BISM1201 Cheatsheet · Transforming Business with Information Systems

0 · Exam map course.json · brief

Permitted materials: not confirmed for this offering in the course materials we hold — check the exam instructions on the LMS.

The final rewards a retrievable chain: define → apply to facts → show logic → control/consequence → evidence limit. Do not substitute a technology label for analysis.

1 · Diagnose the whole system C1 overview · FAQ

Decision-first chainsymptom → process cause → information need → capability → control → outcome measure

Information quality: accuracy, completeness, timeliness, consistency and relevant detail. Name the data owner: accountable for definition, quality, access and disputed values. Name an exception control for cases outside the normal path.

Boundary and quality audit

2 · Value → strategy → system C2 overview · FAQ

Value testcapability → changed process → measurable outcome
Test benefit, implementation/operating cost, risk and trade-offs; do not double-count one effect.

Coherence rule: evidence identifies the strongest pressure; strategy responds to it; capability changes the process; controls protect delivery; measures test the intended outcome. Include one plausible alternative and say what missing fact would reverse the choice.

Value-realisation ledger

3 · Process before automation C3–4 FAQ · WEX

Process answertrigger → issue → cause → redesign → exception/control → end-to-end measure + balancing quality/risk measure

Redesign moves: remove work only if it adds neither customer value nor necessary control; simplify/standardise an ambiguous rule; automate a stable justified step; predict the next queue; add training, role clarity and feedback. Adoption is part of the system.

4 · Integrate the shared core C4 overview

Standardise where common definitions, control or coordination create value. Preserve local variation where regulation, customers or operating conditions differ; connect only the information other processes need.

5 · Choose the development method C5 FAQ

Hybrid rule: baseline stable security, legal, identity, capacity or data requirements; iterate uncertain user workflow. Justify the combination by risk and learning, then include training, support, monitoring and operational ownership.

6 · Sustainable process evidence C6 overview

Indicator contractresource + formula + unit/denominator + process boundary + timing/period + source + owner + target/action

7 · Excel: structure → logic → audit C7 overview · WEX

Reference ruleA1 moves row and column · $A$1 locks both · $A1 locks column · A$1 locks row
Predict the copied formula at all corners before trusting output.

Ticket-priority rule

8 · Lookup and report chooser C8 overview · FAQ

Lookup checkExact match: validate key type, spaces and uniqueness; show an explicit missing result. Approximate match: sort thresholds, draw each interval and test below, at and above every boundary. Clear the spill range; keep one maintained formula.

9 · ERD rules you can test C9 overview · FAQ

Normalise repeated facts into stable homes, preserving links through keys. Test for: update anomaly (same fact changed in many places), insertion anomaly (cannot store one fact without another), deletion anomaly (removing a row destroys a needed fact).

Relationship event questions: can the parent exist first; can the child move; may several links exist now or over time; and would deletion remove evidence that must be retained? These tests reveal modality, cardinality and history needs.

Exam cue State each relationship in both directions before drawing marks. Populate sample records; attempt invalid FK, duplicate link and deletion of needed history.

10 · BI + responsible AI C10 overview

Metric contractdefinition + formula + unit + period + source + refresh + owner + comparison/threshold + intended action

Process mining reconstructs actual paths from event logs. Verify case identifier, activity meaning and timestamp completeness before claiming delay, variants or rework. Difference from the designed process is evidence to investigate, not automatic failure.

A · Method chooser all chapter FAQs

Worked 1 · Conflicting availability course WEX · 6 checks

Worked 2 · Redesign returns C3 WEX · 5 checks

Prompt. An invented retailer retypes return details and waits for finance approval in a spreadsheet.

1. Map store/postal triggers through validation, approval, refund and closure.
2. Locate duplicate capture and the finance hand-off queue.
3. Capture order/reason once; route only material exceptions for approval.
4. Assign owners for damaged, missing and high-value exceptions.
5. Pilot; measure refund cycle time, error, rework and exception volume.

AnswerRemove repeated entry; automate the routine path; preserve review for defined exceptions; judge success by end-to-end time plus quality.

Classic traps · one-line repairs C1–10

Worked 3 · Volunteer booking C5 WEX · 5 checks

Prompt. An invented charity knows the core capacity rule but is uncertain about shift swaps. Choose and apply a development approach.

1. Fix stable security, identity, capacity and audit requirements.
2. Build a small authenticated view-and-book increment with acceptance criteria.
3. Review with coordinators; observe uncertainty around swap approval.
4. Move the risky approval flow ahead of optional reminders.
5. Test controls, train users and define support before expanding the pilot.

AnswerHybrid iterative approach: protect stable controls; use working increments to learn uncertain workflow; let feedback change backlog priority; produce rollout evidence.

Trap A short calendar period is not evidence of iteration. Ask what became usable, what was learned and what decision changed.

Enterprise integration cards C4 FAQ · WEX

Method-fit stress test

Worked 4 · Ticket priority C7 WEX · 5 checks

Rule. Critical when impact is High and hours open exceed 8; Priority when either condition holds; otherwise Standard.

=IF(AND(B2="High",C2>8),"Critical",IF(OR(B2="High",C2>8),"Priority","Standard"))

1. Write all four cases.
2. Use AND for Critical.
3. Use OR for remaining Priority.
4. Test both/each/neither.
5. Test exactly 8: it is not “exceeds 8”.

Numeric check · centre C7 body drill

Weekly resolution times: 3, 4, 4, 5, 24 hours.

SUM = 40 · AVERAGE = 40 ÷ 5 = 8 · MEDIAN = 4

Decision: report median 4 hours for a typical case; retain the 24-hour case for tail-risk/process diagnosis. Function choice follows the business question.

Formula-review traps C7 study

Review exchangereviewer receives the business rule + expected outputs, not a formula explanation → locate inputs → predict two outputs → inspect copied references → reproduce one result manually

Worked 5 · Workshop bookings C9 WEX · 6 checks

Rule. Customers attend many workshops; workshops host many customers. Create an implementable design.

1. Identify Customer and Workshop with their own PKs.
2. State M:N in both directions.
3. Create Booking between them.
4. Place customer_id and workshop_id as FKs in Booking.
5. Store status/attendance in Booking.
6. Add referential and duplicate-booking controls.

AnswerBooking resolves M:N, houses relationship facts and preserves valid links to Customer and Workshop.

Self-check Can you create a valid parent, reject an invalid child reference, prevent an impermissible duplicate and retain needed history after deletion?

Lookup + report judgement C8 FAQ · WEX

Database event audit

AI / BI judgement cards C10 FAQ · WEX

Dashboard: work backwards from the manager’s action. Define target, comparison, unit, period, refresh and source; add a balancing measure. Choose status/trend/ranking/composition/relationship display only after defining the question.

Process mining: incomplete case IDs, event meanings or timestamps can distort apparent flow. Compare discovered and designed paths, then investigate—not every variation is non-compliance.

Causal trap: correlation or prediction does not establish that changing the input will change the outcome.

Exam-morning plan course strategy