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Overview
- Consultancy
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- Business Analysis:
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The first step in creating a system to satisfy your specific business problem is the analysis of
your business and the problem at hand. Business analysis seeks to identify all
the components of your business problem, and to devise a suitable solution to
the problem. Note that this solution is not defined on a technical level: It is
a high level impression of the solution which will best solve your business
problem.
- Requirements Gathering:
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The business analysis phase is followed by the gathering of precise requirements
for the proposed solution. The requirements that are gathered include the data
that should be captured, the format of the data, the types of users and their
access rights, and any other requirement which is relevant to making a system
that will effectively solve your business problem in an efficient manner.
- Software Requirement Specification:
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The Software Requirement Specification (SRS) is a pivotal document in the
life-cycle of your system. The SRS document is a complete description of the
behaviour of the system to be developed. It describes the interactions that
users will have with the software - often referred to as the functional
requirements. In addition to functional requirements, the SRS also contains
non-functional (or supplementary) requirements. Non-functional requirements are
requirements which impose constraints on the design or implementation (such as
performance requirements or quality standards). The SRS document guides the
development of your system, and represents the goal towards which the
development team strives. Your system is complete when it matches the
specifications set out in the SRS document. The SRS document is also required in
order to estimate development costs and durations.
- Development
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- Implementation:
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 The successful
implementation of your system relies heavily on the SRS which was created during
the consultancy phase of your system's life-cycle. All the components and
functionality of your system are designed based on the SRS. The system will then
be implemented by writing software according to the design. This implementation
process is referred to as the programming or coding of the system.
- Testing:
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In order to ensure that your system is of the highest possible quality, it is
essential that the software undergoes rigorous testing. Such a testing process
helps in the identification of mistakes in the program which lead to unwanted
behaviour. Part of the testing is also to ensure that the program adheres to the
SRS which was created during the consultancy phases.
- Deployment:
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Your completed system needs to be deployed before it can be used. For a web
based system, deployment is performed by installing your system at an internet
hosting provider. Part of such a deployment process is thus also the selection
of a hosting provider. If your system is a desktop application, then deployment
is performed by installing the system (possibly accompanied by hardware) at your
premises. Part of such a deployment process is thus also the selection and
procurement of appropriate hardware to run your system. It goes without saying
that there might be the need for minimal extra development if there are
difficulties during deployment.
- Maintenance
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- Bug Fixing:
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 Software will sometimes
have mistakes in the program leading to unwanted behavior. These mistakes are
referred to as bugs, and need to be fixed in order to ensure the correct working
of your software. Most bugs should be eliminated during the testing phase. In
the unfortunate event that a bug is only discovered after deployment, it should
be fixed as part of your system's maintenance.
- Feature Requests:
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As the client, you might want to have some features added to your system. This
process starts with the completion of a feature request form. Such a feature
request will then go through minimal consultancy and development phases before
being deployed into the existing system.
- Change Requests:
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As your business requirements change, you might want to modify an existing
feature of your system. This process starts with the completion of a change
request form. Such a change request will then go through minimal consultancy and
development phases before beeing deployed into the existing system.
- Search Engine Optimization:
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It is not enough to just have a good looking, functional website. You need to
get people to visit your website. This is facilitated through the process of
Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is a mixture of techniques that can be
employed to make your website easier for search engines to index, and to make it
return higher on a list of search results. The goal of SEO is thus to get more
people to your website, so that you can do more business.
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