- Although projects follow a project life cycle, information systems development follows a product life cycle.
- The most common product life cycle in IT is the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
- SDLC involves the sequential phases or stages an information system follows throughout its useful life.
- The five basic phases in the systems development life cycle are: planning, analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance and support.
1. Planning
- The planning stage involves identifying and responding to a problem or opportunity and incorporates the project
management and system development processes and activities.
- Here a formal planning process ensures that the goal, scope, budget, schedule, technology, and system development
processes, methods, and tools are in place.
2. Analysis
- The analysis phase attempts to delve into the problem or opportunity more fully. For example, the project team may
document the current system to develop an "as is" model to understand the system currently in place.
- It may require that systems analysts meet with various stakeholders (users, managers, customers, etc.) to learn more
about the problem or opportunity.
- Generally, it is followed by a requirements analysis. Here the specific needs and requirements for the new system are
identified and documented.
3. Design
- During the design phase, the project team uses the requirements and "to be" logical models as input for designing the
architecture to support the new information system. This architecture includes designing the network, hardware
configuration, databases, user interface, and application programs.
4. Implementation
- Implementation includes the development or construction of the system, testing, and installation.
- In addition, training, support, and documentation must be in place.
5. Maintenance and Support
- Although maintenance and support may not be a true phase of the current project, it is still an important consideration.
- Changes to the system, in the form of maintenance and enhancements, are often requested to fix any discovered errors
(i.e., bugs) within the system, to add any features that were not incorporated into the original design, or to adjust to a
changing business environment.
- Support, in terms of a call center or help desk, may also be in place to help users on an as-needed basis.
- Eventually, the system becomes part of the organizational infrastructure and becomes known as a legacy system.
francis1897 answered the question on
March 13, 2023 at 07:42