Systems Development Cycle and Project Conception 121
1. How are projects initiated? Describe the process.
2. What factors determine whether or not an idea should be investigated?
3. Who is the user in the systems development process? Who is the contractor?
4. Besides the user and the contractor, what other parties are involved in the systems development cycle? Give examples for particular projects.
Cost
0
0 80 90 120100 11060 100 140
0
Profit swing (%)
Schedule
$ Million Cumulative
points
Month ahead ( )
or behind ( )
Performance
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
0
3
3
3 2 1 1 2 3
Figure 3.11
Multiple incentive contract.
5. What does the term “fast-tracking” imply?
6. How does the contractor (SDO) become involved in a project?
7 What is the role of an RFP? Describe the contents of an RFP.
8. What is a feasibility study? Describe its contents and purpose.
9. What are user needs? Describe the process of defining user needs and the problems encountered.
10. What are user requirements? How do they differ from user needs?
11. Who prepares the proposal? Describe the proposal preparation process.
12. What is the statement of work (SOW)? In what documents does the SOW appear?
13. Describe the contents of the proposal.
14. How is the best proposal selected? Describe the process and the criteria used.
15. Three proposals (W, X, and Y) have been rated on six criteria as follows: 1 = poor, 2 = average, 3 = good. Choose between the three proposals using (a) the simple
rating method and (b) the weighted rating method.
Criteria Weight W X Y
Attention to quality 0.25 2 1 3
Cost 0.20 3 3 1
Project plan 0.20 2 2 1
Project organization 0.15 3 2 3
Likelihood of success 0.10 2 3 3
Contractor’s credentials 0.10 2 2 3
16. What contractor qualifications might the customer look for in a proposal? What else about the contractor might the customer look for?
17. What parties are considered subcontractors in a project?
18. Discuss the purpose of a business case study for internal projects. What does the study include, and who prepares it?
19. How is the RFP/proposal process adapted to large projects that potentially have numerous stakeholders although initially only a few have been identified?
20. In contracting out work, does the customer relinquish all control over the project
to the contractor? Explain.
21. How can a contractor be both the sender and receiver of RFPs—i.e., how can it both prepare and submit proposals, and receive and review proposals?
22. When a contractor hires a subcontractor, to whom is the subcontractor obli- gated—the end-user customer or the contractor?
23. What must the project manager know to be able to effectively negotiate a con-tract? Consider aspects of the customer, competition, and technical content of
the proposal.
24. Discuss the difference between the SOW, CSOW, and work requisition or work order.
25. Describe the different kinds of contracts (refer to the Appendix to this chapter).
What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of each to the customer and
the contractor?
