UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2019/2020
EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/ BACHELOR OF BUSINESS IN
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN APPLIED
COMPUTING
BIT 2305 /BBIT 204/BSD 2202/ BISF 2202/ BAC 2202: ICT PROJET
MANAGEMENT
FULL TIME/PART TIME/DISTANCE LEARNING
DATE: MAY, 2020 TIME: 6 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer ALL Questions
SECTION B: 20 MARKS
QUESTION ONE
A company is considering the replacement of its existing booking system as this system is
considered to be too restrictive in the range of options that can be offered to potential clients and
users and can be difficult to use. There are also an increasing number of problems with its
continuing reliability and maintenance.
a) Identify up to FIVE significant business benefits that might be included in the business case
for such a project, together with TWO specific financial measures that could be used to assess its
financial viability. (5 Marks)
b) The business case has been accepted and an external company has been commissioned to
undertake the project at an agreed cost. The project will comprise:
i) Final agreement of functional requirements;
ii) Development and testing of replacement software;
iii) Purchase and installation of replacement server, PCs and printers;
iv) Implementation and maintenance of new system.
For EACH of these four components identify potential business risk that might arise, and explain
its possible effect on the original business case. (8 Marks)
c) Consider specifically items i and ii above, and identify key reports that the project manager
would require from their team in order to monitor and control these stages of the project and
ensure that the business case is maintained. Identify a key action that the project manager should
take to ensure the effectiveness of this monitoring and control. (7 Marks)
SECTION C: 20 MARKS
QUESTION ONE
You are an IT manager of a company that sells and fits brakes systems from a number of
different manufacturers to a wide variety of motor vehicles. This is a very competitive market.
The company must be able to answer immediately any telephone enquiry concerning its current
stock and prices. In addition, good management information and the strict control of costs are
essential. The existing computer-based stock system, which was developed some time ago by the
in-house IT section, is no longer adequate. A decision has been made by management to adopt a
new, more advanced stock recording and on-line enquiry system. Some major brake system
manufacturers offer such systems as an off-the-shelf package, but your management are
concerned that these packages might be too restrictive and thus not suitable for the wide range of
exhaust systems that your company sells. The alternative would be to design and develop a new
in-house system. However, your current IT section has no experience of on-line or cost-control
systems.
a) Write a memorandum to the your senior management comparing acquiring an ‘off-the-shelf’
system as opposed to developing a new application in-house using your own staff, bearing in
mind the scenario outlined above. (10 Marks)
b) A decision has been made to acquire an off-the-shelf package. Describe the activities that
would now be needed to select and acquire the software and then to set up a fully operational
stock system. (10 Marks)
