1What is the purpose of the systems planning phase?
To understand why an information system should be built and determine how the project team will build it
2What are the two major steps in the systems planning phase?
Project Initiation and Preliminary Investigation
3When does project initiation begin?
When someone in an organisation identifies a need to improve or build a new system
4What is a system request?
A formal way of asking the information systems department for assistance, documenting business reasons and expected value
5Who usually completes a system request form?
Business users as part of the system approval process
6What is the role of a systems review committee?
To evaluate system requests with a broader viewpoint and more effective priority setting
7What is one disadvantage of a systems review committee?
Action on requests must wait for committee meetings, possibly causing delays
8What are common reasons for system change requests?
Improve service, better performance, more information, stronger controls, reduced costs
9What is a preliminary investigation?
A study by a systems analyst of the system request to recommend specific action
10What is the end product of a preliminary investigation?
A report to management
11What is the purpose of defining a problem statement?
To summarise the current issues and form the foundation of project objectives
12What are project objectives?
Goals that represent the desired situation, matching issues point by point
13What is project scope?
The specific boundaries or extent of a project
14What is project scope creep?
The gradual expansion of a project beyond its original definition
15What is a constraint in project scope?
A requirement or condition the system must satisfy, such as hardware, time, policy, or cost
16What does a Gantt chart show?
Time relationships between project tasks in a horizontal bar chart
17What is one limitation of a Gantt chart?
It does not indicate activity dependencies
18What is a work breakdown structure (WBS)?
The process of dividing a project into manageable tasks and logically ordering them
19What are the keys to project success?
Satisfy business requirements, meet users’ needs, stay within budget, and be completed on time
20What are some reasons for project failure?
Unclear requirements, poor design, insufficient testing, unrealistic cost estimates, poor control, or employee turnover
21What is included in a preliminary investigation report?
Introduction, systems request summary, findings, case for action, project roles, time and cost estimates, expected benefits, and appendix