Informatics Exam Preparation

Informatics Exam Preparation

• CMMI Capability Levels:
  • Level 0: Incomplete
  • Level 1: Performed
  • Level 2: Managed
  • Level 3: Defined
  • Level 4: Quantitatively Managed
  • Level 5: Optimized

SPI Framework Elements

• Characteristics Set: A set of characteristics required for an effective software process.
• Assessment Method: A method for determining if the characteristics are present.
• Assessment Result Summary: A mechanism for summarizing the results of the assessment.
• Strategy for Weak Areas: A strategy for improving weak or missing process characteristics.

4Ps Management Spectrum

• People: The most crucial element of a successful project. Stakeholder concerns and team dynamics (communication, collaboration, skill level) are important.
• Product: The software being built. Discussions on product requirements, quality (UI, usability, etc.) are important.
• Process: The framework activities and tasks to complete the job. Process selection and adaptation (Agile, RM).
• Project: The work required to make the product real. Planning, scheduling, resource constraints, budget, and scope control.

Generic Checklist for Proactive Risk Assessment

• Comprehensive Coverage: Ensures all potential risk areas are considered.
• Standardization: Provides a consistent framework for risk assessment across projects.
• Efficiency: Streamlines risk assessment, saving time and effort.
• Communication: Facilitates team discussion of risks using shared terms and categories.

Generic Categories

• Product Size: Risk associated with the overall size of the product.
• Business Impact: Risk associated with constraints from management or the marketplace.
• Staff Size and Experience: Risk related to the experience and skill level of the development team.
• Technology to be Built: Complexity of the system and the newness of the technology used.
• Process Definition: Degree to which the development process is defined.
• Development Environment: Availability and quality of tools used.
• Customer Characteristics: Sophistication of the customer and developer communication ability.

Proactive Risk Strategies

• Identification and Assessment: Identify potential risks, assess their probability and impact, and rank them by importance.
• Planning: Establish a plan for managing risks.
• Contingency Planning: Create a strategy to manage risks that cannot be avoided.
• Technical Debt Reduction: Helps reduce technical debt.

Reactive Risk Strategies

• Occurrence-Based Response: Responding to a risk only when it occurs.

Software Quality Assurance (SQA)

• Quality Assurance Process: Planning, requirements analysis, design reviews, code reviews, and testing.
• Specific Quality Control Tasks: Specific tasks for quality assurance and control.
• Effective Software Practices: Controlling all software work products.
• Standards Compliance: Ensuring compliance with development standards.
• Measurement and Reporting: Mechanisms for measurement and reporting.

Cost Associated with Software Quality Work

• Prevention Costs: Costs related to planning, reviews, and training.
• Appraisal Costs: Costs for checking quality, testing, and calibration.
• Internal Failure Costs: Costs from defects found and reworked internally.
• External Failure Costs: Costs related to problems detected after release.

Informal Reviews vs. Formal Reviews

• Informal Reviews: Casual meetings or desk checks for quick feedback. Less structured than formal reviews.
• Effectiveness: Informal reviews are less effective than formal reviews due to lack of advanced planning and follow-up.

Square Process Model

• Purpose: A means to elicit, categorize, and prioritize security requirements for software-intensive systems.
• Focus: Building security concepts into the early stages of development. Also used for improvements to existing systems.

ISO 25010 Product Quality Characteristics

• Security: Confidentiality, integrity, accountability, authentication.
• Reliability: Maturity, availability, fault tolerance, recoverability.
• Functionality: Completeness, correctness, appropriateness.
• Compatibility: Coexistence, interoperability.
• Usability: Appropriateness, learnability, operability, error protection, aesthetics, accessibility.
• Performance: Efficiency, timing, resources, utilization, capacity.
• Portability: Adaptability, installability, replaceability.
• Maintainability: Modularity, reusability, modifiability, testability.

POPIA Principles

• Data Subject Participation: Data subjects have rights related to data processing.
• Information Quality: Data must be complete, accurate, up to date and not misleading.
• Processing Limitations: Processing must be done with consent and be adequate and relevant.
• Security Safeguards: Steps must be taken to protect data.

Risk Tables

• Table Components: Risk description, category, probability, impact (1-4).
• Risk Assessment Process:
  • Risk identification
  • Risk analysis
  • Prioritization : Rank based on severity
  • Risk mitigation planning
  • Monitoring and control: Track changes throughout the project.
• Likelihood Calculation: Establish a scale(1-4) that reflects the perceived chance of a risk occurring.
• Consequences Calculation: Detail the consequences associated with each risk.
• Impact Values: Catastrophic, critical, marginal, negligible are examples of scales used (1-4).
• Accuracy: Ensure that projections are accurate.

Software Change Approval Process

• Impact Assessment: Evaluating change impact on project.
• Error Minimization: Managing change to minimize potential errors.
• Control: The change control procedure must be signed.

Software Quality Attributes

• Effective Software Process: Applied effectively leads to a usable product.
• Measurable Value: A product that is valuable to both producer and user.

Frenzied Work Environment Avoidance

• Verification and Validation: Correct function implementation and proper requirements.
• Risk Management Framework: Categorize, select, implement, and assess.

Software Scope Definition

• Functional and Feature Description: Defines functions and features for end-users.
• Data Input/Output: Identifies data input and output processes relevant to the software.
• Content Delivery: Describes content presented to users.
• Performance, Constraints, Reliability: Details the performance, constraints, and reliability aspects of the software.
• Defined Using Two Techniques:
  • Narrative Description
  • Use Cases

Project Planning Objectives

• Major Activities: Estimation, scheduling, risk analysis, quality management plan, change management plan.

Forward Engineering

• Feasibility Assessment: Why: Is the system's creation justified? What tasks are part of the project? When should the project be accomplished? Who is responsible? Where are responsibilities located? and How will it be done? How much resource will be needed.

Project Risk vs. Technical Risk

• Project Risks: External factors (business conditions, stakeholder needs, budget/scheduling constraints) that affect priorities and project definition.
• Technical Risks: Difficulties relating to software development itself (problem to be solved, program size, modularization, project lifetime, quality requirements, and the delivery deadline).

SCM Tasks

• Identification: Identifying risks and issues.
• Version Control: Tracking changes and versions.
• Configuration Management: Managing configurations and dependencies.
• Audit and Reporting: Auditing and reporting on configurations and risk status.

Metrics, Measures and Indicators

• Measuring Quantities
• Metric measures the attribute to which the item belongs
• Indicators gives insight into the behavior (process, project or product)

Team and Leadership

• Exemplary Leadership: Modeling the way, inspiring, challenging, enabling, encouraging.
• Project Delays: Unrealistic deadlines, changing requirements, underestimated effort/resources, unforeseen risks.
• Team Toxicity: Unproductive work environment, high frustration, poor collaboration, and fragmented processes.

Risk Management Principles

• Global Perspective: Risk considered within the broad context of the project and organizational strategy.
• Forward-Looking: Anticipating future potential risks and developing contingency plans.
• Open Communication: Acknowledging and discussing risks openly.
• Continuous Process: Continuously update risk management.
• Shared Product Vision: All stakeholders have a common vision of the software.
• Teamwork: Utilize the skills of all stakeholders in risk assessment.

Prepare for your informatics exam with this quiz focusing on CMMI Capability Levels, SPI Framework Elements, and the 4Ps Management Spectrum. Test your knowledge and understanding of essential concepts and frameworks that shape effective software processes.