BCS THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE FOR IT BCS Higher Education Qualifications

BCS THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE FOR IT
BCS Higher Education Qualifications
BCS Level 6 Professional Graduate Diploma in IT
March 2014
EXAMINERS' REPORT
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
General comments on candidates' performance
The standard of answers was not dissimilar to that in recent sittings (overall pass
rate for this paper was 61%) and some excellent papers were submitted. However,
there were a significant number of weaker candidates who appeared unaware of the
standard and structure of the expected answers and were unable to gain marks by
their failure to provide answers of sufficient depth or breadth. There were also
several candidates that only attempted part of a question, thereby straightaway
limiting the number of possible marks that they could attain.
Candidates should be aware that, with an hour available for each question, several
pages of written information are expected. The all-important Pass grade is unlikely if
just half a page of bullet points is presented to an examiner. However, those who
think they will gain high marks by writing several pages on the theory surrounding
some of the key phrases within a question, without actually answering the question
set, will be disappointed; only one or two marks at most can be given for such
practice, where some applicability to the question can be determined.
The better candidates carefully considered the requirement of each question,
planned the layout of their answer, provided diagrams where appropriate, avoided
generalisations, justified points with examples, and gave comprehensive, clear and
thoughtful answers.
The weaker candidates should follow the above advice. Many attempted to answer
questions by merely restating points made in the question or by looking at the
subject matter of other questions and including that in their answers. Candidates
should be advised that they will not gain any marks for such efforts. Other weak
candidates wasted time by providing a commentary about the question, rather than
giving a relevant answer, or by picking out one or two words in the question and
describing what these mean (rather than answering the question).
An indication is given below of the expected answer points for this examination.
However, marks were given for additional points or for valid alternative answers, if
relevant to the question.
SECTION A
A1.
Using appropriate examples, compare and contrast the following:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Re-engineering -AND- reverse engineering
Upper CASE tools -AND- lower CASE tools
Project management methodologies -AND- systems development
methodologies
Cost benefit analysis -AND- value analysis
Outsourcing -AND- insourcing
(5 x 5 marks)
Answer pointers
A1. Compare and contrast
a)
Re-engineering/Reverse engineering
Re-engineering and reverse engineering are both methods which can be used to
extend the life of legacy systems.
Re-engineering involves a redesign of the original system to improve functionality.
For example, the availability of DIP could result in a legacy system being reengineered and becoming part of a workflow system.
Reverse engineering is used when documentation is sparse and it is impossible to
determine system functionality. For example, an organisation might take over
another organisation and find there is no systems documentation; it will then have to
examine inputs and outputs and coding to determine functionality. CASE tools can
sometimes be of assistance.
b)
Upper CASE tools/Lower CASE tools
Upper CASE tools and lower CASE tools are both software items that can assist in
the system development process.
Upper CASE tools support the analysis and design of a system, for example, by
facilitating the production of entity relationship and data flow diagrams.
Lower CASE tools support programming activities, such as the physical design, debugging and testing.
c) Project management methodologies/Systems Development methodologies
Project management methodologies and systems development methodologies both
provide the reliable and consistent approach needed for a successful development.
Project management methodologies can be used for any project, not just IT projects.
They can be used for building a motorway or office block, or an IT system. Prince 2
is an example of a project management methodology.
A systems development methodology is specifically designed for software
engineering projects and can consist of stages with pre-set documentation. It can
also be linked to programming libraries and CASE tools. Rapid Application
Development (RAD) is an example of a systems development methodology.
d)
Cost benefit analysis/Value analysis
Both cost benefit analysis and value analysis are methods to determine whether or
not to take some action, based on cost.
Cost benefit analysis is a tactical measure concerned with calculating whether or not
a project will make a return on its investment, using as input the capital cost of the
project, the duration of the project and the benefits the project will accrue over time.
The net present value calculation is an example of cost benefit analysis.
Value analysis is strategic and is concerned with comparing the cost of a function
with the value created by that function. It is used to determine whether or not the
function can be performed at a lower cost, for example, by outsourcing the function
or using cloud computing (where the costs are known).
e)
Outsourcing/Insourcing
Outsourcing and insourcing are both concerned with the transfer of services from
one organisation to another.
Outsourcing is the transfer of a company function to a third party, for example, the
provision of an email service.
Insourcing is when an outsourced function is brought back in-house. For example,
for costs, reliability or security reasons, a company might decide to bring the email
system back in-house.
(Marking: five marks per pair. For each pair, one mark for a comparison, one mark
for each description and a further mark for each example.)
(5 x 5 = 25 marks)
Examiners’ comments
A reasonably popular question, attempted by 56% of candidates. Although there
were some sound answers for some parts of the question, few candidates
demonstrated complete knowledge across all five parts.
Some candidates
concentrated on the advantages and disadvantages of the question topics, rather
than “compare and contrast” as required by the examiners, and lost marks as a
result.
A2.
a)
b)
Critically evaluate both the traditional and the Rapid Application Development
(RAD) approaches to the development of Management Information Systems.
(15 marks)
Discuss and justify which of the two development approaches, traditional or
RAD, you would recommend for EACH of the following situations.
i)
An insurance company which requires an accounting system to
process and record the collection of premiums obtained from
customers’ bank accounts.
ii)
A supermarket chain which requires a system to gather data from each
of its retail outlets in order to analyse and summarise the sales of each
product.
(2 x 5 marks)
Answer pointers
A2.
Development methods
a) Traditional versus RAD
This part of the question required a description of traditional methods (5 marks), a
description of RAD (5 marks) and an evaluation of each (5 marks).
Traditional
Description of traditional/structured methodologies and the stages:
Practically all early systems developments and many current projects use structured
methodologies. They usually consist of easily defined stages, each of which
requires formal completion before the next one can commence. Generally, there are
no tangible deliverables until the last stage has been completed and then the whole
system is provided.
Structured methodologies are suitable where:






changes have to be implemented at one particular date; for example, regulatory
purposes.
the requirements are well understood and are unlikely to change during the
development period; again, a regulatory requirement is an example.
it is impossible to break the task down into smaller component projects.
provision of the system is contractual and to a fixed price.
the technology used is inherently inflexible and it is therefore necessary to
determine the requirements precisely at the outset of the development.
the required system is safety-critical (human-life depends upon reliable
operation).
A diagram showing the stages used in a traditional development should ideally have
been included.
(5 marks)
RAD
RAD emerged following the development of evolutionary systems and the arrival in
the late eighties of software tools and high-performance computing capacity. These
facilitated the prototyping, program code generation and reiterative processes
required by RAD.
Prototyping overcomes many of the problems associated with systems development,
where users may experience difficulties in understanding hypothetical situations and
where systems designers could easily fail to communicate their proposed solutions.
Prior to RAD, prototyping of systems was possible only at the expense of the wasted
time and effort necessary to design and mimic screen layouts and reports. Changing
the prototype was difficult and, when the design was agreed, the prototype had to be
thrown away and the operational system developed.
The introduction of graphical user interfaces (GUI) simplified the process of
prototyping, and RAD software tools enabled the completed prototype to form the
basis of the system. For the first time, every percentage of effort resulted in the
same percentage of the completed system.
Current RAD methods and tools enable all stages of systems development to occur
more or less in parallel. By prototyping a series of incremental system
improvements, over a period of time each can evolve into a completed system.
The provision of CASE tools also facilitated RAD developments.
A suitable diagram showing the stages used in a RAD development should ideally be
included.
(5 marks)
Evaluation of traditional versus RAD
The following points should be used in the evaluation:
Traditional
Can use lower grade staff/known
by many
Sequential
approach
limits
progress
Each stage generates user
documentation
Suitable
for
precise
user
requirements
Ideal for large corporate projects
System abstract until completion
Suitable for outsourcing
RAD
Needs specialist skills
Parallel
approach
speeds
development
Less formal user documentation
Suitable for imprecise user
requirements
More
suited
to
small
developments
Early visibility (prototypes)
Not really suitable for contracted
work
(5 marks)
b) Recommended approaches:
There was no set answer to this part of the question. The candidate’s understanding
of the issues and applicability of appropriate methodologies to given situations was
important and marks were awarded accordingly.
i) Insurance company




This suggests a traditional method - the requirements are unlikely to change
(insurance is a contract).
Payment and accounting systems suggest that a long term, precise approach
is called for, with documentation and formal structured agreements.
It would be a business critical system and so prototyping does not seem
relevant.
Because of all of the above, insurance company IT staff are likely to have
traditional skills.
(5 marks)
ii) Supermarket




Suggests RAD, as the requirement is transient and non-specific.
Not business critical.
Does not store or generate standing data.
Application may evolve, so RAD suitable.
(5 marks)
(5 + 5 +5 + 5 + 5 = 25 marks)
Examiners’ comments
A popular question attempted by 72% of the candidates. In Part a) many candidates
adequately described the two methodologies but failed to provide an evaluation
(which was requested in the question as set).
Although most candidates provided reasoned answers for Part b), there were a
number of short answers that did not include the required discussion and justification
as to why a particular methodology was being recommended.
An hour is available for each question and several pages of reasoned argument or
explanation is expected for each question. Candidates should not be afraid of
stating what might appear to be obvious, as otherwise marks may be lost.
A3.
“Wearable technology will have as big an impact on Management Information
Systems as did the introduction of the personal computer.”
Using a range of examples, discuss and justify the extent to which you agree
or disagree with the above statement.
(25 marks)
Answer pointers
A3.
To answer this question successfully candidates needed to:




Describe types of wearable technology
Explain the impact on MIS
State whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement
Justify, with examples, whether they agree/disagreed.
Fail mark range (0-9)
Candidate identifies one or two wearable technologies but fails to describe these
adequately and makes little or no mention of the likely impact on MIS. May agree or
disagree but does not provide examples. Typically, the answer will have limited
content.
Pass mark range (10-15)
Candidate describes two or three types of wearable technology and attempts to
explain the impact these might have on future MIS. An opinion may be stated but
this may not be fully justified by examples. There may be some gaps in
understanding.
Medium mark range (16-20)
Candidate carefully considers three or more types of wearable technology and
provides reasonable explanations of the likely impact on MIS. There is clear
agreement or disagreement and, whichever stance is adopted, this is firmly justified.
High mark range (21-25)
Candidate discusses and analyses the statement, and provides a genuine insight
into the likely impact on MIS. Any stance is completely justified by a range of
pertinent examples which provide both positive and negative perspectives.
Examiners’ comments
This question was attempted by 29% of the candidates. There were some excellent
and insightful answers that demonstrated the candidate’s understanding of this
important new development in the application of MIS. However, a disappointing
majority of candidates just wrote about new developments in general, without making
any reference to wearable technologies or providing the discussion and examples
required by the question.
SECTION B
Q4.
a) Define EACH of the following systems theory concepts, and show how they
are interrelated:
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
Planning.
Control.
Feedback.
Feedforward.
(10 marks)
b) Describe the key features of a Business Intelligence system, and explain with
supporting examples how it can be used to help management control of a
business activity.
(15 marks)
Answer pointers
This question is about planning and control, and the support of management control
available within Business Intelligence (BI) systems.
Part a) requires the following the concepts to be explained and interrelated:
Planning – this is the activity of working out what needs to be done with regard to
some purposeful system. In a strategic managerial context, it is the activity of
working out future moves of the company in response to some internal or external
situation (e.g., a competitor’s move with respect to a given market, or an indication
that company sales are down).
(2 marks for general definition of planning)
Control – this is the monitoring and evaluation of the current situation of something,
and if it is undesirable making sure the situation is rectified so that the object in
question is returned to a desirable state. In a strategic management context, this is
the monitoring and evaluation of company activities, and, if these activities are
having negative consequences for the company, then suitable measures should be
put in place to rectify whatever is wrong with the current situation so as to return to a
desirable (or at least non-negative) state.
(2 marks for general definition of control)
Feedback – This is one of two types of approach to control within a system. The
outputs are reviewed against any plan of what is required, to see if there is any
discrepancy between the output and the plan, and if there is such a discrepancy (and
it’s a negative one) to put in place measures to ensure a return to plan. The
distinguishing factor between this and feedforward is that this looks at outputs
whereas feedforward is interested in inputs to a system.
(2 marks for general definition of feedback)
Feedforward – This is one of two types of approach to control within a system.
Here, the inputs are reviewed and assessed as to what their expected impact on the
outputs will be. This is then compared against any plan of what is required to be
output, to see if there is any discrepancy. If there is such a discrepancy (and it’s a
negative one), measures need to be put in place to ensure a return to planned inputs
so that the required outputs are more likely to be achieved.
(2 marks for general definition of feedforward)
Basically, the output of planning is a plan, which can be used to measure the
progress of some activity, and if that activity is deviating from the plan, then certain
procedures can be put in place to rectify the deviation if necessary. In other words,
the result of a planning activity is a plan which is subsequently used with control of
the target activity. The measurement of plan versus actual can take place in a
feedforward or feedback manner. In other words, feedforward and feedback are two
variants of the control activity.
(2 marks for interrelationships description, either in textual or diagrammatic
form)
(Total Q4 a) = 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 10 marks)
Part b) requires candidates to define the key features of a BI system, and then to
show how it can be used to support management control activities.
A Business Intelligence (BI) system can be defined as a DSS, which comprises
database(s)/data warehouse(s), and business analytics (with appropriate data
visualisation), and which embraces the business’ performance management
strategy, in the pursuit of identifying and understanding business trends or patterns,
and thereby deriving insights and drawing conclusions. Key features of a BI system
are:

The enterprise nature of the system, which means that data has to be
integrated and cleaned from potentially several internal and/or external
sources; the use of ETL and its complexity.
 The use of business analytics upon one or more consolidated data
repositories. Two types of business analytics are data mining and OLAP.
Candidates may describe aspects of these two business analytics types in
more depth as part of their answers.
 Data visualisation to present the data analyses to the user in the most
effective ways, via an appropriate (and typically very visual) interface.
 The aligning of the BI system to the strategy of the organisation through
business performance management. In other words, the BI system is
business-driven and in sync with what is important for the organisation as a
whole.
(For each appropriate relevant point with regard to BI system features – 1
mark, to a maximum of 7 marks)
How can a BI system aid management control activities? Answers to this question
may include the following aspects:




The reporting functions of a BI system may provide traditional exception
reports, whose content may signify that something needs improvement
(negative feedback) or re-enforcement (positive feedback).
Dashboards provide a view of the status of identified KPIs within the
organisation, and when they are coloured red or even amber this signifies that
something needs attention. Dashboards can be set up to monitor KPIs at
different levels of the organisation, so at every level they can support
management control activities.
The BI system may have some DSS capability working off the data
repositories. This may serve to simulate some function of the organisation,
and the running of the model against current data may serve to indicate a
situation which needs attention. (e.g., simulation of a production process, to
see if the existing pattern of work can cope with an increased customer
demand for the product).
The BI systems may have data mining functionality which worked off the data
repository to develop a model of a particular organisational situation. Then
running the developed model over further data collected may highlight
aspects embodied in the data that deviate from the ‘norm’ presented within
the model, leading to attention and possible corrective action.
All of these can take place with regard to either feedforward or feedback control
processes.
(Up to 3 marks for each relevant BI system aspect for management control *
how many relevant BI system aspects, to a total maximum of 8 marks.)
Total Q4 b) = 7 + 8 = 15 marks
TOTAL Q4 = 10 + 15 = 25 marks
Examiners’ comments
This question was attempted by 58% of candidates, and the average mark was
disappointingly low at just under 8 out of 25 (i.e., lower than Pass level).
Answers to Part a) frequently focused on systems development rather than couched
in more general systems theory terms (as asked for by the question). Despite this,
most candidates were able to convey some understanding of planning. With regard
to control, answers focused either on the monitoring of current performance or on the
revision of existing process to ensure alignment with planned outcomes, but very
rarely on both (which would have gained more marks). Feedback was generally
answered appropriately, but many candidates were unfamiliar with the feedforward
concept.
In Part b), only a few candidates knew any key features of a BI System: this was
surprising, given that BI systems is now an established part of the syllabus, and that
questions have regularly been set on this topic over the past few years. Some
candidates provided an in-depth view of one specific BI system feature (e.g., OLAP),
and thus limited themselves to gaining only those marks possible for any one
feature. Very few candidates were able to provide a comprehensive and relevant
picture of how BI systems might be used to aid management control: indeed, many
candidates simply omitted to answer this part of the question.
Q5.
a) List THREE advantages and THREE disadvantages of group decision making
over individual decision making.
(6 marks)
b) For EACH of the following desktop Office Information Systems (OIS) tools,
describe its key features and how it supports group work.
i)
Desktop videoconferencing.
ii)
Group Decision Support System.
iii)
Document authoring software.
(7 marks)
(7 marks)
(5 marks)
Answer Pointers
Part a) is a straightforward listing of advantages and disadvantages of group over
individual decision making. The following could be listed:
Advantages of Group (over Individual) Decision Making:
1. More ‘heads’ better together then one on its own – group decision making
enables more views/options, ideas, the ability to more thoroughly evaluate
options, and to have more information about each option.
2. Less prone to individual biases.
3. Quicker subsequent implementation if the stakeholders are involved in the
decision making.
4. More risky decisions due to ‘group think’, if they pay off!
5. Less work for one person – delegation of tasks as part of the group decision
making process.
Disadvantages of Group (over Individual) Decision Making:
1. More people involved – difficult to timetable decision making activities
together.
2. More risky decisions due to ‘group think’, if they don’t pay off!
3. Slower decision making process, compared to one person making the
decision – no conflict between members, different viewpoints, etc. when
individual decision making.
4. Dominant member of the group may take over the decision making and serve
to ‘side-line’ other people’s views, and s/he may make a worse decision than if
any of the other participants had been making the decision on their own.
(1 mark for an appropriate advantage listed * 3 advantages, plus 1 mark for an
appropriate disadvantage * 3 disadvantages = 6 marks)
Within Part b) of this question, candidates may include aspects such as the
following:
i)
Desktop Videoconferencing (VC):
 It supports communication and decision making by two or more people in
remote locations, by enabling them to see/hear each other and discuss
matters as would occur within a meeting where all members are
physically present. A simple desktop VC system example is Skype.
 Desktop VC requires a PC with attached microphone and camera.
 It is usually connected via the Internet, using broadband technologies.
 It can have a picture within picture interface arrangement to allow all
participants to be seen, with the current speaker taking “central stage” in
the main window.
 It is possible to record the meeting for absentee members to view later or
for present members to review.
 It provides document (e.g., for joint authoring) and other communication
possibilities that can be utilised to support the meeting.
 It can allow (G) DSS and/or other groupware software to be used in
addition to the videoconferencing.
(up to 2 marks for each salient point described regarding the tool and how it
supports group work, to a total maximum of 7 marks – description without
indication of how it supports group work will gain a maximum of 4 marks)
ii)
Group Decision Support System (GDSS):
 as desktop software, this will be available on a set of linked PCs/Laptops
which may or may not be located in the same physical location.
 The software on the system will include both individual DSS models as
required by the current decision situation, as well as group DSS software
that supports group decision making. Candidates may describe one or
more of the possible group decision making techniques that may be
supported by the GDSS and how these might take place with
computerised support, e.g., Nominal Group Technique, (Automated)
Delphi, voting, brainstorming, etc..
 Visual displays on PCs provide both individual and group (summary)
contribution views.
 A record of the meeting, both visually and in written form as minutes, may
be made available to those members, which will help to inform those that
were unavailable at the meeting and serves as an audit trail for any future
queries.
 Equal participation is enhanced through the ability to allow anonymous
contributions, although whether or not this is effective depends on several
factors including familiarity with each other and how many are involved in
the group decision making process.
(up to 2 marks for each salient point described regarding the tool and how it
supports group work, to a total maximum of 7 marks – description without
indication of how it supports group work will gain a maximum of 4 marks)
iii)
Document Authoring Software:
 A software system that enables the group creation and management of a
document, which may include several types of media such as text,
graphics, images, sound, video, etc..
 Document authoring software may require the presence of one chief
author with several ‘subordinate’ authors, the chief author always being in
control of what gets changed or not within a document. Alternatively, there
may be a situation where every author can have an equal right to change
some or all of the sections of a document.
 Allows remote joint work on a document e.g., that containing engineering
designs, book or manual authoring, minutes of meetings, etc..
 An example of a simple joint document authoring system is MS Word, in
that its ‘track changes’ and ‘comments boxes’ can be used to highlight
possible changes to a document proposed by others. The authors cannot
work together simultaneously on an open Word document using Word.
However, in a more complex joint authoring system there is the potential
for all to see and/or comment on aspects of a document as soon as they
are written, and any changes made by one person can be propagated to
the others’ views in (near-)real time.
(up to 2 marks for each salient point described regarding the tool and how it
supports group work, to a total maximum of 5 marks – description without
indication of how it supports group work will gain a maximum of 3 marks)
Total Q5 b) = 7 + 7 + 5 = 19 marks
TOTAL Q5 = 6 + 19 = 25 marks
Examiners’ comments
This question was the most popular question on the paper, with 90% of candidates
attempting it. Overall average on the question was 9 out of 25; slightly lower than
Pass level. This was principally due to a poor Part b) performance by several
candidates.
Generally, candidates were able to provide at least two good advantages and two
good disadvantages of group decision making (over individual decision making).
Sometimes, however, the points made were simply too close to award two separate
marks (e.g., one advantage might be ‘a greater number of views’ whereas another
might be ‘a greater number of ideas’). Some candidates made vague statements
without further explanations as to why they were advantages/disadvantages, and
therefore lost marks. A few candidates considered the question to be asking for
advantages and disadvantages of GDSS over Individual DSS, which was incorrect
and therefore gained little, if any, marks.
The Desktop Videoconferencing element of Part b) was generally adequately
tackled. However, candidates’ understanding of the GDSS concept was very
variable: many mentioned situations where GDSS could be useful yet failed to
describe any key features. Nearly all the answers to the joint authoring software
element of the question were either completely wrong or left blank, and therefore
gained one or two marks at best. Candidates frequently confused this software with
that of either a content management system or some form of document authorisation
software.