Enterprise Systems for Management, 2e (Motiwalla/Thompson)
Chapter 4 Development Life Cycle
1) ERP system development projects are not very complex so they don’t need a structured
development process.
2) The process of developing new information systems is called the SDLC.
3) The systems approach to problem solving breaks complex problems up into more manageable,
smaller problems.
4) The SDLC process involves high-level problems and so doesn’t require technical problem
solving skills.
5) The main reason for the early system development failures was a lack of clear leadership.
6) The traditional SDLC methodology breaks system development into six different phases.
7) The SDLC process actually begins when someone in the organization identifies a need for a
new system.
8) Economic feasibility addresses whether the problem can be solved with the current generation
of information technology.
9) The cost/benefits of a system that can be quantified are called intangible.
10) The investigation phase should be conducted by the IT department.
11) At the end of the investigation phase, a report is prepared for management and stakeholders.
12) In the analysis phase, the development team should consist of just consultants and technical
specialists.
13) In the analysis phase, the development team should focus on finding all the bottlenecks and
constraints of the existing system.
14) In the design phase the technical requirements from the analysis phase have to be converted
into network infrastructure designs.
15) The implementation phase begins with defining the user requirements.
16) The SDLC would not be appropriate for designing a new web page.
17) Prototyping is an example of a rapid development approach.
18) In ERP implementations, many companies install a toolbox system to expose users to the
system functionality.
19) In the prototyping approach, end users create their own applications.
20) End-user development became popular with the advent of personal computers in the 1980s.
21) EUD is applicable to ERP systems for designing the underlying database applications.
22) Since ERP systems use packaged software, they are very similar to PC-based software
packages like Microsoft Office.
23) In the 1990s Hershey Corp. lost millions of dollars when their supply chain distribution
systems were disrupted by their ERP implementation during their holiday sales period.
24) An ERP Implementation plan is used to create a roadmap for the implementation.
25) Like SDLC, the ERP development life cycle provides a systematic approach to implementing
ERP software.
26) ASAP, and FastTrack are examples of vendor driven ERP development methodologies.
27) The ERP life cycle expands at a much faster pace than in the traditional SDLC.
28) The feasibility study is conducted in the scope and commitment stage of the ERP life cycle.
29) Preliminary training of the users with a sandbox is done in stage three of the ERP life cycle.
30) During the Acquisition and Development stage of the ERP life cycle, the data team works on
multiplying data from the old system to the new one.
31) System handover, or knowledge transfer is the major activity of the operation stage of the
ERP life cycle.
32) Consultants play an important role in the slow implementation of ERP systems.
33) The use of rapid implementation methodologies for ERP implementations has drastically
decreased.
34) Deloitte & Touche developed an ERP implementation methodology called RAD.
35) The value proposition helps to ensure that the ERP solution being considered makes sound
business sense.
36) SAP’s rapid implementation methodology is called ASAP.
37) The ASAP methodology makes use of predefined business tiers.
38) The BIM methodology for ERP implementations was developed by Accenture in the 1990s.
39) The BIM methodology is best suited for full life cycle ERP projects involving some custom-
built solutions.
40) ERP packages are complex software packages with embedded business processes.
41) An example of a deliverable that would be due at the end of each stage of the traditional ERP
life cycle would be a(n):
A) application.
B) database.
C) report.
D) project.
42) The ERP life cycle is often just as rigorous as the traditional ________ life cycle.
A) network
B) project
C) BIM
D) SDLC
43) The ________ provide knowledge to embed business rules and input for interface and report
design.
A) SMEs
B) IT gurus
C) managers
D) decision makers
44) In the ERP life cycle, one of the key early decisions is the ________ selection.
A) programs
B) systems
C) vendor
D) network
45) Compared with the traditional SDLC, the ERP life cycle is more focused on reengineering
organizational ________ and change management.
A) decisions
B) products
C) practices
D) processes
E) functions
46) The most critical success factor for ERP systems is to have a solid commitment of the:
A) consultants.
B) IT department.
C) top management.
D) end users.
47) To keep the costs down and also to minimize the chance of surprises, it is generally a good
rule of thumb to minimize the number of:
A) purchases.
B) customizations.
C) embedded processes.
D) special tools.
48) The SDLC provides a systematic process for planning, ________, and creating an
information system for organizations.
A) designing
B) purchasing
C) managing
D) financing
E) visualizing
49) The SDLC uses a(n) ________ approach for problem solving.
A) direct
B) heuristic
C) logical
D) technical
E) system
50) For ERP implementations, it is best if the ________ is composed of people with a wide
variety of IT and business skills.
A) consulting team
B) development team
C) management team
D) technical group
E) change management group
51) The phases of the traditional SDLC include investigation, design, implementation,
________, maintenance.
A) feasibility
B) purchasing
C) analysis
D) value proposition
E) ASAP
52) In the ________ phase of the traditional SDLC, the team should do a thorough analysis of
the costs and benefits of the proposed system.
A) maintenance
B) design
C) implementation
D) analysis
E) investigation
53) The primary task of the ________ phase of the traditional SDLC is to determine the user
requirements of the new system.
A) maintenance
B) design
C) implementation
D) analysis
E) investigation
54) In the ________ phase of the traditional SDLC, the functional requirements have to be
converted to system and process flow charts, user input screens, sample reports, etc.
A) maintenance
B) design
C) implementation
D) analysis
E) investigation
55) Hardware and software are acquired and installed in the ________ of the traditional SDLC
life cycle.
A) maintenance
B) design
C) implementation
D) analysis
E) investigation
56) Which of the following is not a typical problem with using the SDLC process for developing
a new system?
A) too expensive
B) too rigorous
C) takes too long
D) too much documentation
57) When using the prototyping approach, one does not go through the ________ stages of the
traditional SDLC.
A) maintenance and analysis
B) design and analysis
C) implementation and investigation
D) analysis and investigation
58) If a sales manager developed a Microsoft Access database to help his salespeople track their
customer contact information, this would be an example of an application developed using:
A) prototyping.
B) SDLC processes.
C) end-user development.
D) the ERP life cycle.
59) When the government wants to develop a new procurement tracking system for its military
they would probably build it using:
A) prototyping.
B) SDLC processes.
C) end-user development.
D) the ERP life cycle.
60) Most ERP vendors and consultants try to compete against each other by having different:
A) databases.
B) application servers.
C) implementation methodologies.
D) APIs.
E) GUIs.
61) ERP system development can make use of prototyping methodologies by using a(n)
________ to get more immediate user feedback as the system is being developed.
A) CASE tool
B) Web server
C) Web-based input form
D) sandbox
62) ________ is not an example of a vendor-driven ERP development methodology.
A) Rapid-ERP
B) FastTrack
C) ASAP
D) Total Solutions
E) BIM
63) ________ is not a stage of the traditional ERP life cycle.
A) Investigation
B) Scope and Commitment
C) Analysis and Design
D) Acquisition and Development
E) Implementation
64) In the traditional ERP life cycle a gap analysis should be conducted in the ________ stage.
A) investigation
B) scope and commitment
C) analysis and design
D) acquisition and development
E) implementation
65) In the traditional ERP life cycle, by the end of the ________ stage, the team should have a
prototype or sandbox of the ERP software up and running and accessible to the entire team,
consultants, and SMEs.
A) operations
B) scope and commitment
C) analysis and design
D) acquisition and development
E) implementation
66) In a ________ ERP life cycle implantation, employees are empowered to make the decisions
to keep the project moving forward.
A) traditional
B) rapid
C) object-oriented
D) vendor driven
E) none of the above
67) The ________ ERP life cycle approach has a deliverable due at the end of each stage.
A) object oriented
B) traditional
C) rapid
D) vendor driven
E) none of the above
68) Stage ________ of the ERP life cycle is similar to the investigation stage of the SDLC.
A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four
E) none of the above
69) A(n) ________ analysis is used to compare the functions provided by the ERP system to the
operational processes necessary to run the business.
A) scope
B) iterative
C) gap
D) investigation
E) none of the above
70) System conversion and training are done in stage ________ of the ERP life cycle.
A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four
E) none of the above
71) The implementation phase of the ERP life cycle is also sometimes called the ________ stage.
A) Go-Live
B) shortest
C) longest
D) failure
E) none of the above
72) The ________ approach to ERP system conversion is the least disruptive conversion
approach.
A) direct cutover
B) pilot
C) phased
D) parallel
E) none of the above
73) The ________ approach to system conversion has the highest risk of the different conversion
approaches.
A) direct cutover
B) pilot
C) phased
D) parallel
E) none of the above
74) System failures often occur when not enough attention is devoted to ________ management
from the beginning.
A) upper
B) lower
C) change
D) shrinking
E) none of the above
75) Consultants may use scripts and ________ to help automate some of the more common tasks
that occur during an implementation.
A) wizards
B) merlins
C) consultants
D) hardware
E) none of the above
76) What is an ERP implementation plan? How does an organization choose between all the
different implementation plans?
77) Describe a methodology for rapid system development.
78) Why is the traditional SDLC process not always a good fit for developing systems?
79) How is the traditional ERP life cycle different from the traditional SDLC?
80) Describe the main phases or stages of the traditional SDLC.
81) Describe the main phases or stages of the traditional ERP life cycle.
82) What is change management? What role does it play in the ERP life cycle?
83) Describe one of the rapid ERP life cycle methodologies. Why is their use growing?
84) In developing an ERP system, the focus is more on the business processes rather than the
traditional focus on getting the user requirements. Why is this a major difference?