APPROVED__________________________________________________________

EXAMINATION PAPER: ACADEMIC SESSION 2006/2007

Campus Maritime Greenwich

School Computing and Mathematical Sciences

Level Three

TITLE OF PAPER Information Systems Engineering

COURSE CODE COMP1304

Date and Time Wednesday 23rd May 2007 – 3 Hours

BAHRAIN – 15:00
GREECE – 15:00
HONG KONG – 18:30
LONDON – 13:00
MALTA – 15:00
MALAYSIA – 18:30
ZAMBIA – 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

Information Systems Engineering

COMP1304
APPROVED _________________________________________________________

1. 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. Three important parts of
UML are: Use Cases, Class Diagrams and State Diagrams.

(a) Discuss the role of each of three tools mentioned and explain what they
tell the analyst about the system. Using relevant examples from a suitable
system that you know about (e.g. an order processing system) demonstrate
your understanding of each of the tools.
[18 marks]

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

2. A good Rapid Application Development (RAD) approach to systems

development would aim to deliver systems to time scales that would be
impossible using the waterfall approach. The major device for helping to
achieve this is the time box.

(a) Explain what is meant by the term time box in relation to RAD.
[10 marks]

(b) Discuss how Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM)

supports the underlying concepts associated with the RAD approach.
[15 marks]

3. Participative design frameworks, such as ETHICS, are used to understand the

socio-technical requirements of an information system.

a) Discuss the collaborative nature of such a framework identifying the

role of the systems analyst in the process.
[15 marks]

b) Explain why it is important to the success of the system to consider

both technical and social aspects of systems development.
[10 marks]

Information Systems Engineering

COMP1304
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4. The Soft Systems Method (SSM) provides a number of tools that help the
analyst to understand organisational culture and the problem domain.

a) Discuss why understanding organisational culture is important to the

effective development of a computerised information system
[12 marks]

b) The rich picture is a tool within SSM that allows the analyst to model
the culture. What are the strengths and weaknesses of using rich
pictures?
[13 marks]

5. Understanding user requirements and conveying them accurately are

increasingly difficult tasks for the modern analyst.
Discuss the importance of modelling and abstraction as a part of requirements
analysis and in doing so, critically evaluate a requirements modelling technique
with which you are familiar.
[25 marks]

6. The success of an information system is partially dependent upon the design of

the interaction.

a) What are the main issues that you would consider when developing the
interaction for an information system?
[10 marks]

b) The type of user might affect the way that you go about designing the
interaction. Discuss why this is the case and what steps you can take to
account for a range of users.
[15 marks]

Information Systems Engineering

COMP1304
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