IMAT3425 2018 Exam PDF

Preview

Summary

IMAT3425 2018 Exam...

Description

Sheet 1 of 6 EXAMINATION PAPER Code: IMAT3425 Session - 2017/2018 Faculty of Technology Module Code – IMAT3425 Module Title – Systems Building: Methods and Management Date - Friday 25th May 2018 Time Allowed – 3 hours Start 12:30 Finish 15:30 _________________________________________________________ Instruction and information for candidates: Answer ALL questions in Section A, ONE question from Section B and ONE question from Section C. Section A is compulsory and carries 50% of the marks All questions in Sections B and C carry equal marks A copy of the Banner Case Study has already been given to you and is reproduced here in the Appendix. You are not allowed to bring the copy of the Case Study that has been issued to you in advance into the examination. The Case Study should be used when answering questions to section A. You are allowed to bring 5 A4 pages (writing only on one SIDE) or 5 SIDES hand written (not photo-copied) by yourself instead.

Please turn over…..

Code: IMAT3425 Sheet 2 of 6

SECTION A This section is compulsory – answer all questions Questions in this section carry a total of 50 marks. All questions in this Section refer to the Banner case study. A1.

Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the software development company adopting ONE of the following Information System Development Methodologies (ISDMs) for the Banner case study: o SCRUM o SSADM o Multiview In undertaking your evaluation (13 marks), you will need to identify the relevant features of the case study (6 marks) and apply a suitable framework of criteria for evaluation (6 marks). (25 marks)

A2.

Discuss whether it would be appropriate to subject the new system to cost/benefit analysis, and how this might be carried out. (8 marks)

A3.

Describe some of the problems the project manager might face in building a team to develop this new system, and how they might try to minimise the effects of the problems. (8 marks)

A4.

Identify THREE major risks to project success, and suggest ways to manage those risks. (9 marks)

Please turn over…..

Code: IMAT3425 Sheet 3 of 6 SECTION B Answer ONE question from this section. B1. a) No two projects use an Information System Development Methodology (ISDM) in quite the same way, even within the same organisation. It has been suggested, by Hummel (2014), that an ISDM as applied in a project (“State-of-the-Art: A Systematic Literature Review on Agile Information Systems Development”) will differ from project to project, and to the formal definition of the methodology itself. Discuss the factors that influence the use of an ISDM in practice and drive the uniqueness of each instance of its use. (10 marks) b) Discuss the ways in which an ISDM can help to ensure the success of a project. In your answer you should refer to at least TWO of the ISDMs covered by the module. (15 marks) B2. a) Outline the differences between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ issues that may be encountered in an Information Systems Development (ISD) project, and give examples of the problems that might occur if ‘soft’ issues are not properly addressed. (7 marks) b) Information System Development Methodologies (ISDMs) have emerged that help deal with ‘soft’ issues. Critically analyse ONE of the ISDMs covered by this module, discussing how it can be used to address the problems identified in your answer to part (a) above. (18 marks)

Please turn over…..

Code: IMAT3425 Sheet 4 of 6

SECTION C Answer ONE question from this section. C1. a) Explain one approach to managing software quality, describing the components of that approach and evaluating how each contributes to the creation of high-quality systems. (13 marks) b) Discuss ways of managing software reuse on development projects, giving examples of the techniques you discuss. (12 marks) C2. a) The manager of a development project has identified the following activities, with estimates of their durations. Some activities depend on earlier activities, as indicated. Activity

Duration (weeks)

Depends on

A B C D E F G H I J

3 6 1 5 4 10 7 5 3 1

A B, D C, E E, F, G G G H, I

Using a suitable planning technique, identify the total duration of the project and identify those activities the project manager will need to monitor carefully while they are in progress. Why are those activities particularly important? (13 marks) b) Discuss the possible social-ethical impact of ICT innovation development on people, society and the environment. (12 marks)

Please turn over…..

Code: IMAT3425 Sheet 5 of 6

APPENDIX – MAIN CASE STUDY Banner Banner, one of England’s largest not-for-profit providers of housing and care for people over 55, have an ambitious growth strategy supporting their clear vision for the future. The group believes their programme of innovative new developments demonstrates their commitment to meeting the changing aspirations of older people. Established for over 40 years, Banner have been innovating and raising standards ever since. Their homes have won awards for facilities and standards of dementia care for example. Their provision includes a wide range of housing alternatives including care homes and independent apartments. Expert care is available at all Banner homes, whether general day-today support, nursing services, or specialist dementia care; the group employ over 5,000 qualified care staff. The group IS/IT department is based in London, consisting of 110 development staff and 40 operations staff, supporting over 100 care homes and retirement properties. Head office support departments such as human resources, finance, procurement and property management are located in three sites across the country, and include two internal supply depots. Application portfolio includes some legacy systems from the earliest days of the group’s existence, as well as many more modern systems built to support the extensive web presence. IT is used to underpin all of Banner’s operations, including stock control for general supplies and nursing-specific supplies as well as medications; resident records including medication and care records; staff management including recruitment, training and development records; property management; financial planning and management; sales and marketing. Some of these IT functions are delivered through the Banner intranet but most are deployed on computers in support departments.

Please turn over…..

Code: IMAT3425 Sheet 6 of 6

As part of the latest development plans, Banner senior management want to sharpen up their operations. They are aware that some of their existing portfolio was well-suited to earlier days when the group was smaller, and that whilst there have been no major problems, some support systems are showing the strain for example ensuring that the right supplies are delivered to the right homes every time, and that staff training records are up to date at all times. With several new property developments in progress, management are conscious that demand on the IT systems will grow quickly and they wish to ensure their systems will cope well. The IT director created a study team to investigate options for improving the robustness of both systems and user procedures, and their recommendations are to be taken forward as swiftly as possible. Technical recommendations include a move away from large groups of small file servers toward fewer, larger servers linked more effectively. This entails redeveloping parts of the existing network infrastructure, as well as deploying new servers based on unfamiliar technology. There is also a recommendation to expand the capacity of both operational and historical data storage, and to link these to support departments enabling support managers to generate their own reporting tools. A further recommendation is to deploy many more of the support functions through the intranet rather than on local computers in support departments, although this change should be transparent to users. Alongside these changes, many small improvements are to be made to the core systems to ensure they meet current user requirements including compliance with Care Quality Commission regulations; the study team recommended including some of the support users, and representatives from the care functions, in the development teams. This is a departure from existing ways of developing and supporting IT systems, which tend to gather requirements and then build systems that users test along the way. A suitable development methodology will need to be implemented to carry out this recommendation. Senior management would like to see the system development plans implemented fairly quickly, to give time for proving before the current major properties under development have been commissioned into use; this gives a timescale of approximately 10 months for development and 3 months for proving....