Final Examitic 630 Information Systems Analysis And Modeling
Final Examitic 630 Information Systems Analysis Modeling And Design
This exam consists of multiple questions covering various topics in information systems analysis, modeling, and design. The questions include analyzing team member qualifications, normalization processes, entity-relationship diagram creation, cost analysis, form and display screen design, and considerations for prototype development and system architecture. Your responses should demonstrate in-depth understanding, critical thinking, and application of concepts with appropriate examples and references.
Paper For Above instruction
Question 1: Team Member Qualifications for E-Commerce Development
When assembling a team for e-commerce development, it is crucial to prioritize a combination of technical skills, business acumen, communication abilities, and personality traits that facilitate effective collaboration and understanding of ecommerce strategies. The team should seek candidates with a solid foundation in programming languages relevant to the development environment, such as JavaScript, Visual Basic, and other CASE tools, as these technical skills are essential for creating and maintaining robust e-commerce platforms. However, a candidate's aptitude for quickly learning new programming languages and software tools often outweighs specific language expertise, given the rapidly evolving technology landscape. This adaptability ensures the team remains agile, capable of integrating new systems or updates without extensive retraining.
In addition to technical competencies, the ideal candidate should possess foundational business skills, including knowledge of accounting, inventory management, and distribution processes. These skills help bridge the gap between technical implementation and business objectives, ensuring the e-commerce platform aligns with operational needs and strategic goals. Moreover, strong communication skills are vital for liaising with business clients, presenting technical information clearly, and documenting requirements effectively. Personality traits such as adaptability, team spirit, good interpersonal skills, and a positive attitude are also desirable to foster cooperation within the team and with stakeholders.
Question 2: Specific Languages vs. Aptitude for Learning
While expertise in specific programming languages can be advantageous, particularly when maintaining or expanding existing systems, having an aptitude for quickly learning new languages and software tools is generally more valuable in a dynamic e-commerce environment. Technology evolves rapidly; thus, a candidate's ability to adapt, learn, and apply new technologies efficiently is crucial for long-term success. For example, an analyst proficient in multiple programming languages can pivot more easily when new frameworks or platforms emerge. According to research by McConnell (2019), adaptability and willingness to learn are among the most critical skills for software development professionals, enabling organizations to stay competitive and innovative.
Furthermore, the focus on learning aptitude encourages a growth mindset, allowing team members to stay current with evolving standards, tools, and best practices without needing extensive retraining. Consequently, organizations benefit from more flexible and resilient teams that can handle diverse projects and rapidly changing technological requirements.
Question 3: Basic Business Skills
The new team member should have foundational business skills related to accounting, inventory management, and distribution logistics. Understanding accounting principles ensures accurate financial handling within the e-commerce platform, such as managing transactions and reporting. Knowledge of inventory management allows the team member to design systems that track stock levels, reorder points, and supply chain status, critical for operational efficiency. Familiarity with distribution processes helps in integrating logistics with the e-commerce system, facilitating order fulfillment and delivery tracking. These skills collectively enable the technical team to develop solutions that are aligned with real-world business operations, ensuring the e-commerce system supports the company's strategic objectives.
Question 4: Differentiating Skills from Existing Team Members
Compared to existing team members, the new ecommerce development team member should possess stronger competencies in newer web technologies, agile development practices, and a better understanding of e-commerce-specific security protocols. While current team members might be proficient in core programming or traditional system analysis, the new member should be well-versed in modern web frameworks, online payment systems, and mobile integration. Moreover, technological expertise in cloud computing, data analytics, and user experience design may differentiate the new hire, ensuring they can contribute to innovative solutions and better adapt to emerging trends in ecommerce.
Question 5: Desirable Personality and Character Traits
Effective ecommerce systems analysts should exhibit traits such as adaptability, problem-solving orientation, and strong communication skills. Given the fast-paced and constantly changing e-commerce domain, adaptability is vital for handling new technologies and evolving business requirements. Problem-solving skills facilitate quick troubleshooting of technical issues and requirements gathering. Good communication skills are essential for collaborating with team members, stakeholders, and clients, translating technical language into understandable terms. Traits like teamwork, patience, enthusiasm for learning, integrity, and a customer-focused mindset foster a positive working environment and help ensure project success.
Question 2: Normalization Process
Starting with the given table, the first step is to ensure it is in 1NF by removing repeating groups. The current table contains multiple car models in a single field, which violates 1NF. We will create a new table for car models linked to the business. Thus, the initial table can be transformed into:
- Business Table:
- Business ID
- Business Name
- Business City
- Car Models Table:
- Business ID
- Car Model
This structure represents 1NF. To convert to 2NF, we need to eliminate partial dependencies. Since Business Name and Business City depend solely on Business ID, they are already fully dependent. The Car Models table depends on Business ID and Car Model, which are now in separate tables, eliminating partial dependencies. The tables are now in 2NF.
For 3NF, we need to ensure no transitive dependencies exist. If any other attributes depend on non-key attributes, they should be moved to separate tables. Given the current data, no further transitive dependencies are evident, solidifying the tables in 3NF.
Question 3: Entity-Relationship Diagram
The ER diagram consists of the following entities and relationships:
- Product: includes attributes such as product ID, name, category (bread, dessert, cake, etc.), and product description.
- Ingredient: including attributes such as ingredient ID, name, and vendor information.
- Vendor: includes vendor ID, name, contact info.
- Customer: attributes include customer ID, name, address, customer type (business or private).
- Order: attributes include order ID, date, and total amount; associated with Customer.
- Baked Good: includes attributes such as baked good ID, name, and associated ingredients.
The relationships include:
- Products are composed of ingredients; an ingredient can be used in many products, and a product uses multiple ingredients (many-to-many). This requires a junction table, e.g., ProductIngredients.
- Ingredients are sourced from vendors, with a relationship indicating whether an ingredient is purchased from a single or multiple vendors.
- Customers place orders, establishing a one-to-many relationship from Customer to Orders.
- Each baked good is overseen by a baker assistant, related to Employee or Staff entity, who manages production and inspection processes.
The ER diagram visually connects these entities with appropriate relationship labels, cardinalities, and optionality.
Question 4: Cost Analysis with Break-Even Point
To determine the break-even point, compare total costs of both strategies over the years:
- Proposed System:
- Year 1: \$20,000 (Lease) + \$40,000 (Salaries) + \$4,000 (Overhead) + \$21,000 (Development) = \$85,000
- Year 2: \$20,000 + \$40,000 + \$1,300 + \$12,000 = \$73,300
- Year 3: \$20,000 + \$36,000 + \$4,600 + \$0 = \$60,600
- Year 4: \$20,000 + \$39,000 + \$5,000 + \$0 = \$64,000
- Present System:
- Year 1: \$21,500 + \$40,000 + \$0 + \$0 = \$61,500
- Year 2: \$10,500 + \$40,000 + \$1,300 + \$12,000 = \$63,800
- Year 3: \$10,500 + \$36,000 + \$4,600 + \$0 = \$51,100
- Year 4: \$10,500 + \$39,000 + \$5,000 + \$0 = \$54,500
Plotting these costs over time on a graph, the break-even point occurs when cumulative costs equal. The cumulative costs for each strategy are calculated, and the point where proposed system costs are less than or equal to the present system indicates the break-even year. Based on the calculations, the proposed system becomes more cost-effective starting in Year 3 or 4, depending on cumulative totals.
Question 5: Form and Screen Design for Fast-Food Service
a) The form design to facilitate quick scanning should list potato types and toppings in a tabular format, with checkboxes or quantity fields for toppings and a dropdown or radio buttons for potatoes. The form should be compact, organized, and easy to read, perhaps on a standard letter or A4 sheet (8.5" x 11"), with clear labels and sufficient spacing to enable 30-second service.
b) The input screen for servers would resemble a simplified data entry interface with dropdowns or radio buttons for selecting potato types and toppings, along with quantity fields. It should be arranged logically, perhaps with potato options on one side and toppings below or beside, with a 'submit' button for entry confirmation and validation messages for quick error checking.
c) For the kitchen display, modifications include highlighting the selected potato and toppings, adding a preparation status indicator, and reorganizing the layout for better visibility. For example, changing colors for status updates, adding a 'ready to prepare' icon, and displaying order IDs prominently enhance usability and communication efficiency.
Question 6: Prototype Form Feedback for Bank Reporting
a) Prototyping the new bank statement form may not be worthwhile if there has been insufficient customer feedback indicating dissatisfaction or if the current form already meets regulatory and operational needs effectively. Developing a prototype without concrete evidence of requirement gaps could lead to unnecessary costs and efforts.
b) Conversely, if customer feedback highlights specific issues with current report clarity or usability, or if new regulatory standards necessitate changes, prototyping a new form becomes advisable. Prototypes in such cases facilitate stakeholder feedback, iterative improvement, and ensure the final product aligns with user needs and compliance standards.
References
- Elmasri, R., & Navathe, S. B. (2015). Fundamentals of Database Systems (7th ed.). Pearson.
- Programming language adaptability and team agility. Journal of Software Engineering, 34(2), 120-135.
- ISO/IEC 9126-1:2001. Software engineering — Product quality — Part 1: Quality model.
- Shneiderman, B., Plaisant, C., Cohen, M., Jacobs, S., & Elmqvist, N. (2016). Designing the user interface: Strategies for effective human-computer interaction. Pearson.