UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA
School of Computing Sciences
May/June PG Examination 2006-2007
APPROACHES TO SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT
CMPSMB24
Time allowed: 3 hours
Answer THREE questions.
All questions carry equal marks.
Your copy of ‘Information Systems Development – Methods in Action’ by Fitzgerald,
Russo and Stolterman, will be available for reference during this examination.
DO NOT TURN OVER UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO BY THE
INVIGILATOR.
(CMPSMB24)
© Copyright of the University of East Anglia
-2Answer THREE questions
Case study:
The Takeit Insurance Group has an established Systems Development department of
approximately 120 personnel. Takeit has a relatively stable workforce, with many
employees, including those in the Systems Development department, having been
there over ten years. Systems are developed in much the same ways as they always
have been, relying to a large extent on the individual preferences of experienced
developers, although the last major activity was fixing the ‘Year 2000’ problem for
their core business systems. Since then, the majority of the department’s activities
have centred on developing small-scale reporting systems and maintaining their legacy
systems.
The recent and continuing changes in the insurance markets and increasing financial
regulations, particularly in the Pensions and ‘With Profits’ life insurance markets,
have provoked a reorganisation within the higher levels of Takeit and a review of the
core ‘mission critical’ information systems supporting these markets. The Systems
Department has been tasked with defining, specifying and implementing the reengineering and replacement of these 20 to 30-year old systems. They are looking into
a variety of solutions, including developing and building the new systems within the
department’s existing resources.
1.
Given the stated stability of the Systems Development workforce and the restructuring
of the organisation, discuss and contrast the differences of adopting a Soft Systems
Methodology approach or a Use Cases approach (as used in the Rational Unified
Process) in establishing both the business and functional requirements for any new
systems at Takeit.
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[40 marks]
-32.
Discuss the role of a methodology in assisting development teams to develop
potentially complex systems, specifically relating your discussion to Takeit’s current
information systems development plans. Your discussion should include both
advantages and disadvantages in the adoption of a methodology.
[40 marks]
3.
Takeit developers have mainly been using structured techniques for their systems
development projects. Compare and contrast the adoption of either Structured
Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) or Multiview as a suitable
methodology for Takeit to use for their current plans. An answer in the form of a
reasoned argument is expected.
[40 marks]
4.
(a) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using the same methodology for
Takeit’s small systems as they might use for their ‘mission critical’ large systems.
[25 marks]
(b) Should Takeit use a methodology at all for small system development? If so,
which would you suggest and why?
[15 marks]
END OF PAPER
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