Suppose that an information system was developed using a RAD approach (see Chapter 1 in our textbook.) How might maintenance be different if the system had been developed following the traditional life cycle? Why?

Answer the following questions (please copy the question’s text before each of your answers) and submit them to your professor for grading.

1. Maintenance has been presented as both the final stage of the SDLC (see Figure 14-1) and as a process similar to the SDLC (see Figure 14-3.) Why does it make sense to talk about maintenance in both these ways? Do you see a conflict in looking at maintenance in both ways?

2. In what ways is a request to change an information system handled differently from a request for a new information system?

3. According to Figure 14-4, corrective maintenance is by far the most frequent form of maintenance. What can you do as a systems analyst to reduce this form of maintenance?

4. What other or additional information do you think that should be collected on a System Service Request (see Figure 14-2) for maintenance?

5. Discuss how a systems analyst can manage each of the six cost elements of maintenance described in Chapter 14.

6. Suppose that an information system was developed using a RAD approach (see Chapter 1 in our textbook.) How might maintenance be different if the system had been developed following the traditional life cycle? Why?

7. Software configuration management is similar to configuration management in any engineering environment. For example, the product design engineers for a refrigerator need to coordinate dynamic changes in compressors, power supplies, electronic controls, interior features, and exterior designs as innovations to each occur. How do such product design engineers manage the configuration of their products? What similar practices do systems analysts and librarians have to follow?

8. In Chapter 14’s section on Pine Valley Furniture’s WebStore, it is mentioned that Jim Woo will prepare a list of ISP Webhosting services. Prepare such a list for Web site maintenance. Contrast the responsibilities of the ISP with those of PVF.