Ever wonder how systems are developed?

To understand how systems are developed one has to have knowledge of the SDLC process. The SDLC or Systems Development Life Cycle model is a conceptual model that is used in project management. A project manager should have knowledge of the different SDLC lifecycle processes in order to recommend or work with the best SDLC cycle for the particular job at hand.

 

Here I will try to describe the different stages that are involved in developing an information system project. The stages range from everything between feasablity studies through maintanance after the system is designed and put into a production environment.

 

There are different types of SDLC methodologies that have been developed over the years. These models include:

 

• Adaptive Project Framework;
• Agile Software Development;
• Build and Fix;
• Crystal Methods;
• Dynamic Systems Development Model (DSDM);
• Extreme Programming (XP);
• Feature Driven Development (FDD);
• Fountain Model;
• Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL);
• Joint Application Development (JAD) method;
• Lean Development;
• PRINCE2;
• Rapid Application Development (RAD) method;
• Rational Unified Process (RUP);
• Scrum;
• Spiral;
• Synchronize and Stabilize;
• TenStep Project Management Process; and
• Waterfall model - The original SDLC method.

Generally speaking, most of the time different SDLC models are combined together to create a hybrid-methodology SDLC cycle. Different projects have different lifecycle needs. Depending on the project requirements would depend on what SDLC cycle would best fit, if there is no exact fit, then a hybrid-mothodology would be best created to suit the projects needs.

In a very general sense, most projects SDLC process follows the general steps outlined below:

 

• Analyzing Needs:
  Most software development projects stem from customer needs. On the surface it may appear that it is strictly from a business need, but if you delve a little deeper into that scenario, they all usually point towards customer needs. However no matter what the particular need is or what the underlying reasons for the need, it is good to be aware of what the underlying need is and what it is that your business is in need of, this will help make an end product that will do what your business needs requires.
  
  Just because a new buzzword, such as AJAX is going around and being all the rage with technology does not mean that it is the best solution for your business. Of course the only way to know whether or not a solution is going to be good for your business is to analyze your needs and evaluate the product. A product that is not easy to use, is not user friendly, is not a technology that you would want to use in your business. A good product incorporates an easy to use interface; a product in which your users cannot utilize the software in an efficient manner is not a good product. The technology as well as the interface is crucial to a successful product.
  
  
• Evaluate Current System:
  This process can be tied in or done concurrently with the process of analyzing business needs, but either way an evaluation of what your business currently has in place needs to happen. Any process or program deficiencies that are currently in place need to be identified. A project manager will probably do this by interviewing the different users of the system and consulting with the personnel that support the system.