Assignment:

Question 1: How does a use case report differ from a Data Flow Diagram?

Solution 1:

Introduction

 Use case reports and DFDs are used while the system analysis process of system development life cycle. These are very important tools for understanding the solution of a complex problem. Both of these have their own advantages and disadvantages but still they are needed in various situations.

Use Case Report Vs Data Flow Diagram

 We can categorize the differences between Use Case Report and Data Flow Diagram in the following categories.

Utility

 Use Case Report is used to help the system designer in making situation handling. It means it helps in taking "when to do what" type of decisions. On the other hand DFD traces the flow of the data. It means it helps in taking "where to put what" type of decisions.

Format

 Use Case Report has textual format which is easy to read and it may contain detailed information about the process. On the flip side Data Flow Diagram are represented graphically. The only information embedded in DFDs are the labels which are precise and brief

Field of Information

 Use Case Reports are all about the process of the system and the flow of control while Data Flow Diagrams say about the data and its flow.

Understandability

 We can easily understand that is why we find DFDs, easy to understand while Use Case Report looks a bit more complex than a DFD.

Conclusion

 Use Case Reports and Data Flow Diagram are just two ways to represent the design of the system. They are very useful tools for system developer. Although they are very different from each other they have their own uses in their own fields. Use of any one of these can not be underestimated.

Question 2: What is a Request for proposals (RFP)? How is this different from a Request for information (RFI)?

Solution 2:

Introduction

 We all know that any system can not be isolated so they have to interact. There are many forms of interaction or communication in a system like application, interview etc. One of these forms, which is used while analysing the system, is Request for Proposals.

Request for Proposals

 When a system developer want to have some work done by others he has to make a request. Since a developer has many options in front of him, he simply request all the candidates to propose their ideas so that he may choose one of them for the work, he wanted to get done. This request is called a Request for Proposals.

RFP Vs RFI

 We can categorize the differences between RFP and RFI in the following categories.

Utility

 RFP is used to make a choice between various options available to a developer. He choose the best proposal according to his feasibility study. As long as an RFI is concerned, the developer use it to get desired information. This information is used as the raw material to the decision support system.

Response Type

 When you send a Request for Proposals, you get more than one response and all of them are almost different while the outcome of an RFI is just a single report of well formated factual information.

Format

 The format of an RFP is often very formal because it is often used between two companies It might also include a sample of the requested proposal while RFI is much informal as these are often used within the company.

Target Person

 The target person of a Request for Proposals is an official person of another company but for Request for Information the target person is any official subordinate of the requesting personal.

Response Time

 The response time of an RFP is always fixed. This fixed time is decided by the requesting person. The response time for an RFP is enough for doing preliminary analysis on that requested project. Response time for an RFI is often not fixed because it takes very less time to format the information than a proposal.

Conclusion

 RFP and RFI are just two ways to get input from external environment. They are very useful tools for system developer. Although they are very different from each other they have their own uses in their own fields. Use of any one of these can not be underestimated.