Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Sample Answers to Discussion Questions
Chapter 4: The Systems Development Life Cycle and HRIS
Needs Analysis
1. What are some critical success factors for effectively conducting an analysis
of HRIS needs?
Effectively conducting an analysis of HRIS needs will require that the company
2. Explain how planning and analysis integrate and inform further steps in the
system development life cycle (SDLC)?
In the analysis phase of the SDLC, an organization assesses its current
capabilities, identifies gaps that need to be filled, and provides information that
Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
3. Compare and contrast the different methods of data collection, explaining
the conditions under which each is most effective.
Chapter 4 discusses four data collection techniques: interviews, questionnaires,
direct observation, and focus groups.
Interviews – The process of asking questions to representative employees to
gather information about HR practices and processes and the HRIS. Interviews
Where Effective – Questionnaires are most effective when you need to reach a
large number of employees quickly and easily, where you need to be able to
easily statistically analyze the results, or when you do not want to take up a
large amount of employee time.
Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
4. Which prioritization method is most useful in establishing the appropriate
values for system requirements, and why?
There are multiple ways of ranking the priority for the requirements identified
for the system. They can be ranked based upon the following: