CHAPTER 3: INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE (SDLC)

INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE (SDLC)

Life cycle = staged nature of the process.

SDLC
- General approach to develop IS
- Many variation exist => waterfall, v-model, spiral model
- Follow the 6 basic structure
 Feasibility study
 System investigation
 System analysis
 System design
 Implementation
 Review & maintenance

i. Feasibility study
- Looks at the present system Requirements that is was intended to meet

Problem in meeting these requirement

New requirement

- Boundaries of the system and constraints that associated with resources.

- Briefly investigate alternative solution
o Includes leaving things alone, improve manual, computer solution.
- Output -> Description in terms of technical, human, organization and economic costs,
benefits of developing and operating the system.
o The system proposed must be feasible:
 Legally – does not infringe any national / international company law.
 Organizationally and socially – accepted by organization and its staff.
 Technically – supported by technology available and there is sufficient
expertise to build it.
 Economically – financially affordable and the expenses justifiable.

THE MANAGEMENT – Decide proceed or not

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ii. System Investigation

- Management approved to proceed.
- Detail fact finding phase. Look into:
o Functional requirement of existing system and whether these requirements are
being achieved.
o The requirements of the new system New situation Suggest alternative
or requirement
Opportunities

o Any constraints imposed

o The range of data types and volumes that have be proceed
o Exception conditions
o Problems of the present working methods.
- Can be done thru:
o Observation
 Give a useful insight into the problems, work conditions, bottlenecks and
method of work.
o Interviews
 Conducted with individuals and groups of users.
 Most useful technique for establishing and verifying information
 Provides an opportunity to meet the users and to start to overcome
possible resistant to change.
o Questionnaire
 Similar types of information need to be obtained from a large no. of
respondents / from remote locations.
o Searching records and documentation
 May highlight problem
 Not out of date
o Sampling
 Requires specialist help from people with statistical and other skills.

iii. System analysis

- Analyses the present system
o Why do problem exist?
o Why were certain methods of work adopted?
o Are there alternative methods?
o What are the likely growth rates of data?
- Output:
o All aspects of the present system -> reason of the development
o How things might be improved by any new system -> What are the requirement for
the new system

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iv. System design

- Involves the design of both Computer
of the system
Manual part

- The design documentation set contains:

o Input data and how the data is to be captured / entered in the system.
Eg. Data flow diagram How information enter and leave the system
What changes the information
Where information store

o Outputs of the system

o Processes -> many carried out by computer programs, involved in converting the
inputs to the outputs.
o Structure of the computer and manual files that might be referenced in the system.
o Security & backup provision to be made.
o System testing and implementation plans.

v. Implementation
- Major aspect -> quality control
o Manual procedures, hardware and software -> to be tested to satisfy the users and
analysts.
o Staff can practice using the system -> ironed out the difficulty
- Documentation
o User manual (produced and approved)
o All data collected and validate so that the master files can be setup
- Security
o No. of unauthorized access
o Recovery is possible
- Type of implementation:
o Direct cut off
o Parallel run
o Phase (pilot run)

vi. Review & maintenance

- Final stage once the system is operational.
- Maintenance -> correction of errors found.
- Review
o To ensure the system conform to the requirement set out at the feasibility study.
o To ensure cost not exceeded

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- The evaluation process might lead to an improvement in the way other systems are
developed through the process of organizational learning.

METHODOLOGY
 Improves the practice of IS development.
 Attributes of methodology:

a) A series of phases
o Phases are expected to be carried out as a sequential process.
o Each phase has subphase
o Deliverables: documents, plans, or computer program

b) A series of technique
o Includes way to :
 Evaluate the cost and benefits of different solutions
 Methods to formulate the detailed design necessary to develop computer
application.

c) A series of tools
o Help the system analyst in their work.

d) A training scheme
o So all analyst and others new to their roles and responsibilities could adopt the
standards suggested.

e) Training course offered.

o A qualification might be offered.

f) A philosophy
o Might be “computer system usually good solutions to organizational problems and
processing”.

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 CHAPTER 3: INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE (SDLC)

TECHNIQUE
Most methodologies recommend a no. of documentation aids to ensure that the investigation is
thorough.

a) Flow charts
o Help the analyst trace the flow of documents through a department.
b) Organization chart
o Showing the reporting structure of people in company or department.
c) Manual system specification
o Giving details of documents used in the manual system.
d) Grid chart
o Showing how different components of the system (eg. People and machines, interact
with each other)
e) Discussion records
o Notes taken at interviews could be recorded.
f) File & record specification
o In the former case
o All data items in a record (names, descriptions, size, format and possible range of value)

POTENTIAL STRENGTH OF SDLC

- Well trained and tested
- Use of documentation standards -> ensure the specification are complete
- Ensure the people are trained to use the system
- Prevent
o Over budget
o Missed cut over date
o Lower than expected benefits
- Have opportunity to review progress
- Divide into phase -> each subdivide into more manageable tasks.
- Improve training & the technique of communication offered.
o Able to control the applications development process.

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POTENTIAL WEAKNESS OF SDLC

a) Failure to meet the needs of management
- System developed often successfully deal with operational process
- Instead of meeting corporate objective
 Computers are being used to help solve low-level operational task.

Often ignored by
Strategic computerization

Tactical

Computer data
Operations
processing

b) Model of processes are unstable

- Conventional SDLC approach attempts to improve the way that the processes in business
are carried out.
- Business do change
 Processes need to change frequently to adapt a new circumstances in the business
environment.
 Computer system need to be modified / rewritten frequently -> real world
processes are unstable.

c) Output-driven design leads to inflexibility

- Design is “output driven” What files will
hold the Data that prepares
necessary static the system to the
What are the What processes data daily use of the
required will lead to that system.
outputs output achieved
What data will (You tell the
be required as system what to ask
raw input for)

d) User dissatisfaction
- Expect users to “sign off” their requirements at an early stage. (uncertain about the
outcome and not involved in the development process)

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 Documentation completed by computer-oriented people. May not design for users.

- User only see the system on implementation and find it inappropriate.

e) Problems with documentation

- Orientation of the documentation is frequently toward the computer person and not the
user.
 Not serving the purpose of communication, as it is too technically.

f) Lack of control
- Estimation (time, people, other resources) can be unreliable because:
 The complexity of some phases Computer people seen as unreliable &
 Inexperience of estimators some disenchantment

g) Incomplete systems
- Often the unusual (exceptional conditions) is frequently ignored in the computer system.
 Too expensive to cater for it

h) Application backlog
- Many systems waiting to be developed
- Develop progress take many months / years
- Invisible backlog
 Users postpone requests for system because they know it is not worth doing
because of the backlog.

i) Maintain workload
- “Quick and dirty” solutions -> to meet the deadline
 Expedient to patch poor design rather than spend time on good design.
- Led to the great problem of keeping operational systems going
 Effort given to maintenance as high as 60-80% of total workload

j) Problems with ‘ideal’ approach

- SDLC model assumes a step-by-step, top down process
- In reality: IS development is an iterative process

k) Emphasis on ‘hard’ thinking

- SDLC approach may make a number of simplistic assumptions
 Assumes there are ‘facts’ that only need to be investigated and identified
 There a ‘best solutions’ identified that will ‘solve the problem’

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 The ‘ideal solution’ can be easily engineered by following a step-by-step

methodology
 The techniques offered will analyze and design all that needs to be done
- Actual:
 IS concern with organization and people
 The situation are often ambiguous, issue-laden, messy & problematical, an
alternative approach.

l) Assumption of ‘green-field’ development

- SDLC assume all system developed are new and that developers begin with a ‘green-field’
- Actual:
 Most likely incremental development of an existing system
 Integrated with many existing system

CONCLUSION

 Major concerns in computing remain, for example:

o System project deadline
o System maintenance
o Staff recruitment & retention
o User dissatisfaction
o Changing requirement

 SDLC Feasibility study

o General approach to develop IS System investigation
o Many variants -> follow basic structure System analyst
System Design
Implementation
Review & maintenance

 Potential strengths and weaknesses of SDLC

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