SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

LIFECYCLE (SDLC)

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System Development
 Project: a planned undertaking that has a beginning and
an end, and which produces a predetermined result or
product
 Information System development project: planned
undertaking that produces a system
 Basic activities in development of any new system:
i) Analysis – to understand information needs
ii) Design – define the system architecture (based on needs)
iii) Implementation – the actual construction of the system

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System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
 The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a
general term used to describe the method and
process of developing a new information system
 Without the structure and organization provided
by SDLC approach projects are at risk for missed
deadline, low quality etc.
 SDLC provides
◦ Structure
◦ Methods
◦ Controls
◦ Checklist
Needed for successful development

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Phases in the SDLC

 Sets of related activities are organized into

“phases”:

(1) Planning phase

(2) Analysis phase
(3) Design phase
(4) Implementation phase
(5) Support phase

 In “classical” life cycle these phases are

sequential, but there are variations as we will see

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Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) phases

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1. Planning Phase
 Define the problem (and its scope)
 Confirm project feasibility
 Produce the project schedule
 Staff the project
 Launch the project

After defining the scope and conducting feasibility study the

plan is reviewed and if it meets with approval, the project is
launched

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2. Analysis Phase
 Primary objective: to understand and document the
information needs and processing requirements of the
new system
 Gather information (e.g. interview, read, observe etc.)
 Define system requirements (reports, diagrams etc.)
 Build prototypes for discovery of requirements
 Prioritize requirements
 Generate and evaluate alternative solutions
 Review recommendations with management

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3. Design Phase
Objective: to design the solution (not to implement it
though)
 This phase starts with the requirement document

delivered by the requirement phase and maps the

requirements into architecture.
 The architecture defines the components, their

interfaces and behaviors.

 The deliverable design document is the architecture.
 The design document describes a plan to implement the

requirements.
 Activitiesinclude:
 Design and integrate the network
 Design the application network
 Design the user interfaces
 Design the system interfaces
 Design and integrate the database
 Prototype for design details
 Design and integrate the system controls
4. Implementation Phase
 Information system is built, tested and installed (actual
programming of the information system)
 Activities

 Construct software components

 Verify and test
 Develop prototypes for tuning
 Convert data
 Train and document
 Install the system

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5. Support Phase
 Objective is to keep the information system running
after its installation
 Activities

 Provide support to end users

 Help desks
 Training programs
 Maintain and enhance the computer system
 Simple program error correction
 Comprehensive enhancements
 upgrades

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 Planning Activity
 Planning includes:
 Selecting a systems analysis team
 Estimating time required to complete each task
 Scheduling the project
 Control includes:
 Comparing the plan for the project with its actual
evolution
 Taking appropriate action to expedite or reschedule
activities

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Components of Project Planning
1. Statement of Work (SOW)
 “Contract” between the IS staff and the customer
regarding deliverables and time estimates for a
system development project
2. The Baseline Project Plan (BPP)
 Contains estimates of scope, benefits, schedules,
costs, risks, and resource requirements
3. Preliminary Budget
 Cost-benefit analysis outlining planned expenses and
revenues
Components of Project Planning (cont.)
4. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
 Division of project into manageable and logically
ordered tasks and subtasks
5. Scheduling Diagrams
 Gantt chart: horizontal bars represent task durations
 Network diagram: boxes and links represent task
dependencies
Developing a Project Schedule
1. Identify individual tasks for each activity
2. Estimate the size of each task (time and resources)
3. Determine the sequence for the tasks
4. Schedule the tasks
Charting methods
 PERT/CPM (Project Evaluation and Review
Technique/Critical Path Method) chart shows the
relationships based on tasks or activities
 Defines tasks that can be done concurrently or not and
critical path
 Gantt chart shows calendar information for each task
as a bar chart
 Shows schedules well but not dependencies as well

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Estimating Time
 Project is broken down into phases
 Further project is broken down into tasks or activities
 Finally project is broken down into steps or even

smaller units
 Time is estimated for each task or activity
 Most likely, pessimistic, and optimistic estimates for

time may be used

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PERT Chart
 A PERT chart is a graphic representation of a project’s
schedule, showing the sequence of tasks, which tasks
can be performed simultaneously, and the critical path
of tasks that must be completed on time in order for the
project to meet its completion deadline.
 The chart can be constructed with a variety of

attributes, such as earliest and latest start dates for each

task, earliest and late st finish dates for each task, and
slack time between tasks.

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Gantt Chart
 Tasks represented by vertical bars
 Vertical tick marks are calendar days and weeks
 Shows calendar information in a way that is easy
 Bars may be colored or darkened to show completed

tasks
 Vertical line indicates today’s date

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Given the information below, draw a Gantt chart

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Using a two-dimensional Gantt chart for planning
activities that can be accomplished in parallel

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