architecture description
formal description of an information system that identifies and defines the structural properties of the system
Balanced Scorecard (BSC)
management system that enables organizations to clarify their vision and strategy and translate them into action
competency analysis
provides a complete picture of the organization's effectiveness as seen via four strategic filters: resources, infrastructure, products/services, and customers
cost-benefit analysis
process that helps management determine whether (and by how much) the benefits exceed the costs
detailed feasibility study
step in the system evaluation and selection process where the feasibility factors that were evaluated on a preliminary basis as part of the systems proposal are reexamined
economic feasibility
pertains to the availability of funds to complete the project
end users
users for whom the system is built
industry analysis
analysis provided to management of the driving forces that affect the industry and the organization's performance
legal feasibility
ensures that the proposed system is not in conflict with the company's ability to discharge its legal responsibilities
net present value method
method in which the present value of the costs is deducted from the present value of the benefits over the life of the system
operational feasibility
pertains to the degree of compatibility between the firm's existing procedures and personnel skills and the operational requirements of the new system
payback method
variation of break-even analysis; break-even point is reached when total costs equal total benefits
proactive management
management that stays alert to subtle signs of problems and aggressively looks for ways to improve the organization's systems
project feasibility
analysis that determines how best to proceed with a project
reactive management
management that responds to problems only when they reach a crisis state and can no longer be ignored
schedule feasibility
related to the firm's ability to implement the project within an acceptable time
stakeholders
entities either inside or outside an organization that have a direct or indirect interest in the firm
steering committee
organizational committed consisting of senior-level management responsible for systems
system survey
determination of what elements, if any, of the current system should be preserved as part of the new system
systems analysis
two-step process that involves a survey of the current system and then an analysis of the user's needs
systems analysis report
formal report that marks the conclusion of the systems analysis phase
systems development life cycle (sdlc)
software development process
systems evaluation and selection
optimization process that seeks to identify the best system
systems professionals
analysts, designers, and programmers who have expertise in the specific areas that the feasibility study covers
systems project proposal
proposal that provides management with the basis for deciding whether to proceed with the project
systems selection report
deliverable portion of the systems selection process that will go to the next phase
systems strategy
understanding of the strategic business needs of the organization based on the mission statement
technical feasibility
determination of whether the system can be developed under existing technology or if new technology is required
TELOS
acronym that refers to the technical, economic, legal, operational, and schedule feasibility of a project
attributes
equivalents to adjectives in the english language that serve to describe objects
backbone systems
basic system structure on which to build
cohesion
number of tasks a module performs
cold turkey cutover
process of converting entirely from an existing accounting system to a new system on a particular day rather than phasing in the conversion process over time
computer-aided software engineering (case)
use of computer systems to design and code computer software
conceptual user views
description of the entire database
construct
design and building of software that is ready to be tested and delivered to its user community; involves modeling the system, programming the applications, and application testing
coupling
measure of the degree of interaction between modules
cutover
process of converting from the old system to the new system
data dictionary
description of every data element in the system
data modeling
task of formalizing the data requirements of the business process as a conceptual model
database conversion
transfer of data from its current form to the format or medium the new system requires
design phase
production of a detailed description of the proposed system that both satisfies the system requirements identified during systems analysis and is in accordance with the conceptual design
detailed design report
set of blueprints that specify input screen formats. output report layouts, database structures, and process logic
disseminating
providing knowledge to recipients in a usable form
documentation
written description of how the system works
electronic input techniques
forms of electronic data collection; fall into two basic types: input from source documents and direct input
embedded instructions
instructions contained within the body of the form itself rather than on a separate sheet
event-driven languages
visual basic or object-oriented programming (oop) languages such as Java or C++
Gantt chart
horizontal bar chart that presents time on a horizontal plane and activities on a vertical plane
gathering
process in knowledge management that brings data into the system
group memory
the collective knowledge of an organization that makes it more effective, just as human beings become more effective and mature with the accumulation of thoughts and memories
hard-copy
traditional paper-based data storage medium used for reports and documentation
inheritance
programming property that allows each object instance to inherit the attributes and operations of the class to which it belongs
instance
single occurrence of an object within a class
intelligent forms
forms that help the user complete the form and that make calculations automatically
knowledge management
gathering, organizing, refining, and disseminating information
methods
actions that are performed on or by objects that may change the objects' attributes
object class
logical grouping of individual objects that share the same attributes and operations
object-oriented design
building information systems from reusable standard components or modules
object-oriented programming (oop) language
programming language containing the attributes and operations that constitute the object modules represented in the ER diagram at the implementation phase of the SDLC
objects
single attribute or instance
online documentation
guides the user interactively in the use of a system; tutorials and help features
operations control reports
identifies activities that are about to go out of control and ignores those that are functioning within normal limits
organizing
associating data items with subjects, giving them context
parallel operation cutover
conversion process in which the old system and the new system are run simultaneously for a period of time
pert chart
chart that reflects the relationship among the many activities that constitute the implementation process
phased cutover
process of converting an old system to a new system in modules
procedural language
specifies the precise order in which the program logic is executed
prototyping
technique for providing users with a prelminary working version of the system
pseudocode
english-like code that describes the logic of a program without specific language systems
quality assurance group
independent group of programmers, analysts, users, and internal auditors who simulate the operation of the system to uncover errors, omissions, and ambiguities in the design
refining
adding value by discovering relationships between data, performing synthesis, and abstracting
request for proposal (rfp)
document summarizing system requirements and sent to each prospective vendor
run manual
documentation describing how to run the system
structure diagram
diagram that divides processes into input, process, and output of functions
structured design
disciplined way of designing systems from the top down
systems design
reflects the analysts' perception of information needs rather than the perception of accountants and other users
third-generation languages
procedural languages in which the programmer must specify the sequence of events used in an operation
turnkey systems
completely finished and tested systems that are ready for implementation
user handbook
reference manual of commands for getting started
walk-through
analysis of system design to ensure the design is free from conceptual errors that could become programmed into the final system
wall of code
an object-oriented coding scheme that prevents direct access to the object's internal structure and data
zones
areas on a form that contain related data
access controls
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application controls
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audit objectives
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audit planning
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audit risk
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carve-out method
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commodity it assets
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computer fraud
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