Choose one problem.  Develop a ‘one paragraph’ solution for the problem including examples.

and 

After completing all the assignments, develop a ‘one paragraph’ comment on individual course activities during the week. particularly useful items

Problem

1. As part of a larger systems project, Clone Bank of Clone, Colorado, wants your help in setting up a new monthly reporting form for its checking and savings account customers. The president and vice presidents are very attuned to what customers in the community are saying. They think that their customers want a checking account summary that looks like the one offered by the other three banks in town. They are unwilling, however, to commit to that form without a formal summary of customer feedback that supports their decision. Feedback will not be used to change the prototype form in any way. They want you to send a prototype of one form to one group and to send the old form to another group.

a. In a paragraph discuss why it probably is not worthwhile to prototype the new form under these circumstances.

b. In a second paragraph discuss a situation under which it would be advisable to prototype a new form.

2. C. N. Itall has been a systems analyst for Tun-L-Vision Corporation for many years. When you came on board as part of the systems analysis team and suggested prototyping as part of the SDLC for a current project, C. N. said, “Sure, but you can’t pay any attention to what users say. They have no idea what they want. I’ll prototype, but I’m not ‘observing’any users.”

a. As tactfully as possible, so as not to upset C. N. Itall, make a list of the reasons that support the importance of observing user reactions, suggestions, and innovations in the prototyping process.

b. In a paragraph, describe what might happen if part of a system is prototyped and no user feedback about it is incorporated into the successive system.

3. “Every time I think I’ve captured user information requirements, they’ve already changed. It’s like trying to hit a moving target. Half the time, I don’t think they even know what they want themselves,” exclaims Flo Chart, a systems analyst for 2 Good 2 Be True, a company that surveys product use for the marketing divisions of several manufacturing companies.

a. In a paragraph, explain to Flo Chart how prototyping can help her to better define users’ information requirements.

b. In a paragraph, comment on Flo’s observation: “Half the time, I don’t think they even know what they want themselves.” Be sure to explain how prototyping can actually help users better understand and articulate their own information requirements.

c. Suggest how an interactive Web site featuring a prototype might address Flo’s concerns about capturing user information requirements. Use a paragraph.

4. Harold, a district manager for the multioutlet chain of Sprocket’s Gifts, thinks that building a prototype can mean only one thing: a nonworking scale model. He also believes that this way is too cumbersome to prototype information systems and thus is reluctant to do so.

a. Briefly (in two or three paragraphs) compare and contrast the other three kinds of prototyping that are possible so that Harold has an understanding of what prototyping can mean.

b. Harold has an option of implementing one system, trying it, and then having it installed in five other Sprocket locations if it is successful. Name a type of prototyping that would fit well with this approach, and in a paragraph defend your choice.

5. “I’ve got the idea of the century!” proclaims Bea Kwicke, a new systems analyst with your systems group. “Let’s skip all this SDLC garbage and just prototype everything. Our projects will go a lot more quickly, we’ll save time and money, and all the users will feel as if we’re paying attention to them instead of going away for months on end and not talking to them.” a. List the reasons you (as a member of the same team as Bea) would give Bea to dissuade her from trying to scrap the SDLC and prototype every project. b. Bea is pretty disappointed with what you have said. To encourage her, use a paragraph to explain the situations you think would lend themselves to prototyping.

6. The following remark was overheard at a meeting between managers and a systems analysis team at the Fence-Me-In fencing company: “You told us the prototype would be finished three weeks ago. We’re still waiting for it!” a. In a paragraph, comment on the importance of rapid delivery of a portion of a prototyped information system. b. List three elements of the prototyping process that must be controlled to ensure prompt delivery of the prototype. c. What are some elements of the prototyping process that are difficult to manage? List them.

7. Prepare a list of activities for a systems development team for an online travel agent that is setting up a Web site for customers. Now suppose you are running out of time. Describe some of your options. Describe what you will trade off to get the Web site released in time.

8. Given the situation for Williwonk’s chocolates (Problem 1 in Chapter 3), which of the four agile modeling resource variables may be adjusted?

9. Examine the collection of user stories from the online merchant shown earlier in the chapter. The online media store would now like to have you add some features to its Web site. Following the format shown earlier in this chapter in Figure 6.9, write a user story for the features listed below: a. Include pop-up ads. b. Offer to share the details of the customer’s purchases with his or her friends. c. Extend offer to purchase other items.

10. Go to the Palm gear Web site at www.palmgear.com. Explore the Web site and write up a dozen brief user stories for improving the Web site.

11. Go to the iTunes Web site and write up a dozen brief user stories for improving the Web site.

12. Using the stories you wrote for Problem 9, walk through the five stages of the agile development process and describe what happens at each one of the stages.