Systems Development Overview

An information system is a computer program, application, or combination of hardware and software that is developed to solve a specific problem. The process of creating an information system is referred to as the systems development life cycle (SDLC).

The SDLC has five phases:

1. Analyze: The role of the analysis phase is to ask questions and pose answers. What is the purpose of the information system? What needs will it fill? Who will use it? What is an appropriate schedule and budget? Considering all constraints, what is the best solution?
2. Design: Once the analysis phase has determined what the system will do, the design phase determines how it will do it. The design phase often ends with a prototype — a working model of the system.
3. Develop: The next phase is to actually create the components of the system. Testing should be an integral part of the development phase, ensuring that each component works as it should and that the design plan is being followed.
4. Implement: When development is complete, it's time to put the system in place. This can mean installing the software on end-users' computers or uploading a Web site to the server.
5. Maintain: The work doesn't end with implementation. Ideally, the maintenance phase lasts until the system is no longer in use. The system must be monitored to ensure that it continues to work properly. Errors (or "bugs") may be found that need to be fixed, or new needs may arise which require modifications to the system. If the new needs cannot be met by the original system, the cycle starts over to design a significant modification to the system or to implement a new system.

Information Technology (IT), Information Systems (IS), Management Information Systems (MIS) all refer to generally the same idea — the management of the SDLC.

Project management software, such as Microsoft Project, can help manage the SDLC process.