BSc.(Hons.) Business Information Systems BSc. (Hons.) Computer Science with Network Security BSc. (Hons) Computer Applications Cohorts: BCNS/07/FT, BCA/08/PT, BIS/06/PT, BIS/07/FT, BIS/06/FT & BCNS/06/FT Examinations for 2009 2010 / Semester 1 Resit Examinations for 2008 2009 / Semester 1 MODULE: IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT MODULE CODE: SEM2101 Duration: 2 Hours Instructions to Candidates: Answer ALL questions This question paper contains 4 questions and 5 pages. Page 1 of 5
QUESTION 1: (25 MARKS) Activity Dependency Duration (days) A. Specify requirements of network 2 B. Perform site visit A 1 C. Design network B 2 D. Purchase networking equipment C 15 E. Cabling & installation of sockets D 5 F. Installation of networking equipment E 3 G. Verification of all network points F 2 With reference to the above table, how long would such a project take to complete? (7 marks) What is the critical path of a project and why is it important? (2+2 marks) Calculate float of all tasks in the above project and comment on the flexibility of the project. (3.5+1.5 marks) (d) What is project crashing and how could it be used to reduce the duration of the above project? (2+2 marks) (e) What is project fast tracking and how could it be used to reduce the duration of the above project (2+3 marks) Note: Keep the answers in (d) and (e) independent of each other Page 2 of 5
QUESTION 2: (25 MARKS) What could be the motivations for a large multinational to offshore its application development? What could be the risks of offshoring application development for the multinational? Describe a framework which would help the multinational decide which IT activities to outsource. (5 marks) (d) Use the above framework to make recommendations in the cases below: (4+4 marks) i. A university having to develop a platform for delivering courses in a distance mode. The university does not have experienced IT staff. Although there are different packages on the market, the university believes it needs a customised software to be able to give more special attention to its students. ii. A call centre opening in an emerging outsourcing destination. It does not consider that the system will be its competitive edge it considers that the low cost of its services and quality of service delivered by its staff to be more important. Page 3 of 5
QUESTION 3: (25 MARKS) Consider the following quality goals and provide a way to make the goal more tangible such that it can be easily verified: (2x5 marks) i. Software should be user friendly ii. Software should be reliable iii. Software should operate continuously iv. Software should be efficient v. Software should allow users to provide good service to customers Consider the following functional requirements for an exhibition management system for an event management company and specify relevant tests for each: (3x5 marks) i. Exhibitor should be able to register online ii. List of stands, their area and their price should be displayed upon request iii. Exhibitor should be able to make a booking for a stand online from the list of available stands. The booking is considered provisional until exhibitor settles payment with the event management company. The manager will update the status of the booking iv. If a provisional booking is not confirmed within 10 days, it is automatically cancelled v. Customer should be able to pay for his booking online (consider security requirements as well). Page 4 of 5
QUESTION 4: (25 MARKS) What are the checks/actions to be carried out in a project monitoring meeting? (8 marks) What is the rationale behind the concept of earned value in project monitoring? (3 marks) Explain the concept of earned value in project monitoring showing: i. what information is needed at planning stage, ii. what information is required when collecting data at specific intervals, iii. what values are calculated and iv. how these values are used to interpret progress. (2+2+2+2 marks) (d) What corrective actions can be taken in the following cases : i. Task is behind schedule ii. Quality of deliverable for a task is below standard [TOTAL PAPER : 100 MARKS] ***END OF QUESTION PAPER*** Page 5 of 5