The System Development Life Cycle
What is an information system (IS)?
Hardware, software, data, people, and procedures that work together to produce quality information
SystemSet of components that interact to achieve common goal
Businesses use many types of systems
The System Development Life Cycle
What are the phases of the system development cycle?
Phase 2. Analysis
Phase 1. Planning
Review project requests Prioritize project requests Allocate resources Identify project development team
Conduct preliminary investigation Perform detailed analysis activities: Study current system Determine user requirements Recommend solution
Phase 3. Design
Acquire hardware and software, if necessary Develop details of system
Phase 5. Support
Phase 4. Implementation
Conduct post-implementation system review Identify errors and enhancements Monitor system performance
Develop programs, if necessary Install and test new system Train users Convert to new system
The System Development Life Cycle
What are guidelines for system development?
Arrange tasks into phases (groups of activities) Involve users (anyone for whom
system is being built)
Develop clearly defined standards (procedures company expects employees to follow)
The System Development Life Cycle
Who participates in the system development life cycle?
The System Development Life Cycle
What is a systems analyst?
Responsible for designing and developing information system Liaison between users and IT professionals
The System Development Life Cycle
What is the project team?
Formed to work on project from beginning to end
Consists of users, systems analyst, and other IT professionals
Project leaderone member of the team who manages and controls project budget and schedule
The System Development Life Cycle
What is feasibility?
Operational feasibility
Measure of how suitable system development will be to the company
Four feasibility tests:
Schedule feasibility Economic feasibility (also called cost/benefit feasibility)
Technical feasibility
The System Development Life Cycle
What is documentation?
Collection and summarization of data and information
Includes reports, diagrams, programs, and other deliverables
The System Development Life Cycle
What are six data and information gathering techniques? Review documentation Observe Questionnaire Interview Joint-application design (JAD) session Research
The System Development Life Cycle
What are some reasons to create or modify an information system?
To correct problem in existing system
To improve existing system
Outside group may mandate change
Competition can lead to change
The System Development Life Cycle
What is a request for system services?
Formal request for new or modified information system
Also called project request
The System Development Life Cycle
What is the planning phase?
Begins when steering committee receives project request
Steering committee decision-making body for the company
Function of committee:
Review and approve project requests
Form project development team for each approved project
Prioritize project requests
Allocate resources
The System Development Life Cycle
What is the analysis phase?
Conduct preliminary investigation, also called feasibility study Perform detailed analysis
The System Development Life Cycle
What is the preliminary investigation?
Determine exact nature of problem or improvement and whether it is worth pursuing
Findings are presented in feasibility report, also known as a feasibility study
The System Development Life Cycle
What is detailed analysis?
1. Study how current system works 2. Determine users wants, needs, and requirements
3. Recommend solution
Sometimes called logical design
The System Development Life Cycle
What is the system proposal?
Assesses feasibility of each alternative solution Recommends the most feasible solution for the project Presented to steering committee, which decides how system will be developed
The System Development Life Cycle
What are possible solutions?
Buy packaged softwareprewritten software available for purchase
Horizontal market softwaremeets needs of many companies
Write own custom softwaresoftware developed at users request
Vertical market softwaredesigned for particular industry
Outsourcehave outside source develop software
The System Development Life Cycle
What is the design phase?
Acquire hardware and software
Develop all details of new or modified information system
The System Development Life Cycle
What is needed to acquire new hardware and software?
Identify all hardware and software requirements of new or modified system
Talk with other systems analysts
Surf Web
Visit vendors stores
Read print and online trade journals, newspapers, and magazines
The System Development Life Cycle
What are three basic documents used to summarize technical specifications?
Identifies product(s) you want
Request for quotation (RFQ)
Vendor quotes price(s) for listed product(s)
Vendor selects product(s) that meet(s) your requirements and then quotes price(s)
Request for proposal (RFP)
Request for information (RFI)
Less formal method that uses standard form to request information about product or service
The System Development Life Cycle
How do systems analysts test software products?
References from vendor Talk to current users of product Product demonstrations Trial version of software Benchmark test measures performance
The System Development Life Cycle
What is a detailed design?
Detailed design specifications for components in proposed solution
Includes several activities
Database design Input and output design Program design
The System Development Life Cycle
What is a mockup?
Sample of input or output that contains actual data
The System Development Life Cycle
What is a prototype?
Working model of proposed system Beginning a prototype too early may lead to problems
The System Development Life Cycle
What is computer-aided software engineering (CASE)?
Software tools designed to support activities of system development cycle
The System Development Life Cycle
What is the implementation phase?
Purpose is to construct, or build, new or modified system and then deliver it to users
Convert to new system Train users
Install and test new system
Develop programs
The System Development Life Cycle
What are the three types of tests performed by system developers?
Unit Test
Verifies each individual program works by itself
Systems test
Verifies all programs in application work together
Integration Test
Verifies application works with other applications
The System Development Life Cycle
What is training?
Showing users exactly how they will use new hardware and software in system
The System Development Life Cycle
What is the support phase?
Provides ongoing assistance after system is implemented
Conduct post-implementation system reviewmeeting to find out if information system is performing according to expectations
Identify errors
Identify enhancements
Monitor system performance
