Fill in the missing words choosing from the variants given.

1. The project team should identify … potential hardware and software solutions.

a) all b) one from all c) some

2. Distributed processing provides … of processing power at a low cost.

a) high levels b) low levels c) intermediate levels

3. Many information systems require a complex mixture of networks, such as a LAN in each branch office … a company intranet.

a) separated from b) linked to c) built into

4. An application development tool is essentially a type of software construction kit containing building blocks that can be … a software product.

a) included into b) managed by c) put together into

5. A turnkey system consists of hardware and commercial software designed to … a complete information system solution.

a) suggest b) control c) design

6. A turnkey system must be extensively evaluated to determine weather it can … system requirements.

a) find out b) create c) satisfy

7. The team’s systems analysts will create … of application specifications.

a) data b) a series c) a criteria

3. Transform the given sentences using the words in brackets without any change in meanings.

1. Distributed processing in a client/server or peer-to-peer environment is very popular because it provides high levels of processing power at a low cost (means).

2. It eliminates much of the design work required with programming languages or application development tools (eliminated).

3. Most commercial software cannot be modified to exactly meet every system requirement (modification).

4. Like commercial software, a turnkey system must be extensively evaluated to determine whether it can satisfy system requirement (as…as).

5. At a higher level of automation, a magnetic strip reader automates the process of entering a credit card number (automatically).

6. A further level of automation is achieved by using a pressure-sensitive digitizing pad and stylus to collect customer signatures (collecting).

7. The project team should identify several potential hardware and software solutions by brainstorming and researching case studies at Web sites and in computer magazines (when).

4. Fill in the gaps in the text.

In the ___ phase of the SDLC, the project team identifies solutions, evaluates those solutions, and then selects the best one. It is possible that a ___ system might offer a complete hardware and software solution. The project team can use a___ support worksheet to evaluate solutions based on general, technical, and functional criteria.

After the project team selects a solution, it can then select the specific hardware and software products to build the new information system. The project team might send out a request for ___, asking vendors to recommend a solution and specify hardware and software requirements. As an alternative, when team members know exactly what hardware and software they need for the solution, they can send out a request for ___, which simply asks for vendor prices. After selecting hardware and software, the team can develop ___ specifications that descried the way the new information system should interact with the user, store data, process data, and format reports.

Speaking. Discuss the following question.

1. What happens in the design phase?

2. How does the project team come up with solution?

3. What hardware alternatives are available?

4. What software alternatives are available?

5. How does the team choose the best solution?

6. How does the project team find the right hardware and software for the new information system?

7. What’s an RFP and RFQ?

8. How does the project team evaluate an RFP or RFQ?

9. What happens after the project team selects a solution?

10. What is the importance of application specifications?

Text D

Pre-reading. Match the terms with their definitions.

a) system testing - is the process of modifying a commercial

` application to reflect an organization’s needs;

integration testing - ensures that module operates reliably and correctly;

software customization - is performed to ensure that the modules operate together correctly;

acceptance testing - is a place where software testing can occur without disrupting the organization’s regular information system, or it might be located on an entirely separate computer system;

unit testing - ensures that all hardware and software components work together correctly;

test area - is designed to verify that the new Information system works as required;

b) user documentation - is staffed by technical support specialists familiar with the information system’s software;

procedure handbook - describes a system’s features, hardware architecture, and programming;

help desk - describes how to interact with the system to accomplish specific tasks;

system documentation - is a type of user documentation that contains step-by-step instructions for performing specific tasks;

c) phased conversion - means that the old system is completely deactivated and the new system is immediately activated;

direct conversion - avoids some of the risk of direct conversion because the old system remains in service while some or all of the new system is activated;

pilot conversion - works well with larger information systems that are modularized because the new system is activated one module at a time;

parallel conversion - works well in organizations with several branches that have independent information processing systems because the new information system is activated at one branch at a time.

Reading. Read the text and try to guess the meaning of the words in bold. Check your variants in the dictionary.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 992