System development life cycle (SDLC) is a conventional way for developing an. information system. It consists of many steps and involves different persons. Different step of SDLC are as follows:
Phases of System Development Life Cycle
Preliminary Investigation:
Preliminary investigation is the first phase of System Development Life Cycle. The main objective of this phase is to identify deficiencies and requirements in the user’s current environment. An important result of the preliminary investigation is whether the system to be developed is feasible or not.
Feasibility is determined on the following parameters:
• Whether current technical resources or technology is available in the developer’s organization or in the market which is capable of handling the user’s requirements.
• Whether economically or financially the system is cost effective
• How effectively the user wil1 operate this software, once installed.
Feasibility Study Report is produced at the end of this phase. A final acceptance of the proposed system is taken from the user. Once the proposed system is accepted, the next phase is started.
Requirement Analysis:
In this phase, the current business system is studied in detail to find out how it works and where the improvements are required. It also includes the detailed study of the various operations performed by the system and their relationship within and outside the system. The analyst and the user work closely during the complete analysis phase. A detailed document is prepared at the end of this phase called the requirement specifications.
System Design:
The requirement analysis phase provides the requirements of the system. The next phase is to design the new system to satisfy these requirements. The design phase states how a system will meet the requirements identified during the systems analysis phase as mentioned in the Requirements Specifications.
Few of the activities carried out during the design phase are:
• Identification of data entry forms along with the data elements
• Identification of reports and outputs of the new system
• Design the form or display as expected in the system. This may be done on paper or on a computer display, using any design tools.
• Identification of data elements and tables for database creation
• Procedures for deriving the output from given input.
The document produced at the end of this activity is called the Design Specification. The detailed design specification is given to the programmers to start software development.
Software Development:
In this phase, the actual coding of the programs is done. Programs are tested using dummy data. Programmers also prepare the documentation related to the programs explaining how and why a certain procedure was coded in a specific way.
System Testing:
After the programs are tested individually, the system as a whole is tested. During system testing phase, all software modules are integrated and tested to ensure that they are running according to the specifications in Requirement Specification. Special test data is prepared as input for processing. The results are examined to ensure that they are correct.
System Implementation:
In this phase, the developed system is installed for use. Before the actual usage of the system, the following activities are performed.
• User personnel are trained to operate the system.
• The data files needed by the system are constructed.
System Maintenance:
The system may become less useful if any change occurs in the user environment. The software may be modified for its effective use; the activity of system maintenance may vary depending on the scale of modifications and enhancements.
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