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(a) What is a system development method
and what forms might it take? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages
of developing an in-house systems
development methodology. [4]
A system development method is a set of rules
for subdividing the
complete system into a manageable set of discrete tasks (1 mark).
It might take the form of a software package or a series of manuals
with
forms and checklists (1 mark).
The advantage of in-house development is that it is tailor-made for
the
job in hand and so has no redundancy (1 mark).
The disadvantage is that it is time consuming and expensive (1 mark).
[4]
(b) One of the major stages of the system
development life cycle is
“Maintenance”. [4]
(i) What are the two primary aims of the
maintenance stage?
- Making sure that the system continues to meet user’s needs.
[1]
- Ensuring that any changes to the system are implemented in a
controlled and responsible manner. [1]
(ii) List two deliverables from the maintenance stage.
Any two of the following.
- A detailed log of changes to the system. [1]
- Copies of regular reviews and verifications of the service level
agreement. [1]
- Copies of regular post implementation review reports. [1]
[max 2]
(c) What is configuration management?
Explain how this methodology can have advantages for both customers
and for project staff. [3]
Configuration management is a methodology
whose chief tenet is to treat
specifications like a contract (1 mark), and any changes to the
specifications must be agreed by both customer and developer (1 mark).
The customer is protected since the developer must adhere to the
specifications, and the developer is protected from sudden changes
in
customer requirements (1 mark). [3]
(d) How does the process of understanding
user’s needs and requirements
contribute to the success of project management? [3]
If we do a bad job at the earliest stages
of the project life cycle, in this
case, understanding customer’s requirement, this will have ripple
effects
throughout the project’s life (1 mark). No matter how detailed
and
carefully contrived the plan may be it will be a bad plan if it addresses
misunderstood needs or poorly specified requirements (1 mark).
Similarly, project control efforts will come to naught if the needs
and
requirements analyses are poorly done (1 mark). [3]
(e) List three arguments that could
be used to convince difficult customers to
co-operate. [3]
Ways to handle difficult customers
- remind the customer organisation of its contractual obligations
[1]
- emphasise very clearly at the outset of the project the importance
to project success of meeting certain key milestone, including
those requiring customer inputs. [1]
- establish a steering committee to oversee project progress [1]
(Other suitable correct answers could also receive credit.)
(f) What is involved in the process
of evaluating projects? [2]
In project management we set criteria which
enable us to determine
whether we are achieving the goals of a project. Evaluation is the
testing
procedure which allows us to discover whether or not our goals are
being
achieved. [2]
(g) There are many techniques that are
used to evaluate a system. In this context, explain the term acceptance
testing. What decision might rest on the result of the final acceptance
test? [2]
- Projects are evaluated against a series
of acceptance test
milestones to judge whether the deliverable is meeting the
customer’s requirement and specifications. The most crucial of
these tests is the final customer acceptance test. [1]
- This last test will determine whether the customer is satisfied
that
the deliverable meets the specifications, and is often the basis of
determining whether final payments should be made to the
developer. [1]
(h) List and describe three commonly
used team structures. [6]
For any three of the following one mark each
for a correctly named
structure, and one mark for each valid description, up to a maximum
of
six marks.
Hierarchical team structure as its name suggests this resembles a
pyramidal hierarchical chart with the project headed by a project
manager at the top, followed by team managers with their programmers
at the base of the chart.
Chief Programmer team structure: the team is headed by a Chief
Programmer, but within the team each member has a different role,
specialising in their own particular area.
Adaptive team structure: with this structure the team is very flexible
and
will be drawn together for a particular project, so that team members
may
be drawn from all parts of the organisation dependent on which skills
are
required for this particular project. [6]
(i) One possible method of cost estimation
and work performance management is the fifty-fifty rule. Use a detailed
diagram to explain this very simple approach. [3]
Two marks should be awarded for a detailed
diagram which has content
similar to that shown in figure 9.2 in the study guide. A further
mark
should be awarded for using the diagram to explain that the fifty-fifty
rule
essentially means that the contractor assumes that half of the budgeted
value of the work is accomplished as soon as the project begins, and
the
other half is only accomplished at project completion (regardless
of
whether it is late, early, or on time). [3]
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