Chapter 3, Exercise 3.

2
1 List the five stages in the system development cycle.
The five stages in the development cycle are: understanding the problem; planning,
designing solutions; implementing the solutions and resting; testing, evaluating and
maintaining.
2 How is the exact nature of a problem determined?
The exact nature of the problem is determined by redefining the problem and identifying
the important elements
3 What is a preliminary investigation?
A preliminary investigation determines if a quick fix of the existing system will fix the
problem or if a new system is required.
4 List three types of questions in an interview.
The three types of questions in an interview are open-ended: ‘What do you think ...?’,
closed: ‘From this list, which ...?’ and probing: ‘Why do you ...?’.
5 Outline the disadvantages of surveys as a method of data collection.
The disadvantages of surveys as a method of collecting data are that mailed
questionnaires have low response rates and must be followed up, the wording of
questions must be carefully chosen, probing questions cannot be asked and they are
time-consuming to produce.
6 What types of statistics are obtained from measurements?
The types of statistics that can be obtained by measurements are descriptive statistics
(understanding of the nature of the data) and inferential statistics (making inferences
from sample to large population).
7 Describe a requirement report.
Requirement reports are statements about the needs of a new system. They outline the
aims and objectives of the system and how it will help the organisation. They are based
on the information collected from the participants.
8 What is a project plan?
Project plans organise the project by breaking it up into who, what, how and when. They
include Gantt charts, scheduling of tasks, journal and diary entries, a funding
management plan and a communication management plan.
9 Why are Gantt charts a popular management tool?
Gantt charts are popular management tools because they provide a quick method of
determining if the project on schedule. They can also be used to review progress and
identify problems.

Learning Activity 5
Terry is required to organise a birthday party. He has estimated the following time for
these tasks: buying the food—2 hours; preparing the food—3 hours; serving the meal—1
hour; cleaning up—2 hours. Draw a Gantt chart for these tasks.

Task Time
(hours)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Buying

Preparing
Serving

Cleaning