Chapter 6 Fact-Finding Techniques for Requirements Discovery
True/False Questions
1. Preliminary investigation includes those techniques used by systems analysts to identify or extract system problems and solution requirements from the user community.
Answer: False Page: 208 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Requirements discovery includes those techniques used by systems analysts to identify or extract system problems and solution requirements from the user community.
2. System requirements that specify what the information system must do are referred to as functional requirements.
Answer: True Page: 208 LOD: Easy
3. Another name for a system requirement is business requirement.
Answer: True Page: 208 LOD: Easy
4. Failure to correctly identify system requirements can lead to higher maintenance costs over the life of the system..
Answer: True Page: 208 LOD: Medium
5. System requirements that specify a property or quality the system must have are frequently referred to as functional requirements.
Answer: False Page: 208 LOD: Medium
Rationale: System requirements that specify a property or quality the system must have are frequently referred to as nonfunctional requirements.
6. The purpose of requirements discovery and management is to correctly identify the knowledge, process and communication requirements for the users of the new system.
Answer: True Page: 208 LOD: Easy
7. Based on Boehm's findings, an erroneous requirement that goes undetected and unfixed until the operations phase may cost 1,000 times more than it would have cost if it were detected and fixed in the requirements phase.
Answer: True Page: 210 LOD: Medium
8. Requirements discovery consists of the following activities: (1) problem discovery and analysis; (2) requirements discovery; (3) documenting and analyzing requirements; and (4) requirements management.
Answer: True Page: 210 LOD: Easy
9. The Ishikawa diagram is often referred to as a cause-and-effect diagram or a fishbone diagram.
Answer: True Page: 211 LOD: Easy
10. Fact-finding is the formal process of using research, interviews, questionnaires, sampling and other techniques to collect information about problems, requirements, and preferences.
Answer: True Page: 212 LOD: Easy
11. Another name for fact-finding is information gathering.
Answer: True Page: 212 LOD: Easy
12. Another name for fact-finding is a non-functional requirement.
Answer: False Page: 212 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Another name for fact-finding is information gathering.
13. A requirements definition document should consist of the following: (1) functions and services that the system should provide; (2) nonfunctional requirements including the system's features, characteristics, and attributes; (3) constraints that restrict the development of the system or under which the system must operate; and (4) information about other systems the system must operate.
Answer: True Page: 214 LOD: Easy
14. Requirements validation checks the requirements definition document for accuracy, completeness, consistency, and conformance to standards.
Answer: True Page: 214 LOD: Medium
15. Requirements validation checks the systems proposal for the inclusion of data flow diagrams and entity relationship diagrams for all of the requirements.
Answer: False Page: 214 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Requirements validation checks the requirements definition document for accuracy, completeness, consistency, and conformance to standards.
16. Requirements management is the process of managing change to the requirements.
Answer: True Page: 215 LOD: Easy
17. Sampling is the activity of sampling the requirements from the requirements definition to insure requirements validation.
Answer: False Page: 216 LOD: Easy
Rationale: Sampling is the process of collecting a representative sample of documents, forms and records.
18. Randomization is a sampling technique characterized as having no predetermined pattern or plan for selecting sample data.
Answer: True Page: 217 LOD: Easy
19. Randomization is a sampling technique that attempts to reduce the variance of the estimates by spreading out the sampling and by avoiding very high or low estimates.
Answer: False Page: 217 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Stratification is a sampling technique that attempts to reduce the variance of the estimates by spreading out the sampling and by avoiding very high or low estimates. Randomization is a sampling technique characterized as having no predetermined pattern or plan for selecting sample data.
20. Stratification is a sampling technique characterized as having no predetermined pattern or plan for selecting sample data.
Answer: False Page: 217 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Randomization is a sampling technique characterized as having no predetermined pattern or plan for selecting sample data. Stratification is a sampling technique that attempts to reduce the variance of the estimates by spreading out the sampling and by avoiding very high or low estimates.
21. Observation is a fact-finding technique wherein the systems analyst either participates in or watches a person perform activities to learn about the system.
Answer: True Page: 218 LOD: Easy
22. Work sampling is a fact-finding technique that involves a large number of observations taken at random intervals.
Answer: True Page: 220 LOD: Easy
23. Questionnaires are documents that allow the analyst to collect information and opinions from respondents.
Answer: True Page: 220 LOD: Easy
24. An advantage of a questionnaire is that it can be answered quickly.
Answer: True Page: 221 LOD: Easy
25. An advantage of a questionnaire is that it provides a relatively inexpensive means for gathering data from a large number of individuals.
Answer: True Page: 221 LOD: Easy
26. A disadvantage of a questionnaire is its high cost of gathering data from a large number of individuals.
Answer: False Page: 221 LOD: Medium
Rationale: An advantage of a questionnaire is its high cost of gathering data from a large number of individuals.
27. A disadvantage of a questionnaire is that responses take a long time to tabulate.
Answer: False Page: 221 LOD: Medium
Rationale: An advantage of a questionnaire is that responses can be tabulated and analyzed quickly.
28. An advantage of a questionnaire is that responses can be tabulated and analyzed quickly.
Answer: True Page: 221 LOD: Easy
29. An advantage of questionnaire is that the number of respondents is generally high.
Answer: False Page: 221 LOD: Medium
Rationale: A disadvantage of a questionnaire is that the number of respondents is often low
30. An advantage of observation is that it tends to let the analyst observe the normal volume and difficulty of work.
Answer: False Page: 219 LOD: Medium
Rationale: A disadvantage of observation is that the work being observed may not involve the level of difficulty or the volume normally experienced.
31. An advantage of questionnaires is their flexibility.
Answer: False Page: 221 LOD: Medium
Rationale: A disadvantage of questionnaires is their inflexibility.
32. A disadvantage of questionnaires is their inflexibility.
Answer: True Page: 221 LOD: Easy
33. A disadvantage of a questionnaire is that the analyst cannot observe and analyze the body language of the respondent.
Answer: True Page: 221 LOD: Easy
34. A disadvantage of a questionnaire is that there is no immediate opportunity to clarify a vague or incomplete answer to any question.
Answer: True Page: 221 LOD: Easy
35. An advantage of a questionnaire is that good questionnaires are easy to prepare.
Answer: False Page: 221 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Good questionnaires are hard to prepare.
36. A disadvantage of a questionnaire is that good questionnaires are very difficult to prepare.
Answer: True Page: 221 LOD: Easy
37. An advantage of observation is that it is relatively inexpensive compared to other fact-finding techniques.
Answer: True Page: 219 LOD: Medium
38. Questionnaires allow individuals to maintain their anonymity.
Answer: True Page: 221 LOD: Easy
39. Interviews are a fact-finding technique whereby the systems analysts collect information from individuals through face-to-face interaction.
Answer: True Page: 222 LOD: Easy
40. The personal interview is generally recognized as the most important and most often used fact-finding technique.
Answer: True Page: 222 LOD: Medium
41. Interviewing is a costly fact-finding approach.
Answer: True Page: 223 LOD: Medium
42. Interviewing can be used to achieve any or all of the following goals: find facts; verify facts; clarify facts; generate enthusiasm; get the end-user involved; identify the requirements; and solicit ideas and opinions.
Answer: True Page: 222 LOD: Easy
43. The purpose of the Ishikawa diagram is to explore the causes and effects of problems.
Answer: True Page: 211 LOD: Easy
44. Typically an Ishikawa diagram is filled out in a brainstorming session.
Answer: True Page: 211 LOD: Medium
45. Interviewing is a very time consuming process.
Answer: True Page: 223 LOD: Easy
46. An advantage of an interview is that it permits the analyst to adapt or reword questions for each individual.
Answer: True Page: 223 LOD: Easy
47. A disadvantage of an interview is that the interview guide does not permit the analyst to adapt or reword questions for each individual.
Answer: False Page: 223 LOD: Easy
Rationale: An advantage of an interview is that it permits the analyst to adapt or reword questions for each individual.
48. An advantage of an interview is that it gives the analyst the opportunity to observe the interviewee's non-verbal communication.
Answer: True Page: 223 LOD: Easy
49. An advantage of interviewing is that is less time-consuming than questionnaires, and therefore less costly as a fact-finding approach.
Answer: False Page: 223 LOD: Easy
Rationale: A disadvantage of interviewing is that is more time-consuming than questionnaires, and therefore more costly as a fact-finding approach
50. Interviewing is highly dependent on the systems analyst's technical skills.
Answer: False Page: 223 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Interviewing is highly dependent on the systems analyst's human relations skills.
51. An important interviewing skill is to be able to control the time consumed by the interview by diplomatically cutting off answers that seem to be leading nowhere.
Answer: False Page: 226 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Interviewers should avoid assuming an answer is finished or leading nowhere.
52. A disadvantage of interviewing is that it may be impractical due to the location of the interviewees.
Answer: True Page: 223 LOD: Easy
53. Unstructured interviews are conducted with only a general goal or subject in mind, and with few, if any, specific questions. The interviewer counts on the interviewee to provide a framework and direct the conversation.
Answer: True Page: 223 LOD: Easy
54. Unstructured interviews are conducted with a specific set of free-format questions to ask the interviewee.
Answer: False Page: 223 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Unstructured interviews are conducted with only a general goal or subject in mind, and with few, if any, specific questions. The interviewer counts on the interviewee to provide a framework and direct the conversation.
55. In structured interviews, the interviewer has a specific set of questions to ask the interviewee.
Answer: True Page: 223 LOD: Easy
56. In structured interviews, the interview is structured by the interviewee, not the interviewer.
Answer: False Page: 223 LOD: Easy
Rationale: In structured interviews, the interview is structured by the interviewer, not the interviewee.
57. Open-ended questions allow the interviewee to respond in any way that seems appropriate.
Answer: True Page: 223 LOD: Easy
58. Closed-ended questions restrict answers to either specific choices or short, direct responses.
Answer: True Page: 223 LOD: Easy
59. The following is an example of an open-ended question: "What do you need the new system to do?"
Answer: True Page: 223 LOD: Medium
60. An interview guide is a list of specific questions the interviewer will ask the interviewee.
Answer: True Page: 224 LOD: Easy
61. To help maintain control of the interview, an interviewer should dress more formally that the interviewee.
Answer: False Page: 226 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Dress to match the interviewee.
62. An interview question should be long and complex enough to cover all points for which an interviewer wants answers.
Answer: False Page: 224 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Avoid long or complex questions.
63. To help set the context of a question, it is best to give your own opinion to preface asking a question of an interviewee.
Answer: False Page: 224 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Personal opinion should not be included as part of the question.
64. The higher the management level of the interviewee, the more time should be scheduled for the interview.
Answer: False Page: 224 LOD: Medium
Rationale: The higher the management level of the interviewee, the less time should be scheduled.
65. Interviewers should prepare an interview guide in advance and not skip any of the planned questions.
Answer: False Page: 226 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Questions can be bypassed if they have been answered earlier or they are deemed irrelevant based on previous answers.
66. If you cannot interview someone in person, a telephone or e-mail interview will work just as well.
Answer: False Page: 227 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Only 7 percent of a person's total feelings is communicated verbally.
67. The interviewer should avoid interrupting with a lot of "uh-huh's."
Answer: False Page: 227 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Let the interviewee know you are listening.
68. To establish rapport during an interview, position yourself within 1.5 feet of the interviewee.
Answer: True Page: 228 LOD: Medium
Rationale: An analyst conducts most interviews in the personal zone (1.5 to 4 feet).
69. During the interview conclusion, you should express appreciation and provide answers to any questions posed by the interviewee. The conclusion is important for maintaining rapport and trust with the interviewee.
Answer: True Page: 226 LOD: Easy
70. Body language is the verbal communication that we all communicate clearly and with awareness.
Answer: False Page: 227 LOD: Medium
Rationale: Body language is the nonverbal communication that we all communicate and are usually unaware of.
71. Discovery prototyping is the act of building a small-scale, representative or working model of the users' requirements to discover or verify those requirements.
Answer: True Page: 229 LOD: Easy
72. An advantage of discovery prototyping is that it allows users and developers to experiment with the software and develop an understanding of how the system might work.
Answer: True Page: 229 LOD: Easy
73. An advantage of discovery prototyping is that it aids in determining the feasibility and usefulness of the system before high development costs are incurred.
Answer: True Page: 229 LOD: Easy
74. An advantage of discovery prototyping is that the prototype can serve as a training mechanism for users.