Chapter Five
Chapter Five
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The Process of Coding, Testing,
and Installation
Coding
Physical design specifications are turned into working
computer code.
Testing
Tests are performed using various strategies.
Testing is performed in parallel with coding.
Installation
The current system is replaced by a new system.
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5
Documenting the System, Training
Users, and Supporting Users
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Seven Different Types of Tests
Static or dynamic techniques
Static testing means that the code being tested
is not executed.
Dynamic testing involves execution of the code.
Test is automated or manual
Automatedmeans computer conducts the test.
Manual means that people complete the test.
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Seven Different Types of Tests
Inspection: a testing technique in which
participants examine program code for predictable
language-specific errors
Walkthrough: a peer group review of any product
created during the systems development process,
including code
Desk checking: a testing technique in which the
program code is sequentially executed manually
by the reviewer
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Seven Different Types of Tests (Cont.)
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Seven Different Types of Tests (Cont.)
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The Testing Process
The purpose of testing is to confirm that
the system satisfies the requirements.
Testing must be planned.
Testcase is a specific scenario of
transactions, queries or navigation paths.
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The Testing Process (Cont.)
Test cases represent either:
Typical system use
Critical system use, or
Abnormal system use.
Test cases and results should be
thoroughly documented so they can be
repeated for each revision of an
application.
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Test case results form 17
Testing Harness
Automated testing environment
Reviews code for:
Errors
Standards violations
Other design flaws
Expand the scope of the tests beyond the
current development platform
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Acceptance Testing by Users
Acceptance testing: the process whereby
actual users test a completed information
system, the end result of which is the
users’ acceptance of it
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Acceptance Testing by Users
(Cont.)
Alpha testing: user testing of a completed
information system using simulated data
Beta testing: user testing of a completed
information system using real data in the
real user environment
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Installation
Installation: the organizational process
of changing over from the current
information system to a new one
Four installation strategies:
Direct Installation
Parallel Installation
Single-location installation
Phased Installation
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Direct Installation
Direct installation: changing over from
the old system to a new one by turning off
the old system when the new system is
turned on
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Parallel Installation
Parallel installation: running the old
information system and the new one at the
same time until management decides the
old system can be turned off
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Single-Location Installation
Single-location installation: trying out an
information system at one site and using
the experience to decide if and how the
new system should be deployed
throughout the organization
Also known as location or pilot installation
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Single-Location Installation
(cont.)
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Phased Installation
Phased Installation: changing from the
old information system to the new one
incrementally, starting with one or a few
functional components and then gradually
extending the installation to cover the
whole new system
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Phased Installation (cont.)
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Planning Installation
Considerations
Data conversion
Errorcorrection
Loading from current system
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Documenting the System
System documentation: detailed
information about a system’s design
specifications, its internal workings, and its
functionality
User documentation: written or other
visual information about an application
system, how it works, and how to use it
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Training and Supporting Users
Support: providing ongoing educational
and problem-solving assistance to
information system users
For in-house developed systems, support
materials and jobs will have to be
prepared or designed as part of the
implementation process.
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Organizational Issues in Systems
Implementation
Why does implementation sometimes fail?
Traditional wisdom of primary success factors:
Management support
User involvement
But these are not enough
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Factors Influencing System Use
Personal stake of users
System characteristics
User demographics
Organizational support
Performance
Satisfaction
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Project Close-Down
Evaluate team.
Reassign members to other projects.
Notify all affected parties that the
development project is ending and that you
are switching to operation and maintenance
mode.
Conduct post project reviews.
Close out customer contract.
Formal signoff
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Conducting Systems
Maintenance
Maintenance refers to changes made to a
system to fix or enhance its functionality.
A significant portion of an organization’s
budget for information systems goes to the
maintenance of existing systems.
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The Cost of Maintenance
Information systems maintenance costs
are a significant expenditure.
Maintainability is the ease with which
software can be understood, corrected,
adapted, and enhanced.
Systems with low maintainability result in
uncontrollable maintenance expenses.
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The Cost of Maintenance
cont’d..
Factors influencing the maintainability of a
system:
Latent defects: This is the number of unknown errors
existing in the system after it is installed.
Number of customers for a given system: In general, the
greater the number of customers, the greater the
maintenance costs.
Quality of system documentation: Without quality
documentation, maintenance effort can increase
exponentially.
Maintenance personnel
Tools
Well-structured programs 37
Other Maintenance Issues
Measuring maintenance effectiveness
Number of failures
Time between each failure
Type of failure
Controlling maintenance requests
Categorization
Prioritization
Configuration management: the process of ensuring
that only authorized changes are made to a system
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