System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

To solve the operational problems of various organizations , a number of system development life cycle (SDLC ) methodologies were created . The SDLC describes the several stages involved in developing information systems , which usually includes software requirements analysis , systems design , systems development , system testing , and release and maintenance . The waterfall methodology was the first SDLC methodology created . It involves a sequence of stages or phases where each phase has to be accomplished first before you proceed to the next . Then , the output of an accomplished stage becomes the input for the next stage (Kay

, 2002 . A number of problems were encountered in adopting this methodology , one of which is that the system requirements must be specified in advance (Kay , 2002 . Hence , many other SDLC methodologies were developed . First , the prototype development SDLC is a cyclic version of the waterfall methodology wherein a prototype is created tested , and iterated as necessary until an acceptable prototype is achieved . The rational unified process (RUP ) takes an an iterative requirements-driven , and architecture-centric approach to software development (Kruchten , 2004 cited in Ambler , 2005 . Based on the SDLC spiral method , the RUP 's system development is organized into four phases where each stage consists of executable reiteration . The rapid application development (RAD ) emphasizes on developing a high-quality system faster by creating a prototype as early as possible to be tested and refined (Kay , 2002 . RAD , however , works best only under certain conditions , such as when the end-user is a small group . Finally , the agile development methodology consists of four phases : iteration 0 development iterations , release , and production . One of its advantages is the feedback cycle between the generation of an idea and the realization of that idea ' is shortened , thereby minimizing the risk of misunderstanding (Ambler , 2005 . Meanwhile , Microsoft solutions framework is a flexible framework designed to provide business-driven solutions considering the following approaches : Project Management , Risk Management , and Readiness Management

References

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Ambler , S .W (2005 . A Manager 's Introduction to The Rational Unified Process (RUP

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Bluebiz .com (2005 . Rapid Application Development . Retrieved September 27 , 2007 from

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Gantthead .com (2007 . Process /Project RAD - RAD - Rapid Application Development Process

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Mariosalexandrou .com (2007 . Rapid Application Development (RAD Methodology . Retrieved...