Stakeholders
People who, either themselves or through the organization they represent, ultimately benefit from the systems development project; often work with others in developing a computer app
Users
People who will regularly interact with the system
Systems analyst
A professional who specializes in analyzing and designing business systems
Programmer
A specialist responsible for modifying or developing programs to satisfy user requirements; takes the plans from the systems analyst and builds or modifies the necessary software
Individual systems developer
performs all of the systems development roles, including systems analyst, programmer, technical specialist, and other roles; many specialize in developing apps for individuals
End-user systems development
Any systems development project in which the primary effort is undertaken by a combination of business managers and users; business managers and users assume the primary effort
Information systems planning
Translating strategic and organizational goals into systems development initiatives; transforms organizational goals outlined in the strategic plan into specific systems development activities
Systems development life cycle (SDLC)
aka systems development process; activities associated are ongoing
Systems investigation
The systems development phase during which problems and opportunities are identified and considered in light of the goals of the business
Systems analysis
The systems development phase involving the study of existing systems and work processes to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement
Systems design
The systems development phase that defines how the information system will do what it must do to obtain the solution
Systems implementation
The systems development phase involving the creation or acquisition of various system components detailed in the systems design, assembling them, and placing the new or modified system into operation
Systems maintenance and review
The systems development phase that ensures the system operates and modifies the system so that it continues to meet challenging business needs
Prototyping
An iterative approach to the systems development process in which at each iteration requirements and alternative solutions to a problem are identified and analyzed, new solutions are designed, and a portion of the system is implemented
Rapid application development (RAD)
A systems development approach that employs tools, techniques, and methodologies designed to speed application development; can be used to make systems development projects more flexible and agile - able to rapidly change with changing conditions and envi
Capability Maturity Model (CMM)
Based on Carnegie Mellon research & work done by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), CMM measures organizational experience with the systems development process; Grades maturity using 5 levels: initial, repeatable, defined, managed, & optimized
Project schedule
A detailed description of what is to be done
Project milestone
A critical date for the completion of a major part of the project
Project deadline
The date the entire project is to be completed and operational
Critical paths
Activities that, if delayed, would delay the entire project
Program Evaluation & Review Technique (PERT)
A formalized approach that creates 3 time estimates for an activity to determine a single time estimate
Gantt chart
A graphical tool used for planning, monitoring, and coordinating projects
Computer-aided software engineering (CASE)
Tools that automate many of the tasts required in a systems development effort and encourage adherence to the SDLC
Object-oriented systems development (OOSD)
An approach to systems development that combines the logic of the systems development life cycle with the power of object-oriented modeling and programming
Systems request form
A document filled out by someone who wants the IS department to initiate systems investigation
Feasibility analysis
Assessment of the technical, economic, legal, operational, and schedule [TELOS] feasibility of a project
Technical feasibility
Assessment of whether the hardware, software, and other system components can be acquired or developed to solve the problem
Economic feasibility
The determination of whether the project makes financial sense and whether predicted benefits offset the cost and time needed to obtain them
Legal feasibility
The determination of whether laws or regulations may prevent or limit a systems development project
Schedule feasibility
The determination of whether the project can be completed in a reasonable amount of time
Systems investigation report
A summary of the results of the systems investigation and the process of feasibility analysis and recommendation of a course of action
Steering committee
An advisory group consisting of senior management and users from the IS department and other functional areas
Structured interview
An interview in which the questions are written in advance
Unstructured interview
An interview in which the questions are not written in advance
Direct observation
Directly observing the existing system in action by one or more member of the analysis team
Questionnaires
A method of gathering date when the data sources are spread over a wide geographic area
Data analysis
The manipulation of collected data so that the development team members who are participating in systems analysis can use the data
Data-flow diagram (DFD)
A model of objects, associations, and activities that describes how data can flow between and around various objects
Data-flow line
A line with arrows that show the direction of data element movement
Process symbol
Representation of a funtion that is performed
Entity symbol
Representation of either a source or destination of a data element
Date store
Representation of a storage location for data
Requirements analysis
The determination of user, stakeholder, and organizational needs
Asking directly
An approach to gather data that asks users, stakeholders, and other managers about what they want and expect from the new or modified system
System design
The stage of systems development that answers the question "How will the information system solve a problem?
Logical design
A description of the functional requirements of a system
Physical design
The specification of the characteristics of the system components necessary to put the logical design into action
Environmental design
(aka green design) involves systems development efforts that slash power consumption, require less physical space, and result in systems that can be disposed of in a way that doesn't negatively affect the environment
Request for proposal (RFP)
A document that specifies in detail required resources such as hardware and software
Preliminary evaluation
An initial assessment whose purpose is to dismiss the unwanted proposals; begins after all proposals have been submitted
Final evaluation
A detailed investigation of the proposals offered by the vendors remaining after the preliminary evaluation
Design report
The primary result of systems design, reflecting the decisions made for systems design and preparing the way for systems implementation
Systems implementation
A stage of systems development that includes hardware acquisition or development, user preparation, hiring and training of personnel, sire and data preparation, installation, testing, start-up, and user acceptance
make-or-buy decisions
The decision regarding whether to obtain the necessary software from internal or external sources
User preparation
The process of readying managers, decision makers, employees, other users, and stakeholders for the new systems
Site preparation
Preparation of the location of a new system
Data preparation/conversion
Making sure that all files and databases are ready to be used with new computer software and systems
Installation
The process of physically placing the computer equipment on the site and making it operational
Unit testing
Testing of individual programs
System testing
Testing the entire system of programs
Volume testing
Testing the application with a large amount of data
Integration testing
Testing all related systems together
Acceptance testing
Conducting any tests required by the user
Start-up
The process of making the final tested information system fully operational
Direct conversion
Stopping the old system and starting the new system on a given date; aka plunge or direct cutover
Phase-in approach
Slowly replacing components of the old system with those of the new one; this process is repeated for each application until the new system is running every application and performing as expected; aka piecemeal approach
pilot stat-up
Running the new system for one group of users rather than all users
Parallel start-up
Running both the old and new systems for a period of time and comparing the output of the new system closely with the output of the old system; any differences are reconciled. When users are comfortable that the new system is working correctly, the old sy
User acceptance document
A formal agreement that the user signs stating that a phase of the installation or the complete system is approved
Systems operation
Use of a new or modified system in all kinds of operating conditions
Systems maintenance
A stage of systems development that involves checking, changing, and enhancing the system to make it more useful in achieving user and organizational goals
Systems review
The final step of systems development, involving analyzing systems to make sure that they are operating as intended
System performance measurement
Monitoring the system - the number of errors encountered, the amount of memory required, the amount of processing or CPU time needed, and other problems
System performance products
Software that measures all components of the information system, including hardware, software, database, telecommunications, and network systems