Systems Development Life Cycle

Computer Software and Systems Development

Systems Development Life Cycle

Systems Development Life Cycle

Suffering through bad software or programs that were intended to make people’s lives simpler or better can end up being the source of frustration and in some cases even create a work stoppage. Additionally, when one installs a new update and the updates creates problems or causes the program or application to crash this can be exceptionally maddening. This can happen because the software was not correctly developed. The Systems Development Life Cycle can create or lose business for a company if the Information Technology manager does not ensure that the software, program or application is developed and maintained properly.

The way to ensure the program is properly developed is to use the System Development Life Cycle. “The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is the process that is followed to define needs, design a solution and then build the solution. There are a variety of stages in the SDLC and different approaches. These all follow a similar path from user-requirement analysis to final user-acceptance testing.”(Bentley, T.J. 1990) Having a standard process that is followed is paramount when designing new applications.

Phases of the SDLC

The standard processes follow a few major phases, according to Tomar Nipun there are five major phases. The phases are: 1. Preliminary System Study 2. Feasibility Study 3. Detailed System Study 4. System Analysis 5.System Design. The Preliminary System Study is the beginning of the process, in this step a study is completed to see if there is a need to acquire, create, or upgrade a system. In this step there can be sub-steps such as identifying the problem, analysis, or reports. The next step is the Feasibility Study, this step is used to gather information, develop a budget, set goal and objectives.

The next step is the Detailed System Study, this study goes into great detail to capture what the...