Chapter 6
SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT
Phases, Tools, and
Techniques
OPENING CASE STUDY
• Developing Enter the Matrix
• It took over four years to develop Enter the
Matrix videogame based on the movie The
Matrix
• New technological features include motion
capture, virtual modeling, action, and zoom
• The movie industry is releasing video games
on the same date as movies
6-2
OPENING CASE STUDY
• Building new systems, such as Enter the
Matrix, is the focus of this chapter
• Information systems are developed using the
systems development life cycle
• Information systems are developed through
either insourcing, selfsourcing, or outsourcing
6-3
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. List the seven steps in the systems
development life cycle and an associated
activity for each step
2. Describe three keys to success you can use
to help ensure a successful systems
development effort
3. Define the three different ways you can staff
a systems development project
6-4
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
4. List the three advantages of selfsourcing
5. Describe prototyping and profile an
example of a prototype
6. Describe the five advantages of prototyping
7. Describe the outsourcing process and the
current trend toward offshore outsourcing
6-5
INTRODUCTION
• Information systems are the support structure
for meeting the company’s strategies and
goals
• Information systems help knowledge workers
perform their jobs
6-6
INSOURCING AND THE SYSTEMS
DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE
 Systems development life cycle (SDLC) - a
structured step-by-step approach for
developing information systems
6-7
INSOURCING AND THE SYSTEMS
DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE
6-8
INSOURCING AND THE SYSTEMS
DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE
• Three choices for building a system include:
– IT specialists within your organization insourcing
– Knowledge workers such as yourself –
selfsourcing
– Another organization – outsourcing
6-9
INSOURCING AND THE SYSTEMS
DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE
6-10
Phase 1: Planning
•
•
Planning phase - involves determining a
solid plan for developing your information
system
Three primary planning activities:
1. Define the system to be developed
•
Critical success factor (CSF) - a factor simply
critical to your organization’s success
6-11
Phase 1: Planning
2. Set the project scope
•
•
Project scope - clearly defines the high-level
system requirements
Project scope document - a written definition of
the project scope and is usually no longer than a
paragraph
6-12
Phase 1: Planning
3. Develop the project plan including tasks,
resources, and timeframes
•
Project plan - defines the what, when, and who
questions of system development
6-13
Phase 1: Planning
• Your role during planning
– Defining which systems to develop
– Developing the project plan
• Project manager - an individual who is an expert
in project planning and management, defines and
develops the project plan and tracks the plan to
ensure all key project milestones are completed on
time
6-14
Phase 2: Analysis
•
•
Analysis phase - involves end users and IT
specialists working together to gather,
understand, and document the business
requirements for the proposed system
The primary analysis activity:
1. Gather the business requirements
• Business requirements - the detailed set of
knowledge worker requests that the system must
meet in order to be successful
6-15
Phase 2: Analysis
• Joint application development (JAD) - knowledge
workers and IT specialists meet, sometimes for
several days, to define or review the business
requirements for the system
• Requirements definition document – prioritizes
the business requirements and places them in a
formal comprehensive document
• Sign-off - the knowledge workers’ actual signatures
indicating they approve all of the business
requirements
6-16
Phase 2: Analysis
6-17
Phase 3: Design
•
•
Design phase - build a technical blueprint
of how the proposed system will work
Two primary design activities:
1. Design the technical architecture required to
support the system
• Technical architecture - defines the hardware,
software, and telecommunications equipment
required to run the system
6-18
Phase 3: Design
2. Design system models
•
•
•
Modeling - the activity of drawing a graphical
representation of a design
Graphical user interface (GUI) - the interface to
an information system
GUI screen design - the ability to model the
information system screens for an entire system
6-19
Phase 4: Development
•
•
Development phase - take all of your
detailed design documents from the design
phase and transform them into an actual
system
Two primary development activities:
1. Build the technical architecture
2. Build the database and programs
6-20
Phase 5: Testing
•
•
Testing phase - verifies that the system
works and meets all of the business
requirements defined in the analysis phase
Two primary testing activities:
1. Write the test conditions
• Test conditions - the detailed steps the system
must perform along with the expected results of
each step
6-21
Phase 5: Testing
2. Perform the testing of the system
•
•
•
•
Unit testing – tests individual units of code
System testing – verifies that the units of code
function correctly when integrated
Integration testing – verifies that separate
systems work together
User acceptance testing (UAT) – determines if
the system satisfies the business requirements
6-22
Phase 6: Implementation
•
•
Implementation phase - distribute the
system to all of the knowledge workers and
they begin using the system to perform their
everyday jobs
Two primary implementation activities
1. Write detailed user documentation
•
User documentation - highlights how to use the
system
6-23
Phase 6: Implementation
2. Provide training for the system users
•
•
Online training - runs over the Internet or off a
CD-ROM
Workshop training - is held in a classroom
environment and lead by an instructor
6-24
Phase 7: Maintenance
•
•
Maintenance phase - monitor and support
the new system to ensure it continues to
meet the business goals
Two primary maintenance activities:
1. Build a help desk to support the system users
• Help desk - a group of people who responds to
knowledge workers’ questions
2. Provide an environment to support system
changes
6-25
SELFSOURCING AND
PROTOTYPING
• Selfsourcing (also called knowledge
worker development or end user
development) - the development and
support of IT systems by knowledge workers
with little or no help from IT specialists
6-26
The Selfsourcing Process
• The advantages of selfsourcing
– Improves requirements determination
– Increases knowledge worker participation and
sense of ownership
– Increases speed of systems development
6-27
The Selfsourcing Process
• Potential pitfalls and risks of selfsourcing
– Inadequate knowledge worker expertise leads to
inadequately developed systems
– Lack of organizational focus creates “privatized”
IT systems
– Insufficient analysis of design alternatives leads
to subpar IT systems
– Lack of documentation and external support
leads to short-lived systems
6-28
PROTOTYPING
• Prototyping - the process of building a
model that demonstrates the features of a
proposed product, service, or system
• Prototype - a model of a proposed product,
service, or system
• Proof-of-concept prototype - used to prove
the technical feasibility of a proposed system
• Selling prototype - used to convince people
of the worth of a proposed system
6-29
OUTSOURCING
• Developing strategic partnerships
• Outsourcing - the delegation of specific work
to a third party for a specified length of time,
at a specified cost, and at a specified level of
service
6-30
The Outsourcing Process
6-31
The Outsourcing Process – an RFP
6-32
Offshore Outsourcing
 Offshore outsourcing - using organizations
from other countries to write code and
develop systems
6-33
The Advantages of Outsourcing
•
•
•
•
•
•
Focus on unique core competencies
Exploit the intellect of another organization
Better predict future costs
Acquire leading-edge technology
Reduce costs
Improve performance accountability
6-34
The Disadvantages of Outsourcing
• Reduces technical know-how for future
innovation
• Reduces degree of control
• Increases vulnerability of strategic
information
• Increases dependency on other organizations
6-35
CAN YOU…
1. List the seven steps in the systems
development life cycle and an associated
activity for each step
2. Describe three keys to success you can use
to help ensure a successful systems
development effort
3. Define the three different ways you can staff
a systems development project
6-36
CAN YOU…
4. List the three advantages of selfsourcing
5. Describe prototyping and profile an
example of a prototype
6. Describe the five advantages of prototyping
7. Describe the outsourcing process and the
current trend toward offshore outsourcing
6-37
CHAPTER 6
End of Chapter 6