Application Design & Development Flashcards

Which of the following best describes a key responsibility of a system architect?

Answer: Designing the overall system architecture

A system architect's key responsibility is designing the overall system architecture, which involves defining the high-level structure, components, and interactions of a software system. This role makes critical decisions about technology, infrastructure, and design patterns to ensure the system meets functional and non-functional requirements. Other options like testing code or installing hardware are typically handled by different technical roles.

What is the purpose of application layering in system design?

Answer: To improve scalability and maintainability

Application layering separates different concerns of an application (e.g., presentation, business logic, data access) into distinct, manageable layers. This modularity significantly improves scalability by allowing individual layers to be scaled independently based on demand. It also enhances maintainability, as changes in one layer have minimal impact on others, simplifying development and updates.

Which environment is typically used for deploying tested and validated applications?

Answer: Production

The production environment is the live system where end-users interact with the application. It is the final stage for deploying applications that have successfully passed through development, testing, and staging environments. This ensures that only stable, validated, and fully functional software is made available to the public.

In application development, what does MVC stand for?

Answer: Model-View-Controller

MVC stands for Model-View-Controller, an architectural pattern widely used for developing user interfaces. It separates an application into three distinct components: the Model (data and business logic), the View (user interface), and the Controller (handles user input). This separation of concerns enhances modularity, making applications easier to develop, maintain, and test.

What is a key benefit of modular design in system architecture?

Answer: Improved code reuse and testing

Modular design breaks down a system into smaller, independent, and interchangeable components. This approach significantly improves code reuse, as modules can be utilized across different parts of an application or even in other projects. It also simplifies testing, as individual modules can be tested in isolation, leading to more robust and reliable software.

What tool is commonly used to track system requirements and progress?

Answer: JIRA

JIRA is a widely used project management and issue tracking tool, particularly popular in agile development methodologies. It is specifically designed to help teams track system requirements, manage tasks, monitor progress, and identify and resolve bugs throughout the software development lifecycle. The other options serve different purposes, such as image editing, video conferencing, or database management.

What does scalability mean in the context of application design?

Answer: Handling increased load effectively

Scalability in application design refers to the system's ability to handle an increasing amount of work or user load effectively without a significant degradation in performance. A scalable application can grow to accommodate more users, data, or transactions by adding resources or optimizing its architecture. This ensures the system remains responsive and reliable as demand increases.

Which of the following helps reduce coupling in system components?

Answer: Service interfaces and abstraction

Coupling refers to the degree of interdependence between software modules; high coupling makes systems rigid and difficult to change. Service interfaces and abstraction reduce coupling by defining clear contracts for interaction between components, allowing them to communicate without needing to know each other's internal implementation details. This promotes flexibility, maintainability, and easier modification of individual components.

Which role does a system architect often collaborate with to define user requirements?

Answer: Business analyst

A system architect frequently collaborates with a business analyst (BA) to define user requirements. The BA acts as a bridge between business stakeholders and the technical team, translating business needs into detailed functional and non-functional requirements. This collaboration ensures that the architectural design effectively addresses the organization's goals and user expectations.