Week 6: SDLC

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

Determining if the system satisfies the business requirements and enables users to perform their work correctly.

The 4 ways to implement a new system

Parallel implementation, Plunge implementation, Pilot implementation, Phased implementation

Unit Testing

Testing individual units of code

Parallel Implementation

Using both the old and new system simultaneously

Integration Testing

Verifying that separate systems work together

Role of the Business Analyst in the Systems Development Process

-Business process expert -Liaison to the customer -Quality control analyst -Manager of other people -An end-user of the system

7 Phases of the SDLC

1.Plan 2.Analysis 3.Design 4.Develop 5.Test 6.Implement 7.Maintain

Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

A structured step by step approach for developing information systems. Called a waterfall methodology because each phase is followed by another, from planning through to implementation

Plunge Implementation

Discarding the old system and immediately starting to use the new

Phase 7: Maintenance

During this phase, the new system is monitored and supported (ongoing) so that it continues to meet its business goals. Very important phase (80% of overall costs.) Two primary activities include: -Setting up a help desk so user's questions can be answered -Providing a supportive environment so that the system corrections or improvements are identified, assessed and implemented.

Phase 6: Implementation

During this phase, the system is distributed to users who begin to use it to perform their everyday activities. The two main activities are: -Writing detailed user documentation on how to use the new system -Training users, either online or in workshops

Phased Implementation

Installing one part of the system before another part

Pilot Implementation

Starting with a small group of users and gradually adding more users

Phase 3: Design

This phase builds a technical blueprint of how the proposed system will work. I.T. specialists do most of the activities. User involvement begins to decrease. Two primary activities include the design of the: -Technical Architecture -System models

Phase 1: Planning

This phase has three primary activities: -Define the system to be developed using critical success factors -Set the scope of the project to help avoid scope creep and feature creep -Develop the project plan (lead by project manager) including tasks, resources and timeframes

Phase 5: Testing

This phase requires Unit Testing, System Testing, Integration Testing and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) to be done

Phase 2: Analysis

This phase requires both end users and IT specialists working together on two main activities: -Gather the business requirements including joint application development session if needed -Prioritize the requirements

Phase 4: Development

This phase takes the details of the design documents and changes them into an actual working system. This phase is usually done by I.T. specialists that will build 2 primary activities: -Technical architecture -Database and programs

System Testing

Verifying that the units of code function correctly when put together in a system

Systems Acquisition Life Cycle (SALC)

Very similar to the traditional SDLC, but does not include a step for actually building systems. Instead, available software packages are assessed and purchased. Firm must still use steps of SDLC to determine what kind of system they need.