UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018
EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF BUSINESS
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
BBIT207 SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT
FULL TIME/PART TIME/DISTANCE LEARNING
DATE: APRIL, 2018 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions.
QUESTION ONE (Compulsory)
a) What does it mean to say that most modern approaches to systems development are “agile”?
(2 Marks)
b) Describe two technical and two interpersonal skills that a successful systems analyst would need
to possess. (4 Marks)
c) What does “traceability” mean in the context of the Systems Development Life Cycle?
(4Marks)
d) Identify THREE reasons why models are used in software systems development (3Marks)
e) Explain how CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering) tools can help during systems
development. (4 Marks)
f) What is the key difference between the ‘object-oriented’ approach to systems development and
the ‘structured’ approach? (3Marks)
g) Explain the difference between ‘functional’ and ‘non-functional’ requirements giving one
example of each. (6Marks)
h) Differentiate between science paradigm and systems paradigm frameworks used for comparing
and evaluating information systems development methodologies (4Marks)
QUESTION TWO
a) Describe a methodology which can be considered to reflect the “science” paradigm and a
methodology which can be considered to reflect the “systems” paradigm. Refer to the
main objectives, phases/activities, and deliverables of the methodology in your
description. Justify your classification of the methodologies. (10 Marks)
b) Systems analysts need to communicate and interact extensively with users. However the
“vocabulary” of systems development is often not familiar to users and the organisational
backgrounds and experience of systems analysts may be very different from those of
users. What problems might this cause during the requirements definition phase in
particular, and how might they be overcome? (10 Marks)
QUESTION THREE
a) A newly-established online training company was interested in creating a website to allow
students to enrol on their training programmes over the Internet. What should the company
consider when deciding on whether to invest in a custom, packaged or outsourced system
solution? (10 Marks)
b) A systematic approach to practice, should be used by the ISD professional when developing
information systems.
i) List and explain THREE overall objectives that should form the framework for systematic
practice in the development of an information system. (6 Marks)
ii) Briefly explain TWO areas where lack of focus by the ISD professional might have
undesirable effects on the development of an information system. (4 Marks)
QUESTION FOUR
a) Describe THREE barriers to a new business entering an established market according to
Michael Porter. (6 Marks)
b) Explain what is meant by “iterative prototyping” in the context of systems analysis and
design (2 Marks)
c) A company has over the years used software development methods that rely on documented
specifications and designs. Agile methods are being considered seriously in the pursuit of
growth and internationalisation of the business. Explain the agile principles for rapid
software development and justify its appropriateness as a method for adoption.
(8 Marks)
d) The Human Resources and Finance departments of an organization both use the payroll
system. Employees can access the system to look at their pay details and to change their
home address. In this context, explain the importance of the qualities of: (4 Marks)
i) accessibility
ii) privacy
iii) security
iv) user friendly
QUESTION FIVE
a) What does it mean to say that modern development methods are ‘use case driven’, “iterative” and
“incremental”? (5Marks)
b) Discuss the conventional and human oriented views of ISD (5 Marks)
c) Discuss the role of people in ISD (5 Marks)
d) Describe Mumford’s three levels of user participation (3 Marks)
e) Describe at least two tools used in information systems development (2Marks)
