PROJECT WORK

System Development Cycle

OVERVIEW

• Project work for the HSC course follows five stages of the traditional system development cycle.

The SDC is really a project management tool or a way of sequencing the tasks that need to be carried out to develop a new information system

TO BE SUCCESSFUL, A NEW INFORMATION SYSTEM MUST MEET THE NEEDS OF THE USER

THE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT CYCLE RELIES ON A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEM, CAREFUL PLANNING THROUGH TESTING AND EVALUATION OF THE SOLUTION AND ONGOING MAINTENANCE TO ENSURE THAT THE SYSTEM CONTINUES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE USER.

THIS REQUIRES CAREFULLY IDENTIFYING THOSE NEEDS, THEN PLANNING A SYSTEM IN ORDER TO MEET THOSE NEEDS

Stages of the System Development Cycle

Understanding the problem

Making Decisions

Designing Solutions

Implementing

Testing, Evaluating and Maintaining

WHY WOULD THE SDC BE AN ONGOING PROCESS?

In order to clearly understand the problem we must develop a PROBLEM STATEMENT. This will only be created after each of the following steps have been taken:

Understanding the purpose

Understanding any existing system

Understanding the user requirements

HOW DO WE UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM?

Interviews

Surveys

Questionnaires

Observation

INPUT

Decision

Yes

OUTPUT

PROCESS: UNDERSTANDING

THE PROBLEM

Project Management

Prototypes

DecisionNo

One method of assisting the further understanding of any problem is to create a prototype.

A prototype is a working model of an information system, which is built in order to understand the requirements of that particular system.

The prototype is used to demonstrate the system from the users perspective.

Some of the advantages of developing a prototype are as follows:

Participants become more involved in the development process

Increased understanding of the problem

Should allow for fewer changes

Should be easier to create the new system when there is a model to guide its development

There are also disadvantages:

The cycle of development may become very time consuming

Can become more costly if it is not used to as the basis for the new system

The limitations might not be obvious on a small scale system

ACTIVITYThis exercise can be done either electronically or manually.

You have just viewed my presentation.

There are a number of aspects which could and need to be improved.

Your task for the remainder of this lesson and that of tomorrow’s lesson will be to develop a prototype presentation to be presented to me.

You will need to download the presentation, use all the information, but the actual set up of the presentation is your to improve.

This task will need to be completed by the end of Thursday’s class.