SA500 Foundations of Systems Analysis

Question 0

2. Name several key factors identified in the Standish Group studies that caused IT projects to be challenged.

Answer 0

The top three factors leading to challenged projects were:

1) lack of user input
2) incomplete requirements
3) changing requirements

SA500 slide 8

Question 1

1. What did the Standish Group studies find out about IT success rates?

Answer 1

The success rates ranged from 16% to 32%.

SA500 slides 6 and 7

Question 2

3. Give the most compelling reason that analysis is so important.

Answer 2

Because a great solution to the wrong problem is not worth much.

SA500 slide 13

Question 3

4. How does the cost to correct errors made during analysis depend on the phase in which the error was detected?

Answer 3

The costs grows exponentially the later the error is discovered.

SA500 slide 14

Question 4

5. What is the main reason that the cost to fix requirements errors rises exponentially with the time to their discovery?

Answer 4

The high cost and complexity of rework in software.

SA500 slide 14

Question 6

6. Name the 7 different categories of requirements.

Answer 6

1. Business requirements
2. User requirements
3. Functional requirements
4. Business rules
5. Quality attributes
6. External/internal interfaces
7. Design/implementation constraints

SA500 slide 18 and 26

Question 7

7. How are business requirements related to user requirements?

Answer 7

Business requirements are the primary driver for user requirements. The user requirements should ensure that the business requirements are being met.

SA500 slides 18 and 26

Question 8

8.What are functional requirements?

Answer 8

Functional requirements describe what the developer is supposed to build.

SA500 slide 21

Question 9

9. Business rules are not considered requirements per se, so how are they related to requirements?

Answer 9

Business rules are not considered requirements per se, but they must often be implemented and enforced by software.

SA500 slide 22

Question 10

10. What is the best way to specify human user interfaces?

Answer 10

Prototyping is one of the best ways specify human user interfaces.

SA500 slides 24 and 37

Question 11

What is a software development cycle? Compare this to a methodology.

Answer 11

11. A software development life cycle is an organized high-level approach or framework. For building software systems to solve business problems. Methodologies are sets of tools and techniques that implement life cycles. There may be different methodologies with a given life cycle model.

SA500 slides 29 and 30.