Compare and contrast the various Systems Development Lifecycle methodologies

Running Head : Systems Development Lifecycle Methodologies

Systems Development Lifecycle Methodologies

Evaluation and Comparison of Methods

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Abstract : The systems development lifecycle is the path followed by a software development project . This lifecycle includes steps such as project planning , requirements analysis , development , testing deployment and maintenance . A number of different systems development lifecycle methodologies or conceptualizations have been designed including the waterfall , spiral , build and fix and agile development methodologies . This compares and contrasts these four methodologies , discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each methodology

and the appropriate application of the methodology to a given software development project

Table of Contents

TOC \o "1-3 " Introduction PAGEREF _Toc \h 4

Code and Fix PAGEREF _Toc \h 4

Waterfall PAGEREF _Toc \h 5

Spiral PAGEREF _Toc \h 7

Agile Development PAGEREF _Toc \h 8

Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc \h 12 Introduction

The systems development lifecycle is the series of steps a systems development project goes through on its way from conceptualization to completed product . At one time , this lifecycle was simple - the programmer built a program , and users used it . Burgeoning complexity in systems development , the need for systems which more clearly meet the user 's requirements and increasingly complicated technological considerations have created a need for more formalized systems development lifecycle methodologies , or means of defining and following the chosen systems development lifecycle . Russo (1995 ) discussed the implementation of formal systems development methodologies . She noted that many organizations modified or combined existing methodologies to create their own , unique methodology that matched their business practices however , many organizations expressed dissatisfaction with these modified methods . The increasing number of common systems development methodologies stems from attempts to create solutions for many different development environments . Systems development methodologies can be generally divided into two categories : sequential methodologies , in which each step follows the next for a single development round , and iterative , in which there are a number of full short development cycles which work gradually toward a completed system (Russo , 1995 . Some commonly used systems development lifecycle methodologies include the waterfall model , the spiral model , the build and fix model and the agile development model . Each of these methodologies has its strengths and weaknesses , and each is suited to a particular type of systems development

Code and Fix

The code and fix lifecycle methodology , or ad hoc development , is the crudest possible method . As described by Boehm (1988 , 62 ) this method involves a programmer writing a piece of code and deploying it as problems are found , the code is fixed and redeployed . This method works for only very small projects , and is rarely acceptable for customer-oriented development . For any project of significant size , a more formalized approach is required to avoid undue risk and excess rework

Waterfall

The waterfall model is one of the oldest formal systems development lifecycle methodologies . Winston Royce was the first person that described the waterfall model , presenting it at the IEEE Wescon conference in 1970 . Royce described a top-down , sequential , seven-step process with interaction between adjacent steps...