Accounting Information Systems, 12e (Romney/Steinbart)
Chapter 20 Introduction to Systems Development; Systems Analysis
1) A system change that results in an improved product or service and helps lower costs provided a(n)
A) competitive advantage.
B) improved business process.
C) productivity gain.
D) technological change.
2) An antiquated information system used by an office supply manufacturer caused customer
dissatisfaction since it took two days to process a telephone order. After the system was upgraded and
redesigned, the time to process a telephone order was reduced to three minutes. This is a prime example
of
A) a competitive advantage.
B) a technological change.
C) an improved business process.
D) growth.
3) What is the correct sequence of the phases in the systems development life cycle?
A) conceptual design, physical design, system analysis, implementation and conversion, and operations
and maintenance
B) conceptual design, system analysis, physical design, implementation and conversion
C) system analysis, conceptual design, physical design, implementation and conversion, and operations
and maintenance
D) system analysis, physical design, conceptual design, and operations and maintenance
4) In which phase of the systems development life cycle are the broad needs of the users converted into
detailed specifics that are coded and tested?
A) conceptual design
B) implementation and conversion
C) physical design
D) systems analysis
5) The purpose of systems analysis is to
A) identify the problem to be solved by the new (or redesigned) system and the causes of the problem in
the current system.
B) determine design specifications for the new (or redesigned) system.
C) communicate information needs to consider during business process reengineering.
D) discover any violations of policies established by the information systems steering committee.
6) Which of the following statements about systems development is true?
A) Planning throughout the systems development life cycle promotes coordination between systems and
strategic plans.
B) Organizations should conduct systems development activities at least once every five years.
C) The systems development steps are critical for profit-oriented businesses, but are too expensive and
time consuming for most not-for-profit organizations.
D) Diligently following the steps and suggestions in the systems development life cycle ensures the final
system will meet user needs and be implemented at or below the budgeted cost.
7) Which of the following about planning for systems development is false?
A) Project plans are developed for each new system and each system modification, and together the
project plans comprise the master plan.
B) A project development plan includes an economic feasibility analysis and a schedule of activities.
C) The master plan identifies system goals, who will develop the system, and the resources that will be
needed.
D) The master plan includes details about organizational goals, existing systems and resources, projects
being conducted, and predictions of future needs and requirements.
8) Which of the following activities is performed during the systems development life cycle?
A) assessing the ongoing feasibility of the project
B) managing the behavioral reactions to change
C) planning
D) All of the above activities are performed during the life cycle.
9) Which group of individuals listed below can be the most effective in generating employee support
and encouraging the development and acceptance of an AIS project?
A) accountants
B) information systems steering committee
C) management
D) project development team
10) Who of the following is responsible for ensuring that the new system will meet the needs of users?
A) accountants
B) the information system steering committee
C) the project development team
D) the system analysts and programmers
11) Who is responsible for preparing the specifications that are used to create the programs?
A) management
B) programmers
C) systems analysts
D) the information systems steering committee
12) One step in the systems development life cycle (SDLC) identifies and evaluates design alternatives
and to develop design specifications. This step is called
A) conceptual design.
B) implementation and conversion.
C) physical design.
D) systems analysis.
13) In which step of the SDLC do all of the elements of the system come together?
A) conceptual design
B) implementation and conversion
C) physical design
D) systems analysis
14) What is the role of the information systems steering committee?
A) It is a team of systems specialists, managers, accountants, and auditors that guides project
development.
B) Since AIS development spans functional and divisional boundaries, an executive-level group is
established to plan and oversee the IS function.
C) The group takes an active role in designing system controls and periodically monitoring and testing
the system to verify the controls are implemented and functioning properly.
D) None of the descriptions above are appropriate.
15) Which group of professionals is responsible for planning and monitoring a project to ensure timely
and cost-effective completion?
A) information systems steering committee
B) management
C) project development team
D) system analysts
16) All of the following are benefits of planning and managing systems development except
A) controlling costs.
B) ensuring that the system is consistent with the organization’s goals.
C) guaranteeing use of the system.
D) helping keep the organization abreast of technological change.
17) In which plan within planning systems development is the prioritized list of projects contained?
A) project development plan
B) scheduled project plan
C) the master plan
D) all of the above
18) What is the basic building block of information systems planning?
A) the master plan
B) the project development plan
C) systems analysis
D) adaptability
19) A planning horizon of at least ________ years is reasonable for any master plan; however, the plan
should be updated at least ________ each year.
A) 3; twice
B) 5; twice
C) 7; once
D) 5; once
20) ________ requires that all activities and the precedent and subsequent relationships among them be
identified.
A) CASE
B) The Gantt chart
C) The PERT diagram
D) The SDLC cycle
21) A network of arrows and nodes representing project activities that require an expenditure of time
and resources and the completion of initiation of activities, respectively, is called
A) a Gantt chart.
B) a PERT diagram.
C) a SDLC cycle.
D) CASE.
22) Which planning technique does not show the relationships among various activities?
A) Gantt chart
B) PERT
C) the critical path method
D) VAN
23) In which phase of the systems development life cycle is the feasibility study first performed?
A) conceptual design
B) implementation and conversion
C) physical design
D) system analysis
24) A federal law demands that certain information about foreign customers should be maintained in the
information system. In which part of a feasibility study should this requirement be considered?
A) economic feasibility
B) legal feasibility
C) operational feasibility
D) technical feasibility
25) Which of the following parts of a feasibility study is generally considered the most important and is
frequently re-analyzed?
A) economic feasibility
B) operational feasibility
C) scheduling feasibility
D) technical feasibility
26) What is the basic model used to create a framework for economic feasibility analysis?
A) the capital budgeting model
B) the cash budgeting model
C) the cost/benefit model
D) All of the above models are used to create a framework.
27) What is most difficult to quantify when assessing economic feasibility?
A) benefits
B) costs
C) Costs, benefits, and the payback period are all of equal difficulty.
D) the payback period
28) When using the payback method to determine economic feasibility of projects, the company usually
accepts the project with the
A) longest payback period.
B) mid-range payback period.
C) payback period that is equal to the project’s economic life.
D) shortest payback period.
29) There are several important aspects to be considered during a feasibility study. The aspect that asks
the question, “Can people use the system and will they use it?” is called
A) economic feasibility.
B) operational feasibility.
C) scheduling feasibility.
D) technical feasibility.
30) Accountants can contribute to feasibility study analysis by evaluating cost savings and other benefits
versus operating costs and other cash outflows. This is better known as
A) the “best guess” model of benefit analysis.
B) the “value added” benefit model.
C) the capital budgeting model.
D) the estimated benefits model.
31) The capital budgeting technique where estimated future cash flows are discounted back to the
present is referred to as
A) the future value method.
B) the internal rate of return.
C) the net present value method.
D) the payback method.
32) The type of user resistance in which data are erroneously entered into a system is called
A) acceptance.
B) aggression.
C) avoidance.
D) projection.
33) Continuing to use a manual system instead of the new AIS is a form of resistance known as
A) acceptance.
B) aggression.
C) avoidance.
D) projection.
34) One behavioral problem occurs when there is insufficient explanation of why a change must take
place. This problem is a result of
A) communication.
B) natural resistance to change.
C) the manner in which the change is introduced.
D) top management support of change.
35) Major resistance to change takes one of several forms. What is the name of the form of resistance
where the new system is blamed for any and every unpleasant occurrence?
A) aggression
B) avoidance
C) procrastination
D) projection
36) One behavioral problem occurs when there is insufficient explanation of why a change must take
place. In order to curtail this resistance from occurring within the organization, what guideline should be
implemented and followed?
A) attempt to meet the users’ needs
B) avoid emotionalism
C) keep communication lines open
D) keep the system simple
37) A good rule to follow to prevent behavioral problems associated with implementing a new system is
“Avoid complex systems that cause radical changes.” What expression is used to describe this system
design rule?
A) allay fears and stress new opportunities
B) keep the system simple and humanize it
C) control users’ expectations
D) test the system
38) During what step in systems analysis is an examination made of each development activity to define
the problem to be solved?
A) information needs and systems requirements
B) the feasibility study
C) the initial investigation
D) the systems survey
39) When is a proposal to conduct a systems analysis prepared?
A) after a written request for systems development is prepared
B) after the development team completes the survey of the existing AIS
C) after the initial investigation of the project is approved
D) before the initial investigation
40) During which phase of systems analysis does modeling of the existing system occur?
A) information needs and system requirements
B) the feasibility study
C) the initial investigation
D) the systems survey
41) Which data gathering method is most helpful to deal with the question: “Why?”
A) interviews
B) observation by the analyst
C) questionnaires
D) system documentation
42) Significant system changes were implemented two months ago. The changes were well-planned,
well-designed, thoroughly tested before and after conversion, and several employee training sessions
were conducted. Still, the changes haven’t resulted in any productivity increases, cost savings, or process
improvements. Management is puzzled and needs to find out why the system isn’t successful. The best
action for management to take is
A) conduct face-to-face interviews with managers, key personnel, and randomly selected employees
from each functional area impacted by the system changes in an attempt to discover why the changes
aren’t effective.
B) make sure the system changes were well documented and review the documentation to see if perhaps
some important feature or process was overlooked during the design phase.
C) email a series of questions to all employees, asking for input about further changes that would bring
about the desired results.
D) advise employees that consultants will be conducting observation sessions over the next two weeks
to determine if employees have fully implemented changes and whether there is any evidence of
resistance to the changes.
43) Which method of data gathering is most likely to result in information that represents the personal
biases and opinions of the person giving the information?
A) a questionnaire
B) an interview
C) observation by the analyst
D) system documentation
44) When the information is brief and well defined, which is the best data-gathering approach to use?
A) a questionnaire
B) an interview
C) observation by the analyst
D) system documentation
45) Which is the best data-gathering approach to use when information must be obtained from many
different people?
A) a questionnaire
B) an interview
C) observation by the analyst
D) system documentation
46) The ________ method of gathering information helps to determine how a system actually works.
A) interview
B) observation
C) questionnaire
D) system documentation
47) The ________ method of gathering information helps to determine how a system should work.
A) interview
B) observation
C) questionnaire
D) system documentation
48) What are the best strategies for determining system requirements?
A) analyze existing systems, ask users what they need, prototyping, and monitoring
B) ask users what they need, analyze existing systems, develop concept of new system, and prototyping
C) ask users what they need, analyze existing systems, examine existing system utilization, and
prototyping
D) ask users what they need, analyze existing systems, examine existing system utilization, and develop
concept of new system
49) When would a company go through a systems development life cycle?
A) only when major changes are needed
B) only when minor changes are needed
C) Usually a company only goes through one complete systems development life cycle, after which the
only phase that is repeated is the operations and maintenance phase.
D) whenever minor or major changes are needed
50) What report serves as a repository of data from which systems designers can draw information?
A) the executive steering committee report
B) the initial investigation report
C) the systems analysis report
D) the systems survey report
51) Which group is responsible for preparing a systems analysis report?
A) computer analysts
B) management
C) the project development team
D) the steering committee
52) In which systems analysis step do analysts conduct an extensive study of the present system to gain
a thorough understanding of how it works?
A) feasibility study
B) information needs and requirements
C) systems analysis report
D) systems survey