Chapter 6

Systems Development

Steps, Tools, and Techniques

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 Presentation Overview
 Seven Phases In The Systems
Development Life Cycle
 Knowledge Workers and Their Roles In
The Systems Development Life Cycle
 Why Systems Fail
 Selfsourcing
 Outsourcing
 Prototyping

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 Opening Case Study
Building The Unbelievable – The
Hoberman Arch
 Many information systems are developed
and brought to life by following the
systems development life cycle.

 Why is knowledge worker involvement in

each phase of the SDLC critical for
successful system development?

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 Introduction
 Systems development
life cycle (SDLC) - a
structured step-by-step
approach for developing
information systems.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 1: Plan
 Define the system to be developed.

 Set the project scope.

 Develop the project plan including tasks,

resources, and timeframes.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 1: Plan
 Planning phase - involves determining a solid
plan for developing your information system.

 Critical success factor (CSF) - a factor simply

critical to your organization’s success.

 Project scope - clearly defines the high-level

system requirements.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 1: Plan
 Project scope document - a written definition
of the project scope and is usually no longer
than a paragraph.

 Project plan - defines the what, when, and who

questions of system development including all
activities to be performed, the individuals, or
resources, who will perform the activities, and
the time required to complete each activity.
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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 1: Plan
 Project milestones - represent key dates for
which you need a certain group of activities
performed.

 Project manager - an individual who is an

expert in project planning and management,
defines and develops the project plan and tracks
the plan to ensure all key project milestones are
completed on time.
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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 2: Analysis
 Gather the business requirements for the
system.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 2: Analysis
 Analysis phase - involves end users and IT
specialists working together to gather,
understand, and document the business
requirements for the proposed system.

 Business requirements - the detailed set of

knowledge worker requests that the system
must meet in order to be successful.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 2: Analysis
 Joint application development (JAD) -
knowledge workers and IT specialists meet,
sometimes for several days, to define or review
the business requirements for the system.

 Requirements definition document –

prioritizes the business requirements and places
them in a formal comprehensive document.

 Sign-off - the knowledge workers’ actual

signatures indicating they approve all of the
business requirements.
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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 3: Design
 Design the technical architecture required
to support the system.

 Design system models.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 3: Design
 Design phase - build a technical blueprint of
how the proposed system will work.

 Technical architecture - defines the

hardware, software, and telecommunications
equipment required to run the system.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 3: Design
 Modeling - the activity of drawing a graphical
representation of a design.

 Graphical user interface (GUI) - the interface

to an information system.

 GUI screen design - the ability to model the

information system screens for an entire system.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 3: Design

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 4: Development
 Build the technical architecture.

 Build the database and programs.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 4: Development
 Development phase - take all of your
detailed design documents from the
design phase and transform them into an
actual system.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 5: Test
 Write the test conditions.

 Perform the testing of the system.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 5: Test
 Testing phase - verifies that the system
works and meets all of the business
requirements defined in the analysis
phase.

 Test conditions - the detailed steps the

system must perform along with the
expected results of each step.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 6: Implement
 Write detailed user documentation.

 Provide training for the system users.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 6: Implement
 Implementation phase - distribute the
system to all of the knowledge workers
and they begin using the system to
perform their everyday jobs.

 User documentation - highlights how to

use the system.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 6: Implement
 Online training - runs over the Internet or
off a CD-ROM.

 Workshop training - is held in a

classroom environment and lead by an
instructor.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 7: Maintain
 Build a help desk to support the system
users.

 Provide an environment to support system

changes.

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 Seven Phases in the SDLC
Phase 7: Maintain
 Maintenance phase - monitor and
support the new system to ensure it
continues to meet the business goals.

 Help desk - a group of people who

responds to knowledge workers’
questions.

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Knowledge Workers and Their
Roles in the SDLC
 Your participation in the systems
development process is vitally important
because you are (or will be) a:
1. Business process expert
2. Liaison to the customer
3. Quality control analyst
4. Manager of other people

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Knowledge Workers and Their
Roles in the SDLC
Plan
 Define which systems are to be
developed.

 Define the project scope, project plan, and

project milestones.

 Allocate individuals to work on the

different activities.
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Knowledge Workers and Their
Roles in the SDLC
Analysis
 Review all business requirements.

 It’s far cheaper to find an error during the

planning or analysis phase than it is to find
the same error during the implementation
or maintenance phase.

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Knowledge Workers and Their
Roles in the SDLC
Analysis

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Knowledge Workers and Their
Roles in the SDLC
Design
 IT specialists perform most of the activities
during the design phase.

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Knowledge Workers and Their
Roles in the SDLC
Develop
 Confirm any changes to business
requirements.

 Track the progress of tasks on the project plan

to ensure timely delivery of the system.

 IT specialists complete many of the activities in

the development phase.

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Knowledge Workers and Their
Roles in the SDLC
Test
 Review the test conditions to ensure the IT
specialists have tested all of the system
functionality and that every single test condition
has passed.

 User acceptance testing (UAT) - determines if

the system satisfies the business requirements
and enables the knowledge workers to perform
their jobs correctly.
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Knowledge Workers and Their
Roles in the SDLC
Implement
 Attend training.

 Ensure all of the knowledge workers

have the required training in order to
use the system correctly.

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Knowledge Workers and Their
Roles in the SDLC
Maintain
 Ensure all of the knowledge workers have the
support they require in order to use the system.

 Develop a help desk.

 Develop change request forms for your users to

fill out if they require a change to the system.

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Knowledge Workers and Their
Roles in the SDLC
IT Specialists and Knowledge Workers
Working Together
Team Work

Your Responsibilities During

Each Phase of the
Systems Development Life Cycle
(p. 298)
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 Why Systems Fail
 20% of systems are successful, 80% of
systems fail.

 Five primary reasons why systems fail include:

1. Unclear or missing requirements
2. Skipping SDLC phases
3. Failure to manage project scope
4. Failure to manage project plan
5. Changing technology

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 Why Systems Fail
Unclear or Missing Requirements
 The business requirements drive the
entire system.

 If they are not accurate or complete there

is no way the system will be successful.

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 Why Systems Fail
Skipping SDLC Phases
 The first thing individuals tend to do when
a project falls behind schedule is to start
skipping phases in the SDLC.

 Skipping any of the phases is sure to lead

to system failure.

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 Why Systems Fail
Failure To Manage Project Scope
 The project manager must track the status of
each activity and adjust the project plan if a
activity is added or taking longer than expected.

 Scope creep - occurs when the scope of the

project increases.

 Feature creep - occurs when developers add

extra features that were not part of the initial
requirements.

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 Why Systems Fail
Failure To Manage Project Plan
 The project plan is the road map you follow
during the development of the system.

 Developing the initial project plan is the easy.

 Managing, revising, and updating the project

plan is the hard part.

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 Why Systems Fail
Changing Technology
 Technology changes so fast that it’s
almost impossible to deliver an information
system without feeling the pain of
changing technology.

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 Insourcing
 Three choices for building a system include:
1. IT specialists within your organization - Insourcing
2. Knowledge workers such as yourself – Selfsourcing
3. Another organization – Outsourcing

 Insourcing - IT specialists within your

organization will develop the system.

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 Selfsourcing
 Selfsourcing (also called On Your Own
knowledge worker
development or end user
development) - the
development and support
of IT systems by How Have
knowledge workers with You Selfsourced?
little or no help from IT (p. 303)
specialists.

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 Selfsourcing
The Selfsourcing Process

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 Selfsourcing
The Advantages of Selfsourcing
 Improves requirements determination.

 Increases knowledge worker

participation and sense of ownership.

 Increases speed of systems

development.

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 Selfsourcing
Potential Pitfalls and Risks of Selfsourcing
 Inadequate knowledge worker expertise leads to
inadequately developed systems.

 Lack of organizational focus creates “privatized” IT

systems.

 Insufficient analysis of design alternatives leads to

subpar IT systems.

 Lack of documentation and external support leads to

short-lived systems.
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 Outsourcing
Developing Strategic Partnerships
 Outsourcing - the
delegation of
specific work to a
third party for a
specified length of
time, at a specified
cost, and at a
specified level of
service.

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 Outsourcing
Developing Strategic Partnerships
 IT outsourcing takes on 1 of 4 forms:
1. Purchasing existing software.
2. Purchasing existing software and pay the publisher
to make certain modifications.
3. Purchasing existing software and pay the publisher
for the right to make modifications yourself.
4. Outsourcing the development of an entirely new and
unique system for which no software exists.

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 Outsourcing
Developing Strategic Partnerships

Team Work

How Many Outsourcing

Companies Are There?
(p. 306)

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 Outsourcing
The Outsourcing Process

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 Outsourcing
The Outsourcing Process
 Steps of the outsourcing process
2. Plan
3. Define project scope
4. Select a target system
5. Establish logical requirements

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 Outsourcing
The Outsourcing Process

1. Develop a request for proposal

 Request for proposal (RFP) - a formal document
that describes in detail your logical requirements for
a proposed system and invites outsourcing
organizations to submit bids for its development.
2. Evaluate request for proposal returns and
choose a vendor
3. Test and accept solution
4. Monitor and reevaluate

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 Outsourcing
The Advantages and Disadvantages of
Outsourcing
 Advantages of outsourcing include:

 Focus on unique core competencies.

 Exploit the intellect of another organization.

 Better predict future costs.

 Acquire leading-edge technology.

 Reduce costs.

 Improve performance accountability.

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 Outsourcing
The Advantages and Disadvantages of
Outsourcing
 Disadvantages of outsourcing include:
 Reduces technical know-how for future
innovation.
 Reduces degree of control.

 Increases vulnerability of strategic information.

 Increases dependency on other organizations.

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 Outsourcing
The Advantages and Disadvantages of
Outsourcing

On Your Own

A Request for Proposal and the

Systems Development Life Cycle
(p. 311)

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 Prototyping
 Prototyping - the process of building a model that
demonstrates the features of a proposed product,
service, or system.

 Prototype - a model of a proposed product, service, or

system.

 Proof-of-concept prototype - used to prove the

technical feasibility of a proposed system.

 Selling prototype - used to convince people of the

worth of a proposed system.

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 Prototyping
The Prototyping Process

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 Prototyping
The Prototyping Process
 The prototyping process involves four
steps:
1. Identify basic requirements
2. Develop initial prototype
3. Knowledge worker review
4. Revise and enhance the prototype

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 Prototyping
The Advantages of Prototyping
 Encourages active knowledge worker participation.
 Helps resolve discrepancies among knowledge
workers.
 Gives knowledge workers a feel for the final
system.
 Helps determine technical feasibility.

 Helps sell the idea of a proposed system.

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 Prototyping
The Disadvantages of Prototyping
 Leads people to believe the final system will
follow shortly.
 Gives no indication of performance under

operational conditions.
 Leads the project team to forgo proper testing

and documentation.

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 Closing Case Study One
Some Prototypes Hit, Some Miss, and
Some We Are Just Not Sure About
 There are many hilarious prototypes that
failed such as garlic cake and toaster
eggs.

 How can prototyping help you develop a

successful system?

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 Closing Case Study Two
Al’s Barbeque Restaurant
 Automating a manual business is an
extremely difficult task.

 How can the systems development life

cycle help you implement a new system?

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 Summary
Student Learning Outcomes

1. List the seven steps in the systems

development life cycle and an associated
activity for each step.
2. List four reasons why your participation
during the systems development life
cycle is critical.
3. Describe three of the five reasons why
projects fail.

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 Summary
Student Learning Outcomes

1. Define the three different ways you can

staff a system development project.
2. List two of the three advantages of
selfsourcing.
3. Describe prototyping and profile an
example of a prototype.
4. Describe two of the five advantages of
prototyping.

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 Summary
Assignments & Exercises
1. SDLC and the real world
2. How creative are you?
3. Request for proposal
4. Understanding insourcing
5. Managing the project plan
6. Why prototype?
7. Business requirements
8. Why projects fail
9. Construction and the SDLC

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 Visit the Web to Learn More
www.mhhe.com/haag
 Using your computer for more than work
 Animating your computer screen
 Protecting your computer investment
 Searching for freeware and shareware
 Project planning and project management

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