Chapter 8 • Basic Systems Concepts and Tools 3596.Define the term business process reengineering,and describe
its importance for IS work.
7.Describe how logical and physical representations of a To-Be
system will differ. Describe each of the three generic phases
of the information systems development life cycle.
8.Describe the relationships between a context diagram, as in
Figure 8.11, and the top-level diagram of a data flow
diagram, as in Figure 8.13.
9.What is a data dictionary and why is it important?
10.Why are software objects more “reusable” than other types of
computer code?
11.What are analysis and design patterns and why are they
useful for information systems development?
12.Compare a context diagram (using DFD modeling) and a use
case diagram (using UML); what is the same and what is
different?
13.What are the differences between a data entity in structured
techniques and an object in object-oriented techniques?
14.Briefly describe some common information system controls
that need to be implemented by business managers, not IS
professionals.
15.What is an audit trail and why is it a useful mechanism for
controlling business risks due to an information system?
16.In what way does thorough documentation for an informa-
tion system help in compliance with regulations such as the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act?
17.What is the Information Technology Infrastructure Library
(ITIL), and what benefits does it provide for implementation
of information systems?Discussion Questions
1.Explain and give an example that supports the following
statement: Each time we change characteristics of one or
more of the components of the organization (e.g., organiza-
tion structure, people, business processes, information
technology), we must consider compensating changes in the
other components.
2.Explain the function of hierarchical decomposition in
systems analysis and design, and discuss the reasons for
viewing and analyzing systems in this way.
3.Why do informal systems arise? Why should systems
analysts be aware of them?
4.Some observers have characterized business process
reengineering (BPR) as evolutionary, others as revolutionary.
Develop an argument to support one of these sides.
5.Explain why many companies were unable to implement new
cross-functional processes that were identified by BPR
project teams in the early 1990s, before ERP packages
became widely available.
6.Describe why analysts begin with the As-Is system, rather
than starting with the design of a To-Be system.7.Develop a context diagram and a top-level DFD to model the
data flows involved in registering for classes at your college
or university. Then model the student registration system in a
use case diagram, and write a textual description for one of
the use cases.
8.Discuss the differences between data stores on a DFD and an
entity-relationship diagram for the same information system
application. What purpose does each serve? What does each
explain or show that the other does not?
9.Identify the construction controls for the class registration
system of the previous question. Justify why these controls
would be adequate for data quality, security, and recoverability.
10.Web services have been called a second wave of net-centric
computing that will have broad implications for software
development approaches in the future. Develop an argument
to support or refute this viewpoint.
11.Explain why some organizations have adopted more rigid
control mechanisms in recent years and whether or not
you think they are justified, given the added costs to
implement them.Bibliography
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