Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Spiral model

There are number of reasons because of which ongoing project may stop. In order to overcome the hurdles in the future it is essential to make a brief study of the possibilities of the future problems and likewise steps must be taken for avoiding such problems. This will help the project to be carried on nonstop without any future hurdles and it also help to save time and money. Spiral model, is one such model which is useful in such situations where the future planning is essentials to eliminate the possible risks in the future. It helps to guide the risks that the project may face in the mere future and what steps should be taken t overcome such risks. The Spiral model has a unique process design which helps to eliminate the risks in the future.

The spiral model is a four stage model. The four stage are nothing but part of a circular path which are critical in providing the guidelines for the future. Each stage of the spiral model is represented by one quadrant of the Cartesian design. The cost incurred is represented by the radius of the model. The four activities or stages involved in the spiral model are as follows:

Planning: It helps to understand the underlining concept of the project. We get acquainted with the objectives, alternatives and the constraints of the project or the product which is under process. It is essential that a lot of time must be invested for planning as it is the base of the spiral model, even if the slightest negligence can adversely affect the process.

Risk analysis: In this stage all the potential risks involved in the future are analyzed carefully. This stage is most vital stage of the model as the main process actually starts from Risk analysis. In this process the potential risk areas are taken into consideration and solutions are drawn to overcome the risks. Also, in Risk analysis alternative options are evaluated which becomes easier to overcome the future risks.

Engineering: Once the risk analysis is done the next step is the actual development and the verification process. This is done by using either a prototyping approach or the simulation.

Custer evaluation: The customer evaluates the model and checks it in and out. If there are any modifications to be made the customers give feed back to the developers.

The spiral model is one of the most realistic approaches which are very essential for the development of the large systems. By spiral model the developers can also apply the prototyping and the customer’s evolutions approach to make the project more unique and successful.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Waterfall model

In the waterfall model the process in carried in phases. The output of one phase in the waterfall model is the input to the other phase. There is a sequential and linear flow amongst the process. There are standards set for the output of each process. If one output is wrong it disturbs the entire model.

With the help of the waterfall model one can easily measure the progress of the current project which is carried on. As, the model is a diagrammatic representation it is very easy to trace the output and the logical content of the project. The following are the phases of the waterfall model:

1) Preliminary Investigation

2)Requirement analysis

3)System Design

4)System Coding

5)System Testing

6)Implementation and Evaluation

7)Maintainable

Friday, September 12, 2008

Stages of System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

The System Development is the interactive process which consists of the following stages
  • Preliminary Investigation: One of the most tedious task is to recognize the real problem of the pre-installed system. The analysis has to spend hours and days for understanding the fault in the system. This fault could have however overcome if the Preliminary Investigation before installing the system was properly done. This is the first stage of the development of the system. In this stage the analyst makes a survey by gathering all the available information needed for the system elements and allocation of the requirements to the software.
  • Analysis of the requirement: The analyst understands the nature of the information and the functions of the software which is required for the system. The analyst makes a brief survey of the requirements and tries to analyze the performance of the system which is to be developed. He also makes sure that he gets enough information and resources for building the appropriate system.
  • System Design: The analyst actually makes number of designs of the system on paper or on the computer and sees to it that the rough image made of the system comprises of all the requirements or not. Once this is done, the analyst selects and finalizes a best suited design for the development of the system.
  • System Coding: The analyst translates the code or the programs in such a way that they become in machine readable form. The coding step is very time consuming and involves number of rooms for errors.
  • System Testing: Once the analyst is through with the coding stage he tests the systems and sees to it that it is working as per the expectations or not. He corrects the flaws in the system if any.
  • System Implementation: This is one of the most vital phase as in this phase the analyst actually gives the system to the customer and expects for a positive feedback.
  • System Maintenance: The last stage of the SDLC is that the analyst needs to maintain the system and see to it that it working within the standards set. He needs to maintain the system by removing the defects of flaws occured.

Introduction System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

Software development contains set of activities which when performed in coordination and in accordance with one another result in the desired result. Software development methodologies are used for the computer based information systems. The growth of the informations has to pass through various phases/ stages these stages are known as System Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The SDLC follows a well defined process by which the system is conceived, developed and implemented.

Executive Information System (EIS)

The Executive Information System (EIS) is needed by the top level management executives for serving period reports and information. This systems helps the management to access the on time and the information is provided in the form of report.

The Executive Information System (EIS) is very user friendly and make use of the Graphical user Interface (GUI) for better understanding of the reports generated. It posses drill down capabilities and exception reporting system which helps users to easily connect and access the online information and other online services.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Decision Support Systems (DSS)

The Decision Support Systems (DSS) is used by the top level management. It helps the top level management to take the unstructured decisions in the management. A unstructured decision is a very tedious and difficult decision as there is no clear procedure available for such a decision.

The key factor in the Decision Support Systems is determining what type of information should be needed. In the unstructured decisions its very difficult to identify the information needed in the future decision making, so the Decision Support Systems plays a vital role of assisting the directors in taking vital decisions.