L16 - Development Methodologies

Question 1

What parties are involved in IS Development?

Answer 1

1. Client
2. Business Analyst
3. Software Developer

Question 2

What is IS Development?

Answer 2

• Requires a team of people to manage complex systems
  
  • Analysts
  • Designers
  • Programmers
  • Testers
  • Stakeholders
• Aims to achieve specific objectives
  
  • In a fixed period of time
  • With Fixed resources
• Requiring careful management

Question 3

What is the need for planning out IS?

Answer 3

• Software is intangible meaning it is harder to monitor progress
  
  • Due to lack of physical product
• IS projects are unique because they depend on
  
  • Company culture
  • Company size
  • Software size
  • Software type
• Business needs change even during dev period

Question 4

What are IS methodologies?

Answer 4

Question 5

What is Waterfall Metholdology?

Answer 5

• Used by SSADM - Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method
• Traditional Model - Minimal User Involvement
• System Dev flows downwards
  
  • From one phase to the next
  • Well defined steps
• Includes lots of deliverables which are evaluated and approved
• Meaning its easier to find errors and reject deliverables to rework them

Question 6

Use Cases of Waterfall

Answer 6

• Computerising existing manual sys without major changes
• Minimal changes to sys over time
• Supporting processes well understood and defined
• Systems are isolated and not integrated
• Safety critical sys

Question 7

What are the advantages of Waterfall?

Answer 7

• Practical easy to use
• Simple structure approach to call software activities
• Emphasis on documentation
• Traceability and management focused
• Versions and change control allowing other teams to continue previous work
  
  • Allowing for easier handoff in future if not maintaining

Question 8

What are the constraints of waterfall?

Answer 8

• Fixed requirements
• Delivery is when the product is ready not when the client wants it
• Costs and resources expand as needed to meet requirements

Question 9

What are the benfits of waterfall?

Answer 9

• Practical + easy to use
• Simple structured approach to all software activities
  
  • New devs can follow
  • Clients can understand
• Emphases on doc
• Traceability and management facilitated
• Versions + change control

Question 10

What are the disadvantages of waterfall?

Answer 10

• Slow
  
  • Rework takes time and resouces
  • Buisness can change by the delivery time
• Distance from users
• Testing is left at the end of the phase
• Detailed docs take time to create
• Delays cost extra time and deadlines can be missed