Information Systems Development

Information Systems Development.

Information systems development involves designing and implementing a business process or an idea that needs a computer system to operate. It includes identifying the right software and hardware to deploy and support the running of the smart system. Information systems development involves creating a set of instructions through programming to form a set of actions that would guide an operation on a computer. The study of information systems development involves the description of the following items:

1. What are the steps in the SDLC methodology?

The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a very structured and risk-averse methodology designed to manage large projects that included multiple programmers and systems that would significantly impact the organization (Bourgeois, 2018). It exists in the following steps:

• Preliminary analysis. The stage involves the review of the request to develop a system for enacting an operation. It helps in evaluating the need and cost of the project.
• System analysis. This stage involves the system analyst who works with various stakeholder groups to identify the new system’s particular requirements. They develop a system-requirements document that defines the procedures, the key players, and the data requirements to obtain a more in-depth insight into the system’s operation.
• System design. This phase involves the designer who uses the systems-requirements documents to formulate the specific technical details required for the system. In this
  phase, the business requirements are translated into specific technical requirements (Bourgeois, 2018). It involves the formulation of the system-design document and preparation of the system for the programmer through the development of the user interface, database, data inputs, and outputs.
• The programmer uses the system design document to develop an initial working program that meets system analysis requirements and system design requirements.
• The program is taken through a series of structured tests involving the unit test, system test, and the user-acceptance test. The unit test examines individual parts of the code for errors and bugs; the system test evaluates the system’s various components to ensure that they work together correctly, while the user-acceptance test involves the assessment of the suitability of the system by the users. Any bugs, errors, or
  problems found during testing are addressed and then tested again (Bourgeois, 2018).
• The developed and tested system is implemented by training the users, providing documentation, and converting from any previous system to the new system.
• The system undergoes a structured support process involving fixing bugs, requesting new features, updating systems, and performing backups regularly.

2. What is RAD software development?

Rapid application development (RAD) is building a working model of software, and getting feedback from the users to guide the developer in updating the working model. It would take several iterations of development before implementing the final version.

3. What makes the lean methodology unique?

The lean methodology involves taking the initial idea and developing a minimum viable product (MVP), working software with just enough functionality to demonstrate the idea behind the project. The methodology is unique in that the full set of the system’s requirements remain unknown during the launching of the project. The requirements are obtained from the feedback and statistics as each iteration is released.

4. What are the three differences between second-generation and third-generation languages?

5. Why would an organization consider building its software application if it is cheaper to buy one?

The company would avoid buying a software application used by its competitors, and organizations need to differentiate themselves. A company would also face customization problems from a purchased package every time the provider releases an update. The process would be difficult for the organization.

6. What is responsive design?

Responsive design is the development of a website that can function effectively despite the type of device it would browse on, as images can resize themselves based on the size of the device’s screen. Texts can also size themselves properly for optimal viewing.

7. What is the relationship between HTML and CSS in website design?

Hypertext markup language (HTML) and the cascading style sheets (CSS) can be combined to create formats and designs with the HTML defining the components of webpages and CSS defining the components’ styles on a page.

8. What is the difference between the pilot implementation methodology and the parallel implementation methodology?

A pilot implementation methodology involves the assignment of a subset of the organization to start using the new system before the organization’s rest. In contrast, for parallel implementation systems, the organization uses both the new and old systems simultaneously for a limited time to test the new system.

9. What is change management?

Change management is the process of controlling how new systems are brought online, and old systems are phased out by communicating the proposed changes before they happen and planning to minimize the impact of the change that will occur after implementation.

10. What are the four different implementation methodologies?

The implementation methodologies are:

• Direct cutover. This method involves setting a specific date when the old system will not be used anymore, and the organization adopts the new system. The problem will occur if the new system has an operational problem.
• Pilot implementation. Pilot implementation involves selecting a subset of the organization to start using the new system before the rest of the organization.
• Parallel operation. In the parallel implementation, the old and new systems are allowed to operate simultaneously for a limited period.
• Phased implementation. The phased implementation allows the organization to gradually change to the new system by using a new software application function as they turn off the old systems.

Exercise 1.

Which software-development methodology would be best if an organization needed to develop
a software tool for a small group of users in the marketing department? Why? Which
implementation methodology should they use? Why?

Agile software development methodologies.
Agile software development methodologies involve the development of incremental changes for an organization while maintaining quality and detailing. This process would ensure the development of a cheap and effective model for a sector of the organization like the marketing department and serve a small group of users in the marketing domain.

The application would be implemented most efficiently using the phased implementation method to induce new functions slowly into a system as the old system is turned off. This mechanism would ensure that the functions are confirmed as they get integrated into the system.

References

Bourgeois, D. T. (2018). Information systems for business and beyond.