The system life cycle is a series of stages that are worked through during the development of a new information system.
A lot of time and money can be wasted if a system is developed that doesn’t work properly or do exactly what is required of it.
A new system is much more likely to be successful if it is carefully planned and developed.
The System Development Life Cycle
The system development life cycle has the following phases:
- Requirements AnalysisGathering of the system requirements takes place in this phase. A detailed study of the business needs of the organisation is included. Options for changing the business process may be considered.
- DesignDesign focuses on high level design (such as the programs that are needed and how they will interact), low-level design (how the individual programs are going to work), interface design (what are the interfaces going to look like), and data design (what data will be required). During this phase the system's overall structure is defined.
- DevelopmentIn this phase the designs are translated into code.
- Integration and TestThe execution of the tests (created for testing the system) takes place in this phase. Normally programs are written as a series of individual modules, each subject to separate, detailed tests. The system is then tested as a whole; that is, the separate modules are brought together and tested as a complete system. The system is tested to ensure that interfaces between modules work (integration testing), that the system works on the intended platform and with the expected volume of data (volume testing), and that the system does what the user requires (acceptance and beta testing).
- Operation and MaintenanceInevitably the system will need maintenance. Software will definitely undergo change once it is delivered to the customer. There are many reasons for a potential change. Change could happen because of some unexpected input values into the system. Changes in the system could directly affect the software operation. The software should be developed to accommodate changes that could happen during the post implementation period.
