The System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) of Web Development

By Don Demrow - 200 ! Don Demrow

"roblem
The design / development process that is in place at many organizations is no process at all, which results in multiple costly revisions, and a tendency toward non-adherence to any established standards or conventions, if in fact, such standards and conventions even exist.

#b$ective
To adopt a process of iterative pigtail progression to accomplish expedient, efficient design and development on future pro ects. This refers to a cyclical revision process contained inside a linear progression, illustrated as a curly line, or pigtail. This process will facilitate transparent communication to establish effective interaction and dialogue between all parties involved in the conception, design, development, approval, testing, implementation, and revision process of websites and applications.

Sol%tion
!stablishing a systematic approach for design and development of new websites and online applications will save time and money. "pplying a System Development Life Cycle model is the most efficient way to do this. #f roles, standards, ob ectives, and expectations are clearly defined through the process, from beginning to end, there can be little confusion as to who was supposed to accomplish a given tas$. %e must define the following &uestions prior to any design or development' Who ( %ho will design, develop, approve, test, launch, review / revise. Wh&t ( )cope. %hat exactly do we need to accomplish* %hat is the +,#* Where ( %ill this be an internal tool, or a public-facing --to-- application or site* When ( +easonable deadlines. Why ( %hy build it* %ill this site or application save time / money* .enerate leads* 'ow ( #mplementation and presentation ( %hat is appropriate* %ill we do this with )erver-side code* )tatic /T01* 2lash* /ow will it loo$* "). 3orporate* 0odern* -usiness-li$e*

Definition of (oles
The Who part of the process would be designated by the managers, or leaders of the design and web teams. 4!xample' Matthew will design the flash introduction, Mark will design the page layout, and Luke will cut graphics, and code the application.5 1i$ely, the initiator of a pro ect would define Wh&t, Where and When. 4!xample' We would like a lead automation system, by end off fiscal 200 . !t will be an internal tool, but with a public"facing component, which will be the lead form. We wish to capture leads and get them into our e#isting $%&00 database.5 Why would be a brief explanation of the business ob ective, and any business pains remedied. 4!xample' !t takes hundreds of hours to enter leads manually, and it is too slow. 'y the time we contact e(eryone, they ha(e already purchased software from a competitor.5 'ow Technology' defined by web team, presentation defined by design team and web team. 4!xample' )lash for introduction, $%* or cold)usion with a %+L %er(er ,atabase.5

Website ) *pplic&tion (e+%irements #%tline

6. *n&lysis ) (e+%irements-,&therin". 7efine ,verall scope definition 4!xamples' We need an online application that will allow users to lookup their order status, and add to their order, or We need a website for our new product family.5 This stage is 8,T an open forum for users to become designers. /owever, )toryboard or 3oc$tail nap$in preliminary designs should be welcomed at this stage. 7uring this stage, parties re&uesting the website or web application should be solicited for information about the business ob ective they are trying to achieve. #nput should be restricted to a formal )ite/"pplication +e&uirement 2orm. 49referably, online5 -. 7efine )ign-off "uthority / 42inal "pproval 9oint-of-3ontact5 #t is essential that the final sign-off authority be named in the re&uirement specification document. :. Desi-n ( This begins the iterative process of' ". +eview ( #s it graphically appealing, and appropriate for the intended purpose* -. +evision ;. Desi-n *pprov&l "t this point, the design is loc$ed. )cope creep is very costly in terms of time and money. "t this point, the specification is loc.e/ ( additional features will be addressed in future revisions. This is necessary to $eep development time and cost on trac$. <. Development ". +eview ( 7oes it satisfy business ob ectives and re&uirements* -. +evision =. "rototype Test ) *pprov&l ". +eview ( 2inal management review prior to launch. 7oes it perform to specifications* -. +evision ( 2inal revision for this version. >. L&%nch ( The site or application goes live. 42inal approved version, set in step ?;, and any lastminute, finishing touches were applied in step ?=.5 @. (eview ) (evise ( an iterative process ( can be thought of as a sub-cycle through the )713. 8otice that this is much the same as items : and <, but applies to the entire process, rather than ust one aspect of the )713. Lather, rinse, repeat. !nd of this version, beginning of new version.