APPROVED__________________________________________________________

EXAMINATION PAPER: ACADEMIC SESSION 2005/2006

Campus Maritime Greenwich

School Computing and Mathematical Sciences

Level Three

TITLE OF PAPER Information Systems Engineering

COURSE CODE COMP1304

Date and Time Wednesday 24th May 2006 - 3 hours

London 13.30 Hong Kong 18.00

Trinidad 09.30 Malta 15.00
Malaysia 18.00 Bahrain 15.00
UAE 16.00 Singapore 18.00
Zambia 14.30 Greece 15.00

Answer any FOUR of the following SIX questions.

Each question is worth 25 marks.
If you answer more than four questions, marks will ONLY be awarded for your
FOUR best answers.
CALCULATORS AND ELECTONIC DEVICES ARE NOT PERMITTED

Course title Information Systems Engineering

BANNER CODE COMP1304

Page 1 of 4
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1. It has been claimed that by following a methodology the systems developer

can produce better quality systems.

(a) Using a suitable methodology, discuss the role that methodologies play in
the development process and explain why following a method cannot
guarantee the success of the project.
[15 marks]

(b) Explain why modelling forms an essential part of the development

process. Provide an example to show how a modelling technique, with
which you are familiar, may contribute to the system development.

[10 marks]

2. One of the key features of the ETHICS methodology is that it provides

opportunity for users to participate in the development of an information
system.

(a) What is meant by user participation in this context?

[10 marks]

(b) Discuss the reasons why user participation can be both a help and a
hinderance to the development process
[15 marks]

3. Avison and Wood-Harper have proposed a framework to help identify the

different levels at which analysis should take place when developing
information systems. They say the analyst should examine the requirements of
a system at the Human Activity, Information, Socio-technical, Human-
Computer Interface, and Technical levels.

(a) Explain the kind of analysis that would need to take place at the Human
Activity, Information and Socio-technical levels.
[10 marks]

Course title Information Systems Engineering

BANNER CODE COMP1304

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(b) In proposing their framework, Avison and Wood-Harper state that:

‘The emphasis in Information Systems must be moved away from

technical systems which have behavioural and social problems to
social systems which rely to an increasing extent on information
systems.’

In the light of this statement, discuss the the reasons why when designing
the interaction for an information system, it is as much dependent upon
understanding the social and behavioural parts of the system as
understanding the technical requirements.
[15 marks]

4. The Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) is based upon the

Rapid Application Development (RAD) approach to systems development.

(a) Explain how the DSDM life cycle differs from that of the traditional
waterfall approach.
[15 marks]

(b) Discuss why a Rapid Application Development (RAD) approach is

considered by many to be a practical development method for use in
industry.
[10 marks]

5. Soft Systems Method (SSM) provides a mechanism for the analyst to

understand and model the cultural and social aspects of an organisation which,
in turn, helps the analyst to have a better understanding of the requirements for
an information system.

(a) Culture might be considered as “…the set of beliefs and assumptions

associated with a community.” Discuss, using a suitable case study, why
the consideration of the culture of an organisation is important to the
analyst in determining the requirements of a system.
[15 marks]

(b) Explain the role of rich pictures in assisting the analyst to understand the
culture of an organisation and the ‘problem domain’ where potential
systems might exist.
[10 marks]

Course title Information Systems Engineering

BANNER CODE COMP1304

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6. Within the object-oriented approach generally, and the UML specifically,

there are a range of tools and techniques which help the analyst model
different views of the system under investigation.

(a) Giving relevant examples of a system you know about (e.g. an order
processing system), describe how the following can be used in the
analysis and design process, and explain what each tells the analyst about
the system.

(i) Use cases

(ii) Class diagrams
(iii) State diagrams

[18 marks]

(b) Explain how the above diagrams fit together to give a complete picture of
a system.
[7 marks]

Course title Information Systems Engineering

BANNER CODE COMP1304

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