APPROACHES TO SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

(A) The Traditional Predicative Approach (B) The Newer Adaptive Approach

A predictive approach to the SDLC is an approach that assumes that the development project can be planned and organized in advance and that the new system can be developed according to the plan. Waterfall Model is used in this approach to develop a new system. Predictive SDLCs are useful for building systems that are well understood and defined. For example, a company may want to convert its old, manual inventory system to a newer networked client/server system.

Approaches to System Development cont.

In contrast, an adaptive approach to the SDLC is used

when the exact requirements of a system or the users needs are not well understood. In this situation, the project cant be planned completely in advance. Some requirements of the system may yet need to be determined, after some preliminary development work.

Remember that by adaptive approach, we mean a development approach in which project activities including plans and models - are adjusted as the project progresses. Spiral model and prototypes are used to development system in this approach.

THE WATERFALL MODEL

The waterfall model is a sequential process, in which progress is seen as flowing steadily downwards (like a waterfall) through the phases of Conception, Initiation, Analysis, Design, Construction, Testing and Maintenance.

The Waterfall Model

cont

The waterfall model is a traditional approach of the systems development life cycle model for software engineering. Often considered the classic approach to the systems development life cycle, the waterfall model describes a development method that is linear and sequential. Waterfall development has distinct goals for each phase of development. A detailed plan is first developed, then the requirements are thoroughly specified, then the system is designed down to the last algorithm, then it is programmed, tested and installed. Imagine a waterfall on the cliff of a steep mountain. Once the water has flowed over the edge of the cliff and has begun its journey down the side of the mountain, it cannot turn back. It is the same with waterfall development. Once a phase of development is completed, the development proceeds to the next phase and there is no turning back.

The Waterfall Model

cont..

The advantage of waterfall development is that it allows for departmentalization and managerial control. A schedule can be set with deadlines for each stage of development and a product can proceed through the development process like a car in a carwash, and theoretically, be delivered on time. Development moves from concept, through design, implementation, testing, installation, troubleshooting, and ends up at operation and maintenance. Each phase of development proceeds in strict order, without any overlapping or iterative steps. The disadvantage of waterfall development is that it does not allow for much reflection or revision. Once an application is in the testing stage, it is very difficult to go back and change something that was not wellthought out in the concept stage. Alternatives to the waterfall model include joint application development (JAD), rapid application development (RAD), synch and stabilize, build and fix, and the spiral model.

Spiral Model
The spiral model contains many adaptive elements, and it is generally considered to be the first adaptive approach to system development. The life cycle is shown as a spiral, staring in the center and working its way outward, over and over again, until the project is complete. For example, a spiral model begins with an initial planning phase, as shown in the center of the figure. The purpose of this phase is to gather enough information to begin developing an initial prototype. Planning phase activities include a feasibility study, a high-level user requirement survey, generation of implementation alternatives, and choice of an overall design and implementation strategy. After the initial planning is completed, work begins in earnest on the first prototype. A prototype is a preliminary working model of a larger system. For each prototype, the development process follows a sequential path through analysis, design, construction, testing, integration with previous prototype components, and planning for the next prototype. When planning for the next prototype is completed, the cycle of activities begins again. A spiral model can be adapted for any number of prototypes. This approach is frequently called an iterative approach to SDLC.

Spiral Model