Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Answers to Questions in the Text
Chapter 3: 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
and analysts address where the company currently is with respect to the
effectiveness of processes and technology, where the organization wants to get
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
will guide the design and subsequent implementation of a new or upgraded
HRIS. Specifically, analysis helps the organization determine what needs to be
added or changed to the current system to accomplish HR’s goals for the new
Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
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
can be completely unstructured, where a general topic is introduced for
discussion and the interviewer lets the interview progress naturally, or
thoroughly structured, where the interviewer asks specific questions in a
predetermined order and respondents select from a set of alternative answers.
Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
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:
• Scope
• Cost–benefit analysis
• Time to implement