Systems Investigation

The initial stage in a traditional SDLC is systems investigation. Systems development professionals agree that the more time they invest in (1) understanding the business problem to be solved, (2) specifying the technical options for the systems, and (3) anticipating the problems they are likely to encounter during development, the greater the chances of success.

The main task in the systems investigation stage is the feasibility study. Organizations have three basic solutions to any business problem relating to an information system: (1) do nothing and continue to use the existing system unchanged, (2) modify or enhance the existing system, and (3) develop a new system. The feasibility study analyzes which of these three solutions best fits the particular business problem. It also provides a rough assessment of the project’s technical, economic, and behavioral feasibility.

• Technical feasibility determines whether the company can develop and/or acquire the hardware, software, and communications components needed to solve the business problem. Technical feasibility also determines whether the organization can use its existing technology to achieve the project’s performance objectives.

• Economic feasibility determines whether the project is an acceptable financial risk and, if so, whether the organization has the necessary time and money to successfully complete the project.

• Behavioral feasibility addresses the human issues of the systems development project.

Systems Analysis

Once a development project has the necessary approvals from all participants, the systems analysis stage begins. Systems analysis is the process where systems analysts examine the business problem that the organization plans to solve with an information system.

The main purpose of the systems analysis stage is to gather information about the existing system in order to determine the requirements for an enhanced system or a new system. The end product of this stage, known as the deliverable, is a set of system requirements.

Arguably, the most difficult task in systems analysis is to identify the specific requirements that the system must satisfy. These requirements are often called user requirements, because users (meaning you) provide them. When the systems developers have accumulated the user requirements for the new system, they proceed to the systems design stage.

Systems Design

Systems design describes how the system will resolve the business problem. The deliverable of the systems design phase is the set of technical system specifications, which specify the following:

• System outputs, inputs, and user interfaces

• Hardware, software, databases, telecommunications, personnel, and procedures

• A blueprint of how these components are integrated

When the system specifications are approved by all participants, they are “frozen.” That is, they should not be changed. Adding functions after the project has been initiated causes scope creep, which endangers the project’s budget and schedule. Because scope creep is expensive, successful project managers place controls on changes requested by users. These controls help to prevent runaway projects.

Programming and Testing

If the organization decides to construct the software in-house, then programming begins. Programming involves translating the design specifications into computer code. This process can be lengthy and time-consuming, because writing computer code is as much an art as a science. Large-scale systems development projects can involve hundreds of computer programmers who are charged with creating hundreds of thousands of lines of computer code.

These projects employ programming teams. The teams often include functional area users, who help the programmers focus on the business problem.

Thorough and continuous testing occurs throughout the programming stage. Testing is the process that assesses whether the computer code will produce the expected and desired results. It is also intended to detect errors, or bugs, in the computer code.

Implementation

Implementation (or deployment) is the process of converting from an old computer system to a new one. The conversion process involves organizational change. Only end users can manage organizational change, not the MIS department. The MIS department typically does not have enough credibility with the business users to manage the change process.

Organizations use three major conversion strategies: direct, pilot, and phased.

In a direct conversion, the old system is cut off, and the new system is turned on at a certain point in time. This type of conversion is the least expensive. It is also the most risky because, if the new system does not work as planned, there is no support from the old system.

A pilot conversion introduces the new system in one part of the organization, such as in one plant or one functional area. The new system runs for a period of time and is then assessed. If the assessment confirms that the system is working properly, then the system is implemented in other parts of the organization.

A phased conversion introduces components of the new system, such as individual modules, in stages. Each module is assessed. If it works properly, then other modules are introduced, until the entire new system is operational. Large organizations commonly combine the pilot and phased approaches. That is, they execute a phased conversion using a pilot group for each phase.

Operation and Maintenance

After the new system is implemented, it will operate for a period of time, until (like the old system it replaced) it no longer meets its objectives. Once the new system’s operations are stabilized, the company performs audits to assess the system’s capabilities and to determine if it is being utilized correctly.

Systems require several types of maintenance. The first type is debugging the program, a process that continues throughout the life of the system. The second type is updating the system to accommodate changes in business conditions. The third type of maintenance adds new functions to the existing system without disturbing its operation.