System Development Life Cycle - Research Paper Example

SOFTWARE LIFE CYCLE Number: Lecturer: SOFTWARE LIFE CYCLE The System development life cycle (SDLC) is a concept that is used in the management of system development projects (Alan, Edward, & Edward, 1988). It describes the steps that are involved in system development projects starting from feasibility study down to the implementation and maintenance of the system. The SDLC models that exist are conventionally similar with regard to the steps and stages involved in system development (Alan, Edward, & Edward, 1988). However, they differ on the approaches and methodologies used to achieve the goals and objectives of the desired system. The nature of the desired system in terms of system user requirements and its complexity will determine the choice of the SDLC model to be adopted. Generally, the success of system development is more dependent on how closely the plan and steps in the chosen model are followed (Alan, Edward, & Edward, 1988). For this scenario, the most suitable model for developing the system is the Spiral model. The spiral model of software development life cycle is one of the models that have been designed to improve the software development life cycle. After several years of research and development, spiral model offers a greater risk –driven approach of system development process as compared to the other models that are more document driven or code driven (Barry, 1988). The choice for this approach is based on the nature of the project; the project is described as being volatile and dynamic. It is also prone to the exit of the development team members and incoming of new staff to help in the development of the system. Essentially, the project faces a lot of risks during its development cycle and also requires integration to a more complex system upon completion. Consequently, a risk oriented approach is ideally the best model to be used in the project. Spiral model is a risk oriented approach that has been designed to incorporate the risk analysis aspect of the project. It is also one of the best approaches since it has been designed to incorporate many of the strengths of the other SDLC models and eliminate their weaknesses (Alan, Edward, & Edward, 1988). The spiral model has advantages that are unique to its approach of system development. It has a high amount of risk analysis compared to other models. The model is also ideal for projects that are complex in nature and are mission critical. The software is also produced at the early stages of the software lifecycle (Barry, 1988). The spiral model carries more similarities to the incremental model, but there is more emphasis on risk analysis. The model comprises four phases namely; planning, Risk analysis, Engineering and evaluation. A typical project is iterated through this spiral phases. The cycle begins with the planning phase where requirements are gathered, and risk is analyzed or assessed (Barry, 1988). Each of the phases of cycle starts with determination of objectives of the product portion that is being produced, the alternative ways of implementing the project portion and the probable constraints to the identified alternatives. At the risk analysis, phase risks to the project are identified, and alternative solutions are determined (Barry, 1988). This phase is important particularly for this project given the fact that the project is volatile and dynamic in nature. This stage will substantially provide a risk analysis and alternative risk mitigation to address the anticipated risks in the mentioned project. The risk analysis also entails the formulation of cost effective strategies of solving sources of the project risks. Risk analysis is achieved through prototyping, benchmarking, simulation, reference checking, analytic modeling, administration of questionnaires and also combination of these methods (Barry, 1988). At the end of the risk analysis stage, a prototype is produced. At the engineering phase, software is produced together with testing at the end of the phase. The customer is allowed to evaluate the project output at the evaluation phase (Lowell & Jeffries, 2003). Each phase of the spiral model must have a review before the commencement of the next phase in the cycle. The review is done by the entire team involved with the project. It entails the progress of the project and the plan for the next phase of the cycle together with budget (Barry, 1988). This helps a great deal in identifying areas where objectives were not adequately met thus reducing chances of progressing with errors or inadequacies to the next level. Additionally, this feature enables all members of the development team both old and new to be well conversant with the project. The spiral approach is also ideal for this project due to its additional key features including; supporting specifications development that are not necessarily uniform formal or exhaustive by deferring in-depth descriptions of low risk elements until the high risk elements are stabilized (Alan, Edward, & Edward, 1988). This minimizes chances of risk when integrating with the complex system of the company. The approach also uses prototyping for risk reduction at any stage of development hence reducing risk reduction efforts. Finally, the approach accommodates reworks or reuse by revisiting earlier stages of development particularly when more ideal alternatives are identified or when risk issues need resolution (Barry, 1988). There are other system development life cycle models that could be used in the project. However, the nature of the project is complex thus the approach of these models could not suffice. The waterfall model has been used for decades in major organizations, and the results have been averagely sufficient. However, the major shortcomings include the lack of risk analysis integration, delayed software out that result in delayed identification of errors and flaws and its simplicity cannot be used to develop complex projects. It is also characterized by a huge amount of documentation that is generally inflexible (Luiz, 2005). The V- model is another sequential approach that emphasizes more on testing. The model has little flexibility thus adjusting the project scope is difficult and expensive. Most importantly the model has no risk analysis factor and does not provide a clear direction for problems that are identified during the testing phase. The software in this model is developed during the implementation stage therefore, lack of early software prototypes (Luiz, 2005). Extreme programming model is one of the mostly used agile methods of software development cycle. The model entails a feature of programming in pairs that allow a team of programmers to work on a particular project. This could be costly and time consuming. Additionally, the model needs experienced and skilled personnel for coding and fixing problems. It is also difficult to integrate or scale to larger and complex projects that require documentation (Lowell & Jeffries, 2003). Rapid application development uses rapid prototyping and minimal planning; requirements are gathered using focus groups and workshops. It also allows re-use of software components. The model has a rigid schedule that often defers improvements in design and quality to the next product version. The model is characterized by poor formality in team communication and reviews (Alan, Edward, & Edward, 1988). References Alan, D., Edward, B., & Edward, C. (1988). A Strategy for comparing Alternative Software Development Life Cycle Models. IEEE transactions on Software engineering, 1453-1456. Barry, W. (1988). A spiral Model of Software Development and Enhancement. IEEE , 61-72. Lowell, L., & Jeffries, R. (2003). Extreme Programming and Agile software development Methodologies. 43-50. Luiz, F. (2005). A new Coponent -Based software Life cycle Model. Journal of computer Science, 76-81. Read More