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Activity 4.3 – Assignment: Module Review and Module Practice

1. Briefly discuss the key phases of the SDLC methodology.

The key phases of the SDLC methodology are;

* Investigation- In this phase the organization will determine if there is a business problem or an opportunity. The organization will then perform a feasibility study in order to determine is a new/improved information system is needed.

* Analysis- In this phase the organization will analyze the information needs of end users, the organizational environment, and systems that are presently in use. The organization can then develop the logical input, processing, output, storage, and control.

* Design- In this phase the organization will develop specifications to satisfy information needs of end users through hardware, software, People, data resources, and information products.

* Implementation- In this phase the organization will acquire/develop and install hardware and software. The organization will then test and document the new system and train personnel.

* Operations Maintenance- In this phase the organization will switch to the new system and use a post implementation review process to monitor, evaluate, and modify the system when needed.

2. Discuss the alternatives approaches of SDLC and the benefits of alternatives.

An alternative to SDLC is prototyping. Prototyping skips the analysis and design phase and implements a skeleton/prototype of the actual system in order to get feedback from users. Another alternative to SDLC is end-user development. End-user development allows the end-user to create their own applications.

3. Compare and contrast the three major ERP implementation categories.

Three major ERP implementation categories are; Comprehensive, Middle of the Road, and Vanilla. A comprehensive ERP integration plan is the most expensive plan it’s lengthy and has a high level of business process reengineering. This plan makes sure that the...