Question

1.Summarize the distinctions between the analysis phase and the design phase of the SDLC.
2. Describe the primary activities of the design phase of the SDLC.
3. Describe the three primary strategies that are available to obtain a new system.
4. What is involved with systems integration? When is it necessary?
5. Explain the distinctions between time and arrangements, fixed‐price, and value‐added outsourcing contracts.
6.What are the pros and cons of each?What is the purpose of a request for proposal (RFP)? How does it differ from the RFI?

Answer 1

Q1.Summarize the distinctions between the analysis phase and the design phase of the SDLC.
Answer:-------
The difference between the two phases is that analysis focuses on determining what the business needs are, whereas the design phase takes those business needs and determines how they will be met through a specific system implementation. The analysis phase includes activities designed to discover and document the features and functions the system must have. In the design phase, those features and functions should not change (much). The focus in design is to figure out how to create a system technically that will provide all those needed features and functions.

Q2. Describe the primary activities of the design phase of the SDLC.
Answer:-------
There are many activities that are performed during the design phase, but the specific ones that are necessary are determined once the team has decided upon the best design strategy for the project. The design strategy options are: build the system in-house; purchase a prewritten software package, or hire an outside firm to do the development. Assuming the design strategy is to build the system in-house, then the team will have a myriad of design activities to perform Their primary goal is to develop physical models of the new system that document how it will perform the functions outlined in the Analysis phase. These physical models will represent the new system's design before the system builders start constructing it. Included in this work will be converting the logical DFDs and ERDs to physical diagrams, planning the integration of the new system with existing systems, making technology architecture decisions, and designing all system components (user interface, input, output, programs, files and databases).

Q3. Describe the three primary strategies that are available to obtain a new system.
Answer:-------
The three primary strategies for obtaining a new system are custom development (the company develops the system in house using corporate resources), packaged systems (purchasing a system off the shelf), and outsourcing (hiring an external developer, vendor or application service provider to create or supply the system).

Q4. What is involved with systems integration? When is it necessary?
Answer:-------
Packaged software solutions are frequently available that provide acceptable solutions to business needs. Companies are satisfied with the features available and value the time and cost savings. These packages must be integrated into the existing environment of legacy systems and other software packages. Systems integration addresses the data integration issues that become critical in order to combine systems from various sources.

Q5. Explain the distinctions between time and arrangements, fixed‐price, and value‐added outsourcing contracts.What are the pros and cons of each?
Answer:-------
With time and arrangements, the organization pays for whatever time and expenses are incurred to complete the project. The actual final cost of the project will not be known until it is over. With a fixed price contract, the organization pays a set contractual fee for the work. A value-added arrangement usually involves a small initial cost to the organization, but the outsourcer shares in the benefits of the system as additional compensation. In this case, the organization trades off higher initial costs for a lower return over the life of the system.

Q6. What is the purpose of a request for proposal (RFP)? How does it differ from the RFI?
Answer:-------
The RFP (Request for Proposal) is a document that is used to communicate an organization's systems needs to a vendor or other provider who may be able to respond to those needs. The RFP initiates communication between the two organizations. RFPs are generally very lengthy and detailed, and the communication that takes place is quite formal. The Request for Information (RFI), on the other hand, is usually shorter and less detailed than an RFP. The RFI indicates that the organization is looking for information, and the vendor is free to respond with that information in a much less formal way.