystsToolkit,thenattenda
speechorpresentationandanalyzeitseffectiveness.Considerthespeakersdeliveryand
howheorsheorganizedthematerial,usedvisualaids,andhandledaudiencequestions.
Describespecificallyhowthespeechorpresentationwasmosteffective,aswellashowit
couldhavebeenimproved,
Answers will vary. The objective is to examine actual presentation techniques and generate
suggestions for improvement.

Projects
1. Designaquestionnairetolearnmoreabouttheregistrationprocessatyourschoolorhow
customersplaceordersatalocalbusiness.Applytheguidelinesyoulearnedinthischapter.
Usingthesampleonpage166asamodel,studentsshouldbeabletodesignasimple
questionnaire.Thiswouldbeagoodteamexercise,withteamsactingastherespondersto
eachothersquestionnaire,thenofferingfeedbackandsuggestionsforimprovement.

2. UseMicrosoftWordoranotherwordprocessingprogramtodesignasimpleform,using
theprogramsformfillingfeature.
ManystudentsareunfamiliarwiththefillinformcapabilityofMicrosoftWord.Youcould
demonstrateanexampleiflabfacilitiesareavailable.Samplesoffillinformsareprovided
ontheTeachingToolsCD.Also,directstudentstopage167,wheretheycanseeascreen
shotthatshowsMicrosoftWordHelponformsthatuserscomplete.

3. CreateafunctionaldecompositiondiagramsimilartotheoneinFigure48onpage150,
butshowingatypicalU.S.postoffice.
Answerswillvary.Manystudentswillidentifymainfunctionssuchasreceivingmail,
sortingmail,deliveringmail,andoperatingthecounter.Eachmainfunctionmighthave
severalsubfunctionsandprocesses,andsoondowntheline.Themainideaisto
encouragestudentstoidentifythecomponentsandshowthemgraphicallyintheFDD.

4. UsetheInternettofindaWebsitethatcontainscurrentITindustrynews,information,and
links.Bookmarkthesiteandprintacopyoftheinitialscreen.
Thistaskalsoisnotdifficult.Youcanpointouttostudentsthattheresourcelibraryatthe
SCRsitelistsanumberofpublications,andchallengethemtofindonethatisnotlisted.

ANSWERSTOAPPLYYOURKNOWLEDGE
Page8of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

1 ElmwoodCollege
Situation:Theschoolisconsideringanewsystemthatwillspeeduptheregistrationprocess.
Asasystemsanalyst,youareaskedtodevelopaplanforfactfinding.

1. Listallthepossibletechniquesthatyoumightuse.
Interviewingisaprimarymethodoffactfinding.Inaddition,theITteamatElmwood
Collegemightwanttousedocumentreview,observation,surveysandquestionnaires,
sampling,andresearch.

2. Describeanadvantageforeachtechnique.
Interviewingisespeciallyimportantbecauseitisaninteractiveprocess.Thesystems
analystcanlistencarefully,evaluatetheresponse,andreactwithfollowupquestionsif
necessary.Anotheradvantageofinterviewingisthattheanalystcanobserveandgauge
nonverbalresponses,whichoftenareanimportantsourceofinput.
Documentreviewcanhelpyouunderstandhowthecurrentsystemissupposedtowork.
Observationevaluatestheoperationofthecurrentsystemandverifiesstatementsmade
ordocumentationreferences.
Surveysandquestionnairesobtaininputfromalargenumberofpeoplebyasking
standardquestions,sothattheresultscanbetabulatedandanalyzed.
Samplingexaminesexamplesofactualdocumentsandtransactionsthatrepresentthe
overallpopulation.
Researchcanprovideyouwithbackgroundinformation,technicalmaterial,andnews
aboutITindustrytrendsanddevelopments.

3. Supposethedevelopmentbudgetistight.Howmightthataffectthefactfindingprocess?
Facingatightbudget,thecollegewouldnotwanttouseJADtechniques,whichcanbequite
expensive.Interviewsalsoareexpensive,becausetheinterviewermustspendconsiderable
timepreparing,conducting,anddocumentingtheinterview.Aquestionnaireorsurveyof
students,advisors,andregistrationstaffmightbeanefficient,lowbudgetwayofobtaining
valuableinput.Also,youmightobtainalotofinformationsimplybyreviewingregistration
documentationandobservingtheregistrationprocess.

4. Whatarefiveimportantquestionstouseduringfactfinding?
RegardlessoftheactualtechniquesyouemployduringyourfactfindingatElmwoodCollege,
youmustaskyourselfwho,what,when,where,andhow.Theanswerstothesequestionswill
provideanaccuratepictureofthecurrentsystemandtheuserrequirementsforaproposed
systemsdevelopmentproject.

2 JADSession1
Situation:YouareanITadvisortoaJADteamthatisstudyinganewinventorysystem.The
proposedsystemwillprovidemoreinformationandfasterupdates,andautomaticallymonitor
fastorslowmovingitems.Somecontroversyexistsaboutwhethertouseanonsiteoroff
sitelocationfortheJADsessions.
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page9of33

1. Howwouldyouadvisetheprojectleader?
Astheyworkontheinventorysystem,theJADteamwillbemeetingoveraperiodofdays
orweeks.Theteamcoulduseaspecialconferenceroomonsiteoratanoffsitelocation.
TheimportantissueistoisolateJADparticipantsfromthedistractionofdaytoday
operations.Thechoicethatworksbestdependsonthespecificsituationandtheground
rulessetforthbytheJADprojectleader.

2. WhoshouldbeontheJADteam,andwhatwouldbetheirrolesasteammembers?
Thematerialonpage144describestypicalJADparticipants,includingaJADproject
leader,variouslevelsofmanagement,users,ITstaffmembers,andarecorder.Thetable
onpage144alsodescribestypicalrolesforeachparticipant.

3. TheJADprojectleaderaskedforadviceabouthowtogetthefirstsessionstarted.
Howwouldyoureply?
YoumightsuggestthattheprojectleaderbeginbyintroducingallJADteammembers.
Theleadershoulddiscussgroundrules,goals,andobjectivesfortheJADsessions.The
leaderalsoshouldexplainmethodsofdocumentationandwhethertheteamwillbeusing
CASEtoolsduringtheJADsessions.

4. YouinvitedtheseniorvicepresidenttotheopeningJADsession,butshesaysshe
isquitebusyandmightnotbeabletoattendunlessitisreallyimportant.Whatwouldyou
saytoher?
Youshouldexplainthatthenewinventorysystemwillaffectmanydepartmentsandusers
throughoutthecompany,anditisimportanttohavetoplevelmanagementsupportfor
theproject.YoucantellherthatitwillbeveryhelpfultotheJADteamifshewould
explainthereasonfortheprojectandexpresstoplevelmanagementauthorizationand
support.Letherknowthathervisitcanbebriefandwilltakeplacerightafterthe
introductionbytheJADprojectleader.

3 JADSession2
Situation:TheJADteamwantsyoutodrawupachecklistofrequirementsforthenew
system.

1. Listthefivemaincategoriesofsystemrequirements.
Yourchecklistshouldprovidecategoriesforinventorysystemoutputs,inputs,processes,
performance,andcontrols.

2. Useyourimaginationandprovideatleastoneexamplepercategoryofasystem
requirementthatmightbeappropriateforaninventorysystem.
Answerswillvary,butatypicalexampleforeachcategorymightbeasfollows:
Outputs:Theinventorysystemmusttrackpartnumber,description,quantityon
hand,quantityallocated,quantityavailable,andunitcostofallparts.Thisdatawill
beaccessibleonthecompanyintranetatallcompanylocations.
Page10of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

Inputs:Thesystemmustuseautomated,barcodedinputforalldataentry
transactions.
Processes:Thesystemmustinterfacewithsupplychainmanagementsystems
operatedbymajorvendorsandsuppliers.
Performance:Thesystemmustforecastusagetrendsandidentifyitemsthatare
likelytobeinlowstockoroutofstocksituations.
Controls:Inventoryinspecifichighvaluecategorieswillbecheckeddailyto
verifyinstockstatusandquantities.

3. Theprojectleaderwantsyoutoexplaintheconceptofscalabilitytotheteam.
Howwillyoudothat?
Youshouldexplainthatscalabilityistheabilitytoadjustinventorysystemcapacityas
businessrequirementschangeinthefuture.Toensurethattheinventorysystemwillmeet
futurerequirements,youneedinformationaboutcurrentvolume,futurevolume,and
growthforalloutputs,inputs,andprocesses.Forexample,youwouldneedtoknowthe
estimatednumberofinventoryitems,theperiodsofpeakonlineactivity,thenumberand
typesofdataitemsrequiredforeachtransaction,andthemethodofaccessingand
updatinginventoryinformation.

4. SeveralmanagersontheteamhaveheardofTCObutarenotquitesurewhatitis.
Howwillyouexplainittothem?
Youshouldexplainthat,inadditiontodirectcosts,thecompanymustconsiderindirect
expensesthatcontributetothetotalcostofownership(TCO)ofthenewinventorysystem.
Youcanpointoutthatsomecostsmightbehidden,andasystemthatseemsinexpensive
initiallyactuallymightturnouttobemuchmorecostly.
YoualsocanmentionthatMicrosoftfoundthatindirectcostshavetripledoverthe
last10yearsandnowaccountforalmost50percentoftotalcosts.Microsoftalsopoints
outthatmostindirectcosts,suchasenduserpeersupport,selfsupport,anddowntime
productivitylosses,typicallywerenotincludedinITdepartmentbudgetsand
unaccountedforinmostcompanies.

4 BetterHardwareMarketingSystem
Situation:Yourboss,theITdirector,wantsyoutoexplaintheUMLtoagroupofcompany
managersanduserswhowillserveonasystemsdevelopmentteamforthenewmarketing
system.

1. DescribetheUnifiedModelingLanguage(UML)andhowitcanbeusedduring
systemsdevelopment.
ExplaintothegroupthattheUMLisawidelyusedmethodofvisualizingand
documentingsoftwaresystemsdesign.TellthemthatUMLwascreatedintheearly1990s
andhasbecomeanITindustrystandard.PointoutthatUMLprovidesvariousgraphical
toolsandtechniques.AlsonotethatUMLusesobjectorienteddesignconcepts,butitis
independentofanyspecificprogramminglanguageandgenerallyisusedtodescribe
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page11of33

businessprocessesandrequirements.MentionthattwoimportantUMLtoolsareusecase
diagramsandsequencediagrams.

2. Explainusecasediagramstothegroup,andprovideasimpleexample.
Explainthatausecasediagramvisuallyrepresentstheinteractionbetweenusersandthe
informationsystem.Stressthatinausecasediagram,theuserbecomesanactorwitha
specificrolethatdescribeshowheorsheinteractswiththesystem.Notethatsystems
analystscandrawusecasediagramsfreehandoruseCASEtoolsthatintegratetheuse
casesintotheoverallsystemdesign.Thereisnostandardanswerforthisusecase
example.Inmostcases,studentswillsuggestausecasediagramsimilartothebasic
exampleshowninFigure411onpage152,orthesomewhatmorecomplexexample
showninFigure413onpage152.YoushouldremindstudentsthatthetopicofUMLand
objectorientedanalysisiscoveredinmoredetailinChapter6.

3. Explainsequencediagramstothegroup,andprovideasimpleexample.
Explainthatasequencediagramshowsthetimingoftransactionsbetweenobjectsasthey
occur.Pointoutthatasystemsanalystmightuseasequencediagramtoshowallpossible
outcomes,orfocusonasinglescenario.Thereisnostandardanswerforthisusecase
example.Inmostcases,studentswillsuggestasequencediagramsimilartothebasic
exampleshowninFigure414onpage153.Again,remindstudentsthatthetopicofUML
andobjectorientedanalysiswillbecoveredinmoredetailinChapter6.
Figure414showsasimplesequencediagramofasuccessfulcreditcard
validation.Theinteractionproceedsfromtoptobottom,alongaverticaltimeline,while
thehorizontalarrowsrepresentmessagesfromoneobjecttoanother.

4. Duringthemeeting,amanagerasksyoutoexplainwhyitisdesirabletodescribe
thesystemthroughtheeyesofauser.Howwouldyouanswer?
Explainthatbecauseusecasesdepictthesystemthroughtheeyesofauser,common
businesslanguagecanbeusedtodescribethetransactions.Forexample,inausecase
diagram,theuserbecomesanactorwithaspecificrolethatdescribeshowheorshe
interactswiththesystem.
 Page12of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

ANSWERSTOCASESTUDIES

NewCenturyHealthClinic

InstructorNote:Inthischapter,studentslearnhowtoperformrequirementsmodeling.
Specifically,theyareaskedtoprepareobjectivesandspecificquestionsforinterviewswith
NewCenturystaffmembers,andcreateaquestionnaire.Astronginteractionexistsbetween
thischapter(wherethefactfindingoccurs),Chapters5and6:DataandProcessModeling
andObjectModeling(wherefactfindingresultsareanalyzed),andChapter7:Development
Strategies(whereresultsarepresentedtomanagement).
InChapter5,studentswilllearnthattheycanobtainastandardsetofinterviewsummaries
fromtheirinstructor.
Atthispointinthecasestudy,instructorscanuseavarietyofinstructionalmethods.
Instructorscanassignstudentstoindepthanalysis,factgathering,androleplayinterviewing
thatcanbeconductedwithintheclassroom(oronline)tosimulatetherequirementsmodeling
phaseofthecase.Ateamprojectapproachtofactfindingisrecommended.Askteamsto
preparealistofinterviewobjectivesandspecificquestions.
Studentscangainanimportantlearningexperiencebydevelopingasetofinterviewquestions.
Atypicalstudentreactionis,WheredoIbegin?

InthischapteroftheNewCenturyHealthCliniccase,theassignmentsareasfollows:

1. ReviewtheofficeorganizationchartyoupreparedinChapter1forNewCentury.
2. Listtheindividualsyouwouldliketointerviewduringthesystemsanalysisphase.
3. Preparealistofobjectivesforeachoftheinterviewsyouwillconduct.
4. Preparealistofspecificquestionsforeachindividualyouwillinterview.
5. Conducttheinterviews.(Consultyourinstructorregardinghowtoaccomplishthis.One
possibilityisthroughroleplaying.)
6. Prepareawrittensummaryoftheinformationgainedfromeachoftheinterviews.(Your
instructormaywantyoutouseastandardsetofinterviewresults.)
7. DesignaquestionnairethatwillgotoasampleofNewCenturypatientstofindoutif
theyweresatisfiedwithcurrentinsuranceandschedulingprocedures.Yourquestionnaire
shouldfollowthesuggestionsinthischapter.Also,decidewhatsamplingmethodyouwill
useandexplainthereasonforyourchoice.

AnswersummaryforNewCenturyassignments17:

Thefollowingisasuggestedlistofindividualswhoshouldbeinterviewedduringthesystems
analysisphase:
1. Dr.TimothyJones
2. AnitaDavenport,officemanager
3. FredBrown,accountingassistant
4. LisaSung,appointmentsclerk
 SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page13of33

5. SusanGifford,patientrecordsclerk
6. TomCapaletti,insuranceprocessingclerk

InterviewSummaries
Interviewquestion:Dr.TimothyJones
Pleasegiveanoverviewofyourofficesystems.

Response:Dr.TimothyJones
AtNewCentury,wedealwithpatients,providers,andmedicalprocedures,orservices.The
providers,whoprovidethebillableservicestothepatients,arethefourdoctors,fourphysical
therapists,andthreeregisterednurses.Theclinichasseveralsinglepurposeroomsfor
examinationandtreatment,xray,andphysicaltherapy.Otherroomsaregeneralpurposerooms
andcanbeusedforvariousproceduresandservices.
EachofthemedicalservicesweprovideisaspecificproceduredefinedbytheAmerican
MedicalAssociation(AMA)andcodedintheAMAsCurrentProcedureTerminology(CPT).The
CPTisrevisedregularly.Aprocedurecodeconsistsofafivedigitnumberandatwodigitsuffix.
Whenapatientrequestsanappointment,avisitisscheduledforaparticulardateand
timewithaspecificproviderinadesignatedroom.Althoughanappointmentinvolvesonlyone
patientandonlyoneprovider,thevisitmightincludemorethanoneprocedure.Sometimes,this
isknowninadvance,andothertimesitisdeterminedduringthecourseoftheexaminationor
treatment.

Interviewquestions:AnitaDavenport
Whatkindsofreportsrelatedtopatients,appointments,andbillingdoyouoryourstaffproduce
eachday?Eachweek?Eachmonth?Describetheprocessofproducingmonthlypatient
statements.

Response:AnitaDavenport
Everyday,LisaSungtypesanappointmentlistforthenextdayforeachoftheproviders.She
alsotypesacalllistforthedayafterthat.Forexample,iftodayisaTuesday,thenLisawould
prepareindividualproviderappointmentlistsforWednesday'sappointmentsandacalllistfor
Thursday'sappointments.StartingfirstthingWednesdaymorning,allpatientsonthecalllistfor
Thursdayaretelephonedandremindedoftheirappointments.Whenapatienthasbeen
contacted,wecrosshisorhernameoffthecalllist.Lisahandlesmostofthecalls,butother
officestaffmemberssometimesassisther.
Wheneveranappointmentiscompleted,thedoctor,nurse,ortherapistwritesonaslipof
paperthecodenumbersoftheproceduresthatwereperformed.Theproviderbringsthatpaper
alongwiththepatient'sfileouttoLisa.Ifthepatientwantstopayfortheservicesimmediately,
Lisacalculatesthetotalcharges,makesanoteofthepaymentontheserviceslip,andpreparesa
receiptforthepatient.ThepatientfilethenispassedtoSusanGifford,whorecordsallthenew
informationontothepatienthistoryrecord.Ifthepatientiscoveredbyinsurance,Susanpasses
thefileontoTomCapalettiwhohandlesalltheinsuranceclaimforms.WhenTomisdonewith
thefile,hereturnsittoSusan,whorefilesit.Shethengivestheserviceslipeithertomeortomy
accountingassistantFredBrown,sowecankeeptherecordofservicesandcharges,byprovider.
Page14of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

EveryTuesday,FredpreparesaProviderReportfortheweeklyassociatesmeetingheld
eachTuesdayevening.Thereportsimplylistseachofthe11providerswiththemonthtodate
(MTD)andyeartodate(YTD)chargesgeneratedbyeach.
Tomalsopreparesaweeklyreportfortheassociatesmeeting.Thatreportiscalledthe
InsuranceCompanyReport.Itincludesalineforeachinsurancecompany,showingMTDand
YTDtotalsofthechargessenttothecompany,theMTDandYTDtotalsofthepaymentsreceived
fromthecompany,andtheoutstandingbalance(whichisthetotalofthechargessenttothe
companythathavenotyetbeenpaid).InadditiontotheInsuranceCompanyReport,Tomis
supposedtoprepareamonthlyClaimStatusSummarythatshows,foreachinsurancecompany,
allservicesforwhichclaimshavebeensubmittedbutnotyetpaid,andhowoverduetheyare.
Tomhastriedtosubmitthisreportmonthly,butthebesthehasbeenabletodoiseveryother
month,becauseitissuchabigjob.Iknowtheassociateswouldliketoseethisreportproduced
morefrequently.
Onceamonthwepreparestatementstomailouttothepatients.Everyoneintheoffice
helpsoutwithstatementpreparation.ButbeforeIcanexplainthemonthlystatements,Ihaveto
explainabouthouseholds.Eachpatientisamemberofwhatwecallahousehold.Each
householdhasahead,thepersonresponsibleforpayingthebills.Thehouseholdheadisnot
necessarilyapatient.Thehouseholdheadmightbeemployedbyacompanywhoprovides
employeeswithamedicalinsurancepolicythroughaninsurancecompany.
Ourpatientrecordsactuallyarefiledbyhouseholds.Wehaveonefolderforeach
household.Inonefolder,wewouldkeepseparatepatientfilesforeachofthepatientswho
belongtothathousehold.Wealsokeeponechargeandpaymentrecordfortheentirehousehold.
Amonthlystatementispreparedforahouseholdonlyif(1)aservicewasprovidedthat
monthforapatientinthehousehold,(2)apaymentwasreceivedthatmonthfromanymemberof
thehousehold,(3)apaymentwasreceivedthatmonthfromthehousehold'sinsurancecompany,
or(4)thehouseholdhasapositivecurrentbalancedue.Thenthestatementismailedtothehead
ofthehousehold.
Thestatementsaretypedonpreprintedforms.Thetopsectionofastatement,thepart
abovetheperforations,iscalledtheheader.Itincludesthedate,thehouseholdheadnameand
address,thepreviousmonth'sbalance,thetotalhouseholdchargesMTD,thetotalpayments
MTD,andthecurrentbalance.Whenthestatementisfoldedproperlyandinsertedintoa
windowedenvelope,thenameandaddressarevisiblethroughthewindow.
Thebottomsectionofthestatementlistseveryactivityforthemonth,indateorder.For
everyserviceperformed,thereisalineshowingthepatient'sname,theservicedate,service
description,andservicefee.Foreverypaymentreceived,thereisalineshowingthedateand
amount.Ifthepaymentwasreceivedfromaninsurancecompany,thatsourceisnotedonthe
line.Finally,arunningbalanceappearsoneachactivityline.
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page15of33

Hereisasampleofatypicalmonthlystatement:

NEWCENTURYHEALTHCLINIC
407CourtStreet
Fullerton,CA99690
9991234567

To: AndrewStevens Date: 2/28/11

65EastMelodyLane PreviousBalance: 125.50
Fullerton,CA99690 Charges: 220.00
Payments 280.00
Account13224 NewBalance: 65.50

Pleasereturnthetopportionwithyourpayment.Retainthisportionforyourrecords.

Date Patient Code Service Fee Balance

125.50
2/2/11 MariaStevens 99201.00 Newpatient 100.00 225.50
evaluation
2/2/11 MariaStevens 92283.00 Colorvisionexam 25.00 250.50

2/18/11 Insurancepayment CR80.00 170.50

2/23/11 AndrewStevens 93015.00 Cardiovascularstress 95.00 265.50

test
2/23/11 Patientpayment CR200.00 65.50

Interviewquestions:FredBrown
Whatareyourmainresponsibilities?Whatreportsdoyouproduceforclinicassociates?

Response:FredBrown
Mymainresponsibilityistokeeptheclinicsbooks.Iuseamanualdoubleentryaccounting
systemthathasbeenineffectsincetheclinicbegan.Theaccountsreceivablefunctiontiesinto
ourpatientandinsurancebillingsystems,andIinteractwithAnitaDavenportandothersto
obtaininformationneededforvariousreports,includingMTDandYTDproviderreportsand
monthlystatements.Ialsohandleotherroutineaccountingfunctions,suchasgeneralledger,
Page16of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

accountspayable,andpayroll.Attheendofeachquarter,andatyearend,Iworkwithan
outsideCPAfirmthatpreparestheclinicstaxreturnsandprofitdistributions.

Interviewquestions:LisaSung
Howdoyouscheduleappointments?Howdoyouprepareanappointmentlist?Whatinformation
isincludedonanappointmentlist?Howoftenisanappointmentlistprepared?Howdoyou
prepareacalllist?Whatinformationisincludedonacalllist?Howoftenisacalllistprepared?

Responses:LisaSung
Iamresponsiblefortheappointmentbook.Actually,wehaveeightappointmentbooks,onefor
eachofthedoctorsandtherapists.Anappointmentbookliststimesthroughoutthedayinhalf
hourblocks.Iblockoutthetimesinaprovider'sbookwhenIknowtheywon'tbehere,suchas
lunchtimes,daysoff,vacations,conferences,andsoon.Therestofthetimesareavailablefor
appointments.
Whenapatientcallstosetupanappointment,Ipullthepatient'sfile.Ifthepatient
alreadyisherebecauseheorshehasjustcompletedanappointment,thenIgetthefilefromthe
provider.ThenIlookonthehistoryrecordtoseewhothepatient'susualdoctorortherapistis
andcheckthatpersonsavailability.Iusuallycheckwiththedoctorortherapisttobesurewhat
procedureswillbeperformed.Oncewesettleonadateandtime,Iblockoffanappropriate
amountoftimeinthebookfortheappointment,andIwritethepatient'snameandtheexpected
procedurecodesinthespacesprovided.
EverydayItypeuptheappointmentlists,oneforeachoftheproviderswhowillbe
seeingpatientsthenextworkingday.Anappointmentlistsimplylistsallthescheduled
appointmenttimesandpatientnames,alongwiththecodesoftheservicesthataretobe
performedforeachpatient.
Towardtheendoftheday,Ipullallthefilesforthepatientsontheappointmentlistsfor
thenextday.Afteraproviderslastappointmentfortheday,Ithrowawaythatday'sappointment
list,postthenewoneforthenextday,andputtogetherasetofpatientrecordsforeachprovider.
AlthoughwedonotschedulemedicalproceduresonSaturday,wedoseesomepatientsfor
therapysessions.BecauseIdon'tworkonSaturdays,onFridaysIhavetotypeandpost
appointmentlistsandpullpatientrecordsforbothSaturdayandMonday.
Hereisasampleofatypicalappointmentlist:
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page17of33

NEWCENTURYHEALTHCLINIC

APPOINTMENTLIST

DATE: __2/18/11___

__ PROVIDER: __Dr.Garcia_________

TIME: PATIENT SERVICE

8:00am JohnFrick 99385Initialpreventivemaintenanceevaluation

8:30 AmeliaJohnson 97022Diathermytreatment

9:00 JanRiley 99450Basiclifeexam

9:30 SusanCreighton 99401Preventivemedcounseling

10:00 Conferenceathospital

10:30 " " "

11:00 " " "

11:30 " " "

12:00 " " "

12:30 " " "

1:00pm BillMonroe 97022Whirlpooltreatment

1:30 JanetJacobs 93015Cardiovascularstresstest

2:00 JanetJacobs 97110Therapeuticprocedure

2:30 WilmaRoss 99272Confirmatoryconsultation

3:00 Meetwithsystemsanalyst

3:30 " " " "

4:00 JacobJenkins 99201Newpatientevaluation

4:30 ReneeWhite 73721MRI,knee

5:00 TeresaHartman 73615Xray,ankle

5:30 Dictatereports
Page18of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

6:00 " "

EverydayIalsogothroughalltheappointmentbooksandtypeonecalllistwithallthe
names,telephonenumbers,andappointmenttimesforthosepatientswithappointmentstheday
afternext.Onlythenamesandtimesareshownintheappointmentbooks,soIhavetogotothe
patientfilestogetthephonenumbers.OnMondayItypeacalllistwithWednesday's
appointments,onTuesdayIdoThursday'sappointments,andsoon.Thursdayistheonlyodd
day,becauseIhavetoincludeallthepatientsforbothSaturdayandMondayonthecalllistI
preparethatday.Thatcalllistalsoshowsthedayoftheappointment,eitherSaturdayor
Monday.WhenIgetintoworkeachmorning,IplacethecalllistIpreparedthedaybeforenext
tothetelephone.ThroughoutthedayItrytocontactallthepeopleonthelisttoremindthemof
theirappointment.Sometimes,oneoftheotheremployeeswillcallapatientortwoifIambusy
andtheyarefree.Whenwecontactapatient,wecrossthenameoffthecalllist.Whenall
patientshavebeencontactedbytheendoftheday,wethrowthecalllistaway.

Interviewquestions:SusanGifford
Howarepatientfilesmaintained?Whatinformationisincludedinapatientfile?What
informationisincludedinahouseholdfolder?Doyouprepareanyspecialpatientreports?Ifso,
whatarethecontentsofthosereports,andhowoftenaretheyprepared?

Responses:SusanGifford
Patientfilesarestoredwithinhouseholdfolders,whichwerepreviouslydescribedbyAnita
Davenport.Thehouseholdfoldersarekeptinalphabeticalorderbythehouseholdhead'sname.
Withineachfolderarethreedifferentkindsoffilesorrecords.Thefirstsimplyisasheetofpaper
onwhichthenameandaddressoftheheadofthehousehold,hisorheremployerandinsurance
company(ifany),andworkandhomephonenumbersaretyped.Thenthereisalistofallthe
patientswhobelongtothehousehold.Alistingincludesthename,birthdate,daytimephone
number,andrelationshiptotheheadofthehousehold.Iftheheadofthehouseholdisoneofour
patients,thatpersonisincludedinthelist.Ishowthepatients'fullnamesbecausethelastnames
arenotnecessarilythesame.
Thesecondkindofrecordisthehouseholdcharge/paymentrecord.Anytimewetreatany
memberofthehousehold,Imakeanentryshowingthepatientname,date,service,charge,and
newcurrentbalance.Ifthehouseholdhasinsurancecoverage,Imakeacheckmarknexttoany
chargeforwhichwehavesentaclaimtotheinsurancecompany.
Whenwereceiveapaymentthatappliestothehousehold,Imakeanentryinthehousehold
charge/paymentrecordshowingthesource,date,amount,andnewcurrentbalance.Payments
simplyareappliedonanaccount.Thatis,asfarashouseholdrecordsareconcerned,wedonot
linkapaymentbacktoanyparticularcharge.Tomdoes,however,tieeverypaymentfroman
insurancecompanybacktoaspecificclaiminhisrecords.
Thethirditemkeptinahouseholdfolderisapatientfile,oneforeachpatientinthe
household.Inthatfileisapatienthistoryrecord,whereIlisteveryprocedureperformedonthe
patient,thedatetheservicewasperformed,andtheprovider.Thepatient'schart,whichis
maintainedbytheprovider,andanyadditionalnotesalsoareinthepatient'sfile.
Thedaybeforeapatient'sscheduledappointment,eitherLisaorIpullthepatientfile.Whenthe
appointmentiscompleted,theprovideroroneofthenursesbringsthepatientfileandservice
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page19of33

sliptoLisasdesk.Eventually,Lisapassesthepatientfileontome,andIpulltheappropriate
householdfile.IfLisaalreadyhasn'twrittendownandaddedthechargesfortheservices
performed,Idothat.ThenIchecktoseeifthehouseholdiscoveredbyinsurance.Ifitis,Ipass
theentirehouseholdfileontoTom.Whenhe'sdonewithit,hereturnsittome.Ineitherevent,I
thenrecordthenewinformationontothepatient'shistoryrecordandthehousehold
charge/paymentrecord.ThenIrefiletheentirehouseholdfileandpasstheservicesliponto
FredBrown.
Ipersonallyamconcernedwithonlyonereport.Imaintainanalphabeticallistofall
patients.Nexttoeachpatient'snameisthenameoftheheadofthehouseholdtowhichthe
patientbelongs.WhenIneedaparticularpatientrecord,Iconsultthislisttodetermineunder
whichhouseholdthepatientisfiled.Iusuallyhandwritenewpatientsonthecurrentlist.When
thelistgetstoomessy,orwhenIhaveenoughfreetime,Itypeanewpatientlist.
Manyofourpatientsreceiveregularcheckupsortherapy.Ikeeptrackofthedateofthe
lastvisitforeverypatient.TwiceeachmonthIsendoutpreprintedpostcardstoremindpatients
thatit'stimetomakeanewappointment.Forexample,ifweareseeingapatientonamonthlyor
quarterlybasis,Isendthatpatientareminderpostcard.Generally,Isendtheremindercardstwo
orthreeweeksaheadoftime.Wedonthaveamethodofgeneratingmailinglabels,soIaddress
thereminderofthecardsbyhand.Isurehopethatthenewsystemcanmakethistaskeasier.

Interviewquestions:TomCapaletti
Whatkindofinsurancecompanyrecordsdoyoukeep?Howdoyouprepareinsuranceclaim
forms?Whatinformationisincludedontheclaimforms?Howdoyoupreparetheweekly
InsuranceCompanyReport?Whatinformationisincludedonthatreport?Howdoyouprepare
themonthlyClaimStatusSummary?Whatinformationisincludedonthatreport?

Responses:TomCapaletti
Ourpatientsareinsuredthroughoneof34differentinsurancecompanies.Ikeepafileoneach
ofthoseinsurancecompanies,whereIrecordthedetailsaboutchargesforwhichIhave
submittedclaimsandthepaymentsreceivedonclaims.
Ialsohavetokeeprecordsonthecompaniesthatourpatientsworkfor,includingthefull
companyname,completeaddress,andthegroupnumberoftheirinsurancecoverageplan.
Everyday,SusangivesmethefoldersforwhichIhavetoprepareinsuranceclaims.FirstIcheck
thefrontsheettoseewhichinsurancecompanyitisandthengetablankformforthatcompany.I
keepfilesofblankclaimformsforeverycompanywithwhichwedeal.Thereisasocalled
standardform,whichmostcompaniesaccept.Butsomecompanieshavetheirownspecialclaim
forms.Everyclaimformlooksdifferent,buttheyallrequirethesameinformationsomewhereon
theform.TheyallneedNewCenturysnameandaddress;thenameandaddressofthe
householdhead;thepatientsname;therelationshipofthepatienttotheheadofthehousehold;
andtheemployername,address,andgroupnumber.Ihavetolistalltheservicesprovided,
includingprocedurecodes,descriptions,andfees.ThenIenterthetotalamountoftheclaim.
IputacheckmarkontheserviceslipnexttotheservicesforwhichIhavesubmittedaclaim,and
thenIreturnthehouseholdfileandservicesliptoSusan.Onmywayhomeeverynight,Istopat
thepostofficetomailalltheinsuranceclaimsI'vepreparedthatday.
EveryTuesday,IpreparetheweeklyInsuranceCompanyReport,whichreportsthestatusof
Page20of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

claimsthroughMonday.Foreveryinsurancecompanywedealwith,IcalculatetheMTDand
YTDtotaloftheclaimsIhavesubmitted.Ialsototalthemonthtodateandyeartodate
paymentswehavereceivedfromthecompany.Finally,Icalculatealltheclaimsthathavenotyet
beenpaidbythatcompany.Theassociatesliketoseethisdata,andFredBrownneedsitto
preparehisaccountingentries.
OnemorereporthasbeenaproblemformetheClaimStatusSummary.Thisshowsall
unpaidclaimsandhowlongtheyhavebeenoutstanding.Iamsupposedtopreparethisreport
everymonthonthefirstworkingday,butthereportisverytimeconsuming,andIhavenotbeen
abletokeepupwithit.Everyonehasbeenveryniceaboutit,sayingitisokayifIcannotgetthe
reportouteverymonth,butIknowtheytrulywantthisreportmonthly.
TheClaimStatusSummaryincludesonepageforeachinsurancecompany.Eachpage
startsoutlookingliketheInsuranceCompanyReport,inthatIhavetocalculatethetotalclaims
submittedandpaymentsreceived,bothfortheMTDandYTD.ThenIalsohavetolistevery
unpaidclaim.Foreachclaim,Ishowtheprocedurecode,description,patientname,household
headname,fee,anddate.ThenIshowhowoldtheclaimisbyputtingitintooneoffouraging
brackets:current(whichmeanszeroto30daysold),morethan30daysold,morethan60days
old,andmorethan90daysold.Atthebottomofthepage,Ishowthetotalamountowedbythe
insurancecompanyineachofthosefouragingbrackets.Isurehopethenewcomputersystem
willmakethingseasier!

Answer to New Century Assignment 7:

InstructorNote:Answerswillvary.Themainpurposeoftheassignmentistogivestudentsan
opportunitytoapplywhattheylearnedinthechapter,includingtheguidelinesforcreating
questionnaires,andsamplingstrategies.
Thismightbeagoodtimefortheclasstocritiquetheassignmentsinagroup,usingthe
textguidelinesforreference.YoumightusethesampleshowninFigure422onpage166asan
example,andaskstudentshowtheywouldgradeitoneachofthenineguidelines.Discussthe
prosandconsofquestionnairesversusinterviews.
Inansweringthequestiononsampling,studentsshouldconsiderallthreeapproaches:
systematicsampling,stratifiedsampling,andrandomsampling.Systematicsamplingwouldbe
agoodwaytogetacrosssectionofallpatients,butstratifiedsamplingmightbebetterifthere
weredistinctcategoriesofpatientsforexample,thosecoveredbyinsuranceandthosewho
arenot.Randomsamplingisaneasy,quickwaytoobtainasamplegroup,butresultscouldbe
distortedbythetimingandmethodsused.Forexample,arandomsampleofpatientsmightnot
includearepresentativenumberwithoutstandingbalancesifthesampleweretakenjustprior
tothemonthlymailingofstatements.Ifinputfromthisgroupwasimportanttoyour
understandingofthesystem,youmighthavetoselectadifferentsamplingmethod.

PersonalTrainer,Inc.
FactFindingSummary
Atypicalcenterhas300500members,withtwomembershiplevels:fullandlimited.Full
membershaveaccesstoallactivities.Limitedmembersarerestrictedtoactivitiestheyhave
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page21of33

selected,buttheycanparticipateinotheractivitiesbypayingausagefee.Allmembershave
chargeprivileges.Chargesformerchandiseandservicesarerecordedonachargeslip,which
issignedbythemember.Attheendofeachday,cashsalesandchargesareenteredintothe
BumbleBeeaccountingsoftware,whichrunsonacomputerworkstationateachlocation.
DailycashreceiptsaredepositedinalocalbankandcreditedtothecorporatePersonal
Traineraccount.TheBumbleBeeprogramproducesadailyactivityreportwithalistingofall
salestransactions.Attheendofthemonth,thelocalmanagerusesBumbleBeetotransmitan
accountsreceivablesummarytothePersonalTrainerheadquartersinChicago,where
memberstatementsarepreparedandmailed.MembersmailtheirpaymentstothePersonal
Trainerheadquarters,wherethepaymentisappliedtothememberaccount.
TheBumbleBeeprogramstoresbasicmemberinformation,butdoesnotincludeinformation
aboutmemberpreferences,activities,andhistory.
Currently,theBumbleBeeprogramproducesonelocalreport(thedailyactivityreport)and
threereportsthatarepreparedattheheadquarterslocation:amonthlymembersalesreport,
anexceptionreportforinactivemembersandlatepayers,andaquarterlyprofitandloss
reportthatshowsabreakdownofrevenueandcostsforeachseparateactivity.

Assignments
1. Listthesystemrequirements,withexamplesforeachcategory.Reviewtheinformation
thatSusangathered,andassumethatshewilladdherownideastoachievemoreeffective
outputs,inputs,processes,performance,andcontrols.
ThesystemrequirementsforthenewPersonalTrainersystemcanbeidentifiedbycareful
analysisofthefactfindingsummaryonpage184.Thesummarycontainsanumberof
muststatements,andvariousitemsonthewishlistthatweresuggestedbylocal
managersandstaffmembers.Studentsshouldbeabletoidentify,classify,andenumerate
theseitems.Samplesuggestionsforoutputs,inputs,processes,performance,andcontrols
mightincludethefollowing:

Outputs:Reportondelinquentpayments,morefrequentreportsontrendsandprofitability,
computerizedactivityandwellnesslog,moredetailedexceptionreports,whatifscenarios
thatmanagerscanusetoplanpromotionsanddiscounts

Inputs:Moreinformationaboutmemberpreferences,activitiesandhistory,methodto
obtainmembersuggestionsandemailmessages

Processes:AutomatedprocesstoscankeychainIDsorcreditcards,processtomanage
parttimeinstructorsandstaff

Performance:Newdesignforsalesslips,betterinformationonmembers

Controls:Standardizedcodingsystemtobeusedcompanywide,betterreconciliationof
data,andcreationofaudittrails
Page22of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

2. AretherescalabilityissuesthatSusanshouldconsider?Whatarethey?
Scalabilityreferstoasystemsabilitytohandleincreasedbusinessvolumeandtransactions
inthefuture.Becauseitwillhavealongerusefullife,ascalablesystemoffersabetter
returnontheinitialinvestment.Toevaluatescalability,Susanwillneedinformationabout
projectedfuturevolumeforalloutputs,inputs,andprocesses.Forexample,shewouldneed
toknowtheestimatednumberofcustomers,transactionvolume,peakperiods,numberand
typesofdataitemsrequiredforeachtransaction,andthemethodofaccessingand
updatingcustomerfiles.

3. IfSusanwantstoconductasurveyofcurrentorprospectivememberstoobtaintheir
input,whattypeofsamplingshouldsheuse?Why?
Studentsmightsuggestastratifiedsampleofformermembersandprospectivemembers.It
isrelativelyeasytoidentifyformermembersfromPersonalTrainersrecords,butitmight
bemoredifficulttoidentifyprospectivemembers.Severaloptionsareavailable.Personal
Trainermightrequestsurveyinputfrommemberswhohaverecommendedfriendsinthe
past.Werethenewmembershappy,anddidtheyremainasmembers?Whyorwhynot?
Thismightbequitevaluableinputinpredictingfuturemembershipresults.Also,perhaps
thecompanyhasalistofpeoplewhohaverequestedinformationaboutPersonalTrainerin
thepast,butneversignedupforaclass.Thatgroupmightbeaninterestingsample.
Finally,formerstudentsmightbeaninterestinggrouptosurvey.

4. DrawanFDDthatshowsthemainoperationsdescribedinthefactstatement.
Thefactfindingsummaryonpage184identifiesmanyofPersonalTrainersactivities,
functions,andprocesses.AnswerswillvarybasedondifferentperceptionsofPersonal
Trainersmainoperations.AsampleFDDfollows:

BaxterCommunityCollege
1. MakealistofthetopicsthatyouthinkToddshouldcoverduringtheinterview.
Answerswillvary,butthelistshouldincludethefollowingtopics,amongothers:
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page23of33

Mainreasonsforthenewalumniinformationsystem
Thescopeofthenewsystem,includinganyconstraints
Howalumniinformationcurrentlyishandled
Whichdepartments,orpeople,currentlyareresponsibleforalumniinformation
Generalhardwareandsoftwarerequirementsforthistypeofsystem
Estimatedtimetableforthenewsystem

2. PreparealistofspecificquestionsthatToddshouldask.Includeopenended,closedended,
andrangeofresponsequestions.
Possibleopenendedquestions:
a. Howareyoustoringthealumniinformationnow?
b. Whataresomebenefitsthatthenewsystemwouldprovide?
c. Whatproblemshaveyourunintousingthecurrentmanualsystem?
d. Canyouthinkofanyotherinformationthatwouldbehelpfultome?

Possibleclosedendedquestions:
a. HowmanyBaxteralumnihavecontributedinthepast?
b. Howfarbackdoyourrecordsgo?
c. Whoisresponsiblefortherecords?
d. Areaddressescheckedforaccuracybeforemailingsaresent?

Possiblerangeofresponsesquestions:
a. Onascaleofone(low)tofive(high),howwouldyouratethecurrentsystem?
b. Howmanycurrentrecordscontaindataerrors:none,afew,abouthalf,most,orall?
c Howmanyalumnimailingsaredoneeachyear:1or2,3to5,ormorethan5?
d. Howwouldyouratetheimportanceofthisproject:low,medium,orhigh?

3. Conductstudenttostudentinterviews,withhalfthestudentsassumingToddsroleandthe
otherhalfplayingtheregistrar.
Theinstructorcanarrangepairedstudentinterviewsassuggested,oraskseveralstudents
tosimulateaninterview,usingpredefinedquestionsandanswers.

4. Documenttheinformationcoveredduringtheinterviews.
Answerswilldependonthespecificquestionsandresponses.YoucanrefertoFigure432
onpage187asasampleofdocumentationforanextensiveinterview.TheBaxterinterview
willbemuchlesscomplicatedandeasilycanbedocumentedinabriefmemothatdescribes
themainpointscovered.

TownofEdenBay
1. ReviewtheinterviewsummariesinChapter2.Foreachperson(Marie,Martin,Phil,Alice,
andJoe),developthreeadditionalquestions:anopenendedquestion,acloseended
question,andarangeofresponsequestion.
Answerswillvary.Remindstudentstoreviewthevarioustypesofquestionsdescribedon
page160.Thecontentofaspecificquestionisnotespeciallyimportantsolongasitfits
Page24of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

intothepropercategory.Thismightbeanopportunityforateamexercise.Dividetheclass
intoseveralgroups,andaskeachgrouptoformulateasetofaquestionsthatmeetthe
requirements.

2. Basedonwhatyouknowsofar,listthesystemrequirementsforthenewsystem.Youcan
useyourimaginationifthefactsareinsufficient.Consideroutputs,inputs,processes,
performance,andcontrols.Includeatleasttwoexamplesforeachcategory.
TheinterviewsummaryinChapter2containsalloftheinformationneededtoanswerthis
question.Sampleanswersmightincludethefollowing:

Outputs:Individualvehiclereports,withstandardsforcostsandexpenseratiossuchas
costpermile(orhour)ofoperation.Also,preventivemaintenanceschedules,high
maintenanceexceptionreports,andmaintenancebudgetforecastdata.

Inputs:Alllaborandmaterialcosts,trackingoffactorssuchasdowntime,reduced
efficiency,andrippleeffectssuchascrewidletimecosts.
Processes:Calculationofindividualandfleetmaintenanceexpenses,analysisofoptimum
maintenanceproceduretiming,crewandindividualefficiency.

Performance:Individualanddepartmentalefficiencytargetsandstandards,costpermile
reports,periodicanalysisofoutsideversusinsidemaintenancecosts.

Controls:Warningsforexcessivemaintenancecosts,identificationofabnormalexpense
trendsforthefleetorindividualvehicles,highovertimereports,trackingofexcessiveparts
replacement.

3. Youdecidetoanalyzeasampleofvehiclerecords.Whatsamplingmethodsareavailableto
you?Whichoneshouldyouuse,andwhy?
Studentsshouldreviewthediscussionofsamplingonpages167168.Varioussampling
methodscanbeused,anditmightbeinterestingtousemorethanoneandcomparethe
results.Themainideatorememberisthatiftherearedistinctclasses,orcategories,of
vehicles,thenitwouldmakesensetouseastratifiedsampletoensurethattheresultsare
balanced.Then,withinthestratifiedsample,youmightwanttoselectvehiclesonarandom
basisorperhapsasystematicbasis.Inanycase,therealobjectiveistoobtaina
representativesamplethataccuratelyportraysthelargepopulation.

4. DawnthinksitwouldbeagoodideatoconductaJADsessiontoperformadditionalfact
finding.Draftamessagetotheparticipants,withabriefexplanationofJADmethodsanda
proposedagenda.
Asamplemessageandagendafollows:
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page25of33

To: JADteammembers
From: Dawn,ProjectleaderandITmanager
Re: JADsessions

ThisisapreviewofwhatwellbedoingwhenwegettogethernextweekforourJAD
sessions.

ForthoseofyouwhoarenotfamiliarwithJAD,hereisabriefexplanation.JAD
standsforjointapplicationdevelopment.JADisateamapproachtofactfindingand
determiningwhattherequirementsshouldbeforanewinformationsystem.Theidea
behindJADisthatagroupofmanagers,users,andITstaffpeoplegettogetherin
interactivesessionsandfigureoutwhatthenewsystemmustdo.Byworkingtogether
andlisteningtoeachother,wecangetabetterpictureofhowthenewsystemwill
supportSCRsnewtrainingactivity,aswellashoweachareawithinSCRwillbe
affectedbythesystem.

Ihaveattachedatentativeagendafornextweek,soyoullknowwhattoexpect.Iam
lookingforwardtoworkingwithyou.

Agenda:Discussion
Leader
Dawn(Projectleader
andITmanager)
Marie(Townmanager)
Dawn(Projectleader
andITmanager)
Dawn(Projectleader
andITmanager)
JADteammembers
workinginsmaller
groupsessions,
supportedbyITstaff
Groupleaders
Topics
IntroduceallJADteammembers
Discussgroundrules,goals,andobjectivesforthe
JADsessions
Explainmethodsofdocumentationandpossibleuse
ofCASEtool
Explainthereasonfortheproject
Expresstopmanagementauthorizationandsupport
Provideoverviewofthecurrentsystemandproposed
projectscopeandconstraints
Presentoutlineofspecifictopicsandissuestobe
investigated
Reviewthemainbusinessprocesses,tasks,userroles,
input,andoutput
Identifyspecificareasofagreementordisagreement
Breakteamintosmallergroupstostudyspecific
issuesandassigngroupleaders
Discussanddocumentallsystemrequirements
Developmodelsandprototypes
Reportonresultsandassignedtasksandtopics
Page26of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

Presentissuesthatshouldbeaddressedbytheoverall
JADteam
Opendiscussion Reviewreportsfromsmallgroupsessions
sessions(moderatedby Reachconsensusonmainissues
Dawn) Documentalltopics
Dawn(Projectleader PresentrecapofJADsession
andITmanager) PreparereportthatwillbesenttoJADteammembers

ANSWERSTOCHAPTERCAPSTONECASE:SoftWear,Limited(SWL)

1. WhenRickWilliamsmetwithMeredithRiderinthehumanresourcesdepartment,heasked
forcopiesofactualreportsandformsthatcontainedconfidentialinformation,butMeredith
declinedtoprovidethem.Rickhasaskedyoutosuggestareasonablecompromisebetween
confidentialityrequirementsandtheneedforanalyststoreviewactualrecords,insteadof
fictitiousdata.Thinkaboutthis,andwriteamessagetoRickwithyourviews.
Iftheinformationonareportisnotconfidential,thenitobviouslyisbestifsystemsanalysts
aregivencopiesofactualdocuments.Whentheinformationonareportisconfidential,
however,thenthatinformationmustbetreatedresponsibly.Reportsamplesthataregivento
asystemsanalysttokeep,study,copy,andincludewiththesystemdocumentationshouldnot
containactualconfidentialinformation;doingsobypassesthenormalsecuritycontrolson
thatinformation.Inthatcase,providingrealisticsimulateddocumentsisbetter.Asystems
analystholdsapositionoftrust.Certainlyasystemsanalystshouldbeallowedtolookbriefly
atareportcontainingactualconfidentialinformation,ifonlytoverifythatthesimulated
reportsamplesareindeedrealistic.Ifthatweredone,thenthesystemsanalystwouldnot
needhisorherowncopiesofactualreports.Somemightarguethattherearedegreesof
sensitivityofconfidentialinformation.Perhapsamanufacturingcustomerbillingreportdoes
notseemtobeassensitiveorcriticalasahealthclinicreportorpayrollreport.Further,
thosereportsmightseemlessconfidentialthanatopsecretgovernmentaldefensereport.
Othersarguethatallconfidentialmaterialissensitiveandimportant.Thewisestcoursefora
systemsanalystistotreatallconfidentialmaterialequally,withthehighestrespect.

2. AssumethatyouwerewithRickatthemeetingwithLindaDeMarco.Reviewthefact
statement,thenwriteaninterviewsummarythatdocumentsthemaintopicsthatRickand
Lindadiscussed.
Theinterviewsummaryshouldincludethefollowingpoints:

1. BISdevelopedtheGeneralizedAutomatedPayrollProgram(GAPP),whichcurrently
isbeingusedtoprocessSWLspayroll,hasmodifiedthepackagesignificantlyover
theyears.BISdoesnotplantomakefurtherchangestotheprogramandwilluse
GAPPforpayrollprocessingonlyforthenextyearortwo.

2. BISisdevelopinganewpayrollsystemcalledComprehensiveHighpowered
InteractivePayrollSystem(CHIPS).BISplanstoswitchallcompaniesoverto
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page27of33

CHIPSbeginninglatenextyear.ThemonthlyfeeforCHIPSisplannedtobeabout
30percenthigherthanthecurrentGAPPcharges.

3. CHIPSwillnothandleacombinationofweeklyandmonthlydeductionprocessing.
BIScoulddevelopanaddonmoduleunderaspecialcontractwithSWL.Anysuch
addonmodulewouldhavetowait,however,untilCHIPSisimplemented.

4. LindawillkeepusinformedonprogressonCHIPS.ShewillcontactAmyCalico,
SWLspayrolldirector,toexplainplansforGAPPandCHIPSandtheimpactof
theseplanstoSWL.

3. Rickaskedyoutodesignaquestionnairethatwouldmeasureemployeesatisfactionwiththe
currentpayrolldeductionsystem.Reviewthesamplequestionnaireinthechapter,and
prepareadraftforRick.Rickalsowantsyoutosuggestvarioussamplingmethodssohecan
makeachoice.Includeabriefdescriptionofvariousmethods,andbesuretoincludeyour
recommendationandreasons.
Studentsshouldfollowtheguidelinesforquestionnaires,usingFigure422onpage166as
anexample.Thequestionnairesshouldcontainoneormoreexamplesofopenended,closed
ended,andrangeofresponsequestions.
Studentsshouldreviewthediscussionofsamplingonpages167168.Varioussampling
methodscanbeused,anditmightbeinterestingtousemorethanoneandcomparethe
results.Themainideatorememberisthatiftherearedistinctclasses,orcategories,of
vehicles,thenitwouldmakesensetouseastratifiedsampletoensurethattheresultsare
balanced.Then,withinthestratifiedsample,youmightwanttoselectvehiclesonarandom
basisorperhapsasystematicbasis.Inanycase,therealobjectiveistoobtaina
representativesamplethataccuratelyportraysthelargepopulation.

4. Rickwantsyoutointerviewseveralemployeestolearnmoreabouttheirlevelsofsatisfaction
withthecurrentsystem.Prepareasetofinterviewquestions,andbesuretoincludeatleast
examplesofopenended,closedended,andrangeofresponsequestions.Ifpossible,conduct
roleplayinterviewswithotherstudents.
Answerswillvary.Studentsshouldbeabletofollowtheguidelinesonpage157andframea
setofquestionsthatincludesexamplesofeachtype.
Page28of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

ManagetheSWLProject
YouhavebeenaskedtomanageSWLsnewinformationsystemproject.Oneofyourmost
importantactivitieswillbetoidentifyprojecttasksanddeterminewhentheywillbeperformed.
Beforeyoubegin,youshouldreviewtheSWLcaseinthischapter.Thenlistandanalyzethe
tasks,asfollows:

LISTTHETASKSStartbylistingandnumberingatleasttentasksthattheSWLteamneedsto
performtofulfilltheobjectivesofthischapter.YourlistcanincludeSWLTeamTasksandany
othertasksthataredescribedinthischapter.Forexample,Task3mightbetoIdentifypeopleto
interview,andTask6mightbetoConductinterviews.
AnanswermightincludetaskslistedintheChapterIntroductionCase,andotherexamplesof
tasksfoundintheSWLcaseorelsewhereinthechapter.Asampleanswerfollows:

TaskList
ExploreRADandJADtechniques
LearntheUnifiedModelingLanguage
Arrangenecessaryinterviews
Developaquestionnaireifneeded
Useobservationandsamplingtechniquesifappropriate
Setupadocumentationsystem
Identifyrequirementsforsystemoutputs
Identifyrequirementsforsysteminputs
Identifyrequirementsforsystemprocesses
Identifyrequirementsforsystemperformance
Identifyrequirementsforsystemcontrols
Identifyrequirementsforsystemoutputs
Prepareafactfindingsummarywithfulldocumentation

ANALYZETHETASKSNowstudythetaskstodeterminetheorderinwhichtheyshouldbe
performed.Firstidentifyallconcurrenttasks,whicharenotdependentonothertasks.Inthe
exampleshowninFigure443,Tasks1,2,3,4,and5areconcurrenttasks,andcouldbeginatthe
sametimeifresourceswereavailable.
Othertasksarecalleddependenttasks,becausetheycannotbeperformeduntiloneor
moreearliertaskshavebeencompleted.Foreachdependenttask,youmustidentifyspecific
tasksthatneedtobecompletedbeforethistaskcanbegin.Forexample,youwouldidentifythe
peopletointerviewbeforeyouconductedtheinterviews,soTask6cannotbeginuntilTask3is
completed,asFigure443shows.

Answerswillvary.Asampleanswerfollows:

ConcurrentTasks DependentTasks
1.ExploreRADandJADtechniques 4.Arrangenecessaryinterviews
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page29of33

2.PracticeusingtheUnifiedModeling
Language
3.Setupadocumentationsystem
5.Developaquestionnaireifneeded
6.Useobservationandsampling
techniquesifappropriate
7.Identifyrequirementsforsystemoutputs
8.Identifyrequirementsforsysteminputs
9.Identifyrequirementsforsystem
processes
10.Identifyrequirementsforsystem
performance
11.Identifyrequirementsforsystem
controls
12.Prepareafactfindingsummarywith
fulldocumentation

Foreachdependenttask,asamplelistofpredecessortasksfollows:

DependentTasks PredecessorTasks
4.Arrangenecessaryinterviews 1,2,3
5.Developaquestionnaireifneeded 1,2,3
6.Useobservationandsampling 1,2,3
techniquesifappropriate
7.Identifyrequirementsforsystemoutputs 4,5,6
8.Identifyrequirementsforsysteminputs 4,5,6
9.Identifyrequirementsforsystem 4,5,6
processes
10.Identifyrequirementsforsystem 4,5,6
performance
11.Identifyrequirementsforsystem 4,5,6
controls
12.Prepareafactfindingsummarywith 7,8,9,10,11
fulldocumentation

Chapter3describesprojectmanagementtools,techniques,andsoftware.Tolearnmore,
youcanvisittheFeaturessectiononyourStudentStudyToolCDROM,orvisitthe
ManagementInformationSystemsCourseMateWebsiteatwww.cengagebrain.comand
locatetheprojectmanagementresourceslibraryforthisbook.OntheWeb,Microsoftoffers
demoversions,training,andtipsforusingProject2010.Youalsocanvisitthe
OpenWorkbench.orgsitetolearnmoreaboutthisfree,opensourcesoftware.
TheFeaturessectionontheStudentStudyToolCDROMincludesWeblinksforMicrosoft
ProjectandOpenWorkbench,andauserguideforOpenWorkbench.Instructorscan
demonstrateMicrosoftProjectifitisavailable,andshowstudentshowtodownloadandinstall
OpenWorkbench.Instructorsalsocancreateadditionalassignmentsthatuseproject
managementsoftwareskillsinasystemsdevelopmentenvironment.
Page30of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page31of33

ANSWERSTOREADYFORACHALLENGE

InstructorNote:RemindstudentsthattoviewsampleanswerstoPracticeTasks,theycanvisit
theManagementInformationSystemsCourseMateWebsiteatwww.cengagebrain.com,navigate
totheresourcesforthischapter,andlocateReadyforaChallenge.
Page32of33 Chapter12,Systemssupportandsecurity

Question Type: O=openended

C=closedended
R=rangeofresponse
Doyouforeseeanyproblemswiththissystem?
C
Onascaleofone(low)tofive(high),howimportantistheproposed
R
project?
Doyoumaintaincurrentemailaddressesforcustomers? C
Whoisresponsibleforenteringtheserecords?
C
Whatwouldbesomebenefitsofthenewfeature?
O

Thestartingpointshouldbeanoverviewscreenthatallowsausertoaddacustomer,editacustomer,deletea
customer,orgethelp.TheHelpoptionshouldallowausertosearchaknowledgebaseorcontacttheITHelp
Desk.Iftheuserselectstheknowledgebaseoption,theycansearchbykeywordorbytopic.Iftheyselectthe
ITHelpDesk,theycaneitherselectemailoratelephonecallbackoption.

A. Preparethesixquestionsdescribedabove(twoofeachtype),indicatingthetypeforeach
question.
SystemsAnalysisandDesign,NinthEdition Page33of33

Answerswillvary.Hereareseveralexamples:

Openended
Howdousersfeelaboutthenewsystem?
Whatkindoftrainingshouldwedowhenthenewsystemisready?
Howwillthissystemhelpthecompanyachieveitsprofitgoals?

Closedended
Howmanypeoplereporttoyou?
Domostuserspreferthemouseorthekeyboard?
Whichtechsupportpersonscoredthehighest?

Rangeofresponses:
Whatpercentagesofcustomerspaybytheduedate,within30days,orlaterthan30days?
Onascaleof1(low)to10(high),howwouldyouratethisemployeesproductivity?
Doesthishappennever,sometimes,often,oralways?