Systems Request and Review Committee Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is the purpose of a systems request form in processing systems requests?

To streamline the request process and ensure consistency while being easy to understand.

How does a systems review committee enhance decision-making for systems requests?

It provides a broader viewpoint that helps establish priorities more effectively, minimizing individual bias.

What is one disadvantage of using a systems review committee?

Action on requests can be delayed until the committee meets.

What factors affect IT projects, and why are they important?

Internal and external factors affect IT projects, influencing their success and resource allocation. Signup and view all the answers

Why is it important for systems request forms to include clear instructions?

Clear instructions ensure that individuals submitting requests understand the requirements and process. Signup and view all the answers

What role do systems request tools play in managing workflow?

They help organize and track the progress of requests, streamlining the overall workflow. Signup and view all the answers

How might members of a systems review committee show bias in their decision-making?

Members may favor projects that originate from their own departments or areas of expertise. Signup and view all the answers

What are some elements that a well-designed systems request form should include?

It should include easy-to-understand instructions, required supporting documents, and allow for electronic submission. Signup and view all the answers

What are tangible costs and how are they measured?

Tangible costs are measurable in dollars and typically include expenses like equipment, labor, and materials. Signup and view all the answers

Why are intangible benefits significant to an organization despite being hard to quantify?

Intangible benefits are significant because they can enhance employee satisfaction, brand reputation, and customer loyalty, all of which contribute to long-term success. Signup and view all the answers

What technical resources should be assessed for the feasibility of a proposed system?

The necessary hardware, software, network resources, and the required technical expertise should be assessed for feasibility. Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between time and cost in schedule feasibility?

In schedule feasibility, there is a critical interaction between time and costs, where delays can often increase overall project expenses. Signup and view all the answers

Identify one question that analysts should consider regarding future needs of a proposed platform.

Analysts should ask if the proposed platform has sufficient capacity to accommodate future growth and changes. Signup and view all the answers

What factors can impact schedule feasibility that project management should control?

Project management should control factors such as resource availability, task dependencies, and external constraints that might impact the schedule. Signup and view all the answers

Why is establishing a firm timetable important for schedule feasibility?

Establishing a firm timetable is important because it provides clear deadlines, guides project execution, and allows for monitoring and adjustments. Signup and view all the answers

What role do project management techniques play in ensuring schedule feasibility?

Project management techniques aid in planning, organizing, and controlling project tasks to meet timelines effectively and mitigate risks. Signup and view all the answers

What are the key aspects that should be defined during careful project planning by the IT department?

The scope should be well-defined and the goals must be realistic, tied to specific statements, assumptions, constraints, and other inputs. Signup and view all the answers

List three strategic planning tools that organizations can use according to the content provided.

Microsoft Word, Excel, and balanced scorecards are three examples of strategic planning tools. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of creating a business case for a project?

The business case provides a clear description of the project, justifies the need to proceed, and estimates the financial impact. Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of a systems request in the context of information systems projects?

A systems request serves as a formal way to ask for IT support and enhances controls, information gathering, and service performance. Signup and view all the answers

Identify one major question that is answered in a comprehensive business case.

One major question is, 'How much will it cost and how long will it take?' Signup and view all the answers

In what way can gap analysis be beneficial during strategic planning?

Gap analysis helps in identifying the differences between the current state and the desired future state, guiding necessary actions. Signup and view all the answers

What factors should be considered to ensure the goals of an IT project are realistic?

Goals should be tied to specific statements, assumptions, constraints, and other inputs that affect the project. Signup and view all the answers

Why is having stronger controls important in systems requests?

Stronger controls enhance the management of IT projects, ensuring better performance and service improvements. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Chapter 2: Analyzing the Business Case

Learning objectives of the chapter include describing strategic planning, conducting SWOT analysis, explaining how tools support strategic planning, explaining business case concepts, summarizing reasons for systems requests, and describing factors affecting systems projects.
Learning objectives also include explaining how systems requests are processed, assessed, prioritized, and involve preliminary investigations.
Strategic planning involves identifying long-term organizational goals, strategies, and resources. It begins with a mission statement reflecting vision, purpose, and values. A critical success factor is a high-priority objective. SWOT analysis considers strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It also examines technical, human, and financial resources.
A SWOT analysis example on web design staff turnover, upgraded networks and several legacy systems. Opportunities for expansion, being first with new software, and high potential for B2B growth exist. Opportunities are balanced with threats including aggressive new web competition and other firm offering better benefits. A SWOT analysis can focus on particular company assets like a patent with strengths in valuable technology. However, patents have a limited life.
Strategic planning also involves the role of the IT department supporting business strategy and needs. Scope is well-defined and goals are realistic. Goals are tied to specific statements, assumptions, constraints, factors, and other inputs.
Strategic Planning Tools can vary and include Microsoft Word and Excel, CASE tools, mind maps, balanced scorecards, and gap analysis.
Business Case justification provides a comprehensible and easily understood proposal description of the project, its justification to proceed, and financial impact estimations. Answering questions like the project's purpose, cost and time requirements, risks, and success measurement metrics. What alternatives exist?
System requests are the starting point for information systems projects, providing ways to ask for IT support, stronger controls, more information, better performance, improved service, and more support for new products and services. Reasons for system requests include stronger controls, more support, improved service, better performance, reduced costs, and more information. Systems are related.
System requests are processed through a review committee or computer resources committee. Formats for evaluating requests, streamlining requests, ensuring consistency, clarity, instructions, supporting documents and electronic submissions are necessary.
Feasibility studies can be simple or exhaustive, initial fact-finding often involves studying organizational charts or performing interviews. Current documentation, observing operations, and surveying users are also considered. Operational, technical, economic, and schedule factors are part of feasibility studies.
Operational feasibility focuses on effective use post-development, potential organizational cultural impact, and careful study. Questions around management and user support, workforce reduction, and legal/ethical considerations are part of this process.
Economic feasibility considers the projected benefits outweighing the TCO. Determining TCO requires cost analysis, including personnel (including IT), hardware/equipment, software, formal/informal training, licenses, consulting/facility costs and cost estimations of not starting or delaying developments. Intangible costs and benefits are significant for organizational performance. Intangible benefits are important for the company.
Technical feasibility assesses needed technical resources, hardware/software/network resources, expertise, platform capacity for future and any prototype requirements.
Schedule feasibility considers project completion within an acceptable timeframe. Important considerations include time v costs, company/IT team control over contributing factors, defined timelines, accelerated schedule posing risks and other project management techniques availability.
Setting priorities involves understanding dynamic priorities, factors affecting request priorities, and evaluating cost reduction, revenue increase, information/result improvement, customer / organization service improvement. Factors affecting setting priorities also include if the project can be implemented within a reasonable time period, and if the necessary resources (financial, human, and technical) are available. Discretionary versus nondiscretionary projects are identified. Nondiscretionary projects often follow a predictable pattern, such as annual payroll updates and calculated values like tax percentage changes, or quarterly variations.
Preliminary investigation involves planning the investigation, meeting with key stakeholders like managers, users, and IT staff, describing the project, clarifying roles, answering questions proactively, and focusing heavily on improvements, not necessarily problems. Six main steps in a preliminary investigation: understanding issues, defining scope and restraints, conducting fact finding, analyzing collected data, studying feasibility, presenting recommendations to management, and documenting the whole project.

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Description

Test your knowledge on the purpose and function of systems request forms and review committees in IT project management. Understand the factors influencing decision-making and the significance of intangible benefits. Explore practical aspects of effective systems requests and project feasibility.