Chapter 9 Learning Objectives

SECTION A

After reading Section A, you should be able to:

• define the term “information system”
• describe the role of a manager in the following areas of planning: strategic, tactical, operational
• provide an example of a structured problem, a semi-structured problem, and an unstructured problem
• describe the function of an office automation system
• provide four examples of transaction processing systems
• list the characteristics of a management information system
• describe three types of reports that can be produced by an MIS
• contrast an MIS with a TPS
• discuss the strengths and weaknesses of a decision support system
• explain the relationship between an inference engine and an expert system
• explain the meaning of the term “fuzzy logic”
• provide a brief definition of a “neural network”

SECTION B

After reading Section B, you should be able to:

• outline the PIECES framework
• describe the role of an organization’s information systems department
• list the typical responsibilities of a systems analyst
• provide four components of a Project Development Plan
• discuss the purpose of a system development life cycle
• outline three different SDLC models
• describe four possible approaches to the system development process (that an organization might use)
• list the tasks that are carried out by the project team during the analysis phase of the SDLC
• explain ways in which the current system can be evaluated
• describe the purpose of a CASE tool

SECTION C

After reading Section C, you should be able to:

• list the activities that typically take place during the design phase of the SDLC
• outline the parameters that are used by a project team when evaluating hardware solutions for a new information system
• discuss the strengths and weaknesses of an application development tool
• explain the purpose of a turnkey system
• list the types of criteria used, by a project team, to determine the best solution to an information system problem
• differentiate between an RFP and an RFQ
• list three criteria to consider when choosing either a hardware or a software vendor
• explain the purpose of application specifications

SECTION D

After reading Section D, you should be able to:

• outline the tasks that take place during the implementation phase of the SDLC
• discuss ways in which software might be customized to fit the needs of an organization
• explain the term “knowledge engineering”
• describe three methods of application testing
• explain the purpose of a procedure handbook
• compare and contrast the following system conversion strategies: direct conversion, phased conversion, and pilot conversion
• explain the purpose of acceptance testing
• list the major maintenance activities for a typical information system
• suggest reasons why the maintenance phase of the SDLC might be more expensive than the other phases
• discuss factors that would indicate that an information system is nearing the end of its life cycle