Question

PERT and CPM techniques work by determining the "critical path" for the completion of a series of interrelated activities. True or False?

When there is a lack of specifications, service-oriented architecture (SOA) is preferred to SDLC for designing a system. True or False?

Planning is the last phase of the SDLC process. True or False?

Answer 1

Question 1)
Answer: True
The acronym PERT means Program Evaluation and Review Technique. CPM is the acronym for the Critical Path Method. Yes, PERT and CPM are inter-related. Both techniques work in conjunction with each other.

In project management, PERT is a network model that is used for identifying the time it uses for completing a particular or each activity or task, and its associated dependencies or a series of interrelated activities for determining the minimum time for the completion of a project. PERT lets randomness in activity completion times. PERT is used for examining tasks in schedule and determining a variation of the CPM. PERt is a statistical tool. PERT is used for analyzing and representing the tasks that are involved in the completion of a project.

On the other hand, CPM is another technique that is used in project management for managing only certain activities of any project. PERT plans and controls time. CPM controls costs and time. PERt is used for graphing the timeline of a project per the individual tasks. Whereas, CPM is an algorithm. CPM schedules a set of project activities. CPM constructs a model of teh project listing all the tasks that are required for the completion of the project. Yes, CPM along with PERT is used to determine the critical path, which is the sequence of project network activities adding up to the longest overall time, irrespective of the longest duration with a float or not.

Question 2)
Answer: True
Requirements are specified in Software Requirement Specification (SRS) in the stage of defining requirements. In fact, even a requirement specification document is created serving the purpose of guideline for the model's next phase. Specifications and requirement specifications are a whole new phase in the SDLC model. Whereas, there is no such specifications phase or stage in SOA. SOA emphasizes specifications related to Web Services and a wide range of specifications categories that are needed for Web Services. Some of these specifications are:
* Models and metamodels specifications.
* Repository specifications.
* Messaging specifications.
* Service specifications.
* Authorization and security specifications.
* Federated network identity specifications.
* User Interface (UI) specifications.
* Workflow specifications.
* Application server specifications.
* Object programming language specifications.

In SOA, software applications are built based on services that are used in a network such as, the web. In SOA, software components are loosely coupled, so they can be reused. Hence, specifications play less role and have less part in the designing of a system.

Question 3)
Answer: False
Wrong. Planning is not the last phase of the SDLC process. Planning is the first phase of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) process. The phases in order are planning, designing, building (the actual and the core development), testing, and delivering information systems. Even more specifically taking in details about the phases, planning is the third phase, as initiation is the first phase, and the system concept development is the second, as seen in a ten-phase version of the SDLC process.