Fathoming the Depths of System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

(Originally posted February 18, 2012)

The focus of class this week was understanding the fundamentals behind the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Though there are varying types of SDLCs, the Traditional method involves five essential steps: investigation, analysis, detail, implementation, and maintenance/review (Kim, Lecture Notes, 4/16/12). In his article on SDLCs, H. Frank Servone (2007) mentions eight steps (expanding on analysis and adding a construction step) as he examines SDLCs in the context of a digital library. Pragmatic, Cervone asks the important questions any reasonable person assessing an information system should take into account--particularly possible constraints which may hinder a project--specifically matters such as time and budget constraints, and whether the public would be able to adapt (Servone, 150). In short, researchers must simply determine whether a project is feasible.

Zhang et al's "Integrating Human Computer Interaction into the Systems Development Life Cycle" (2005) does not bring about a particularly revolutionary idea. In short, end users need to be involved in the SDLC process. This only makes sense, because just as businesses regularly seek feedback from their customers on ways to improve service, so too should IT specialists and developers look to feedback from the patrons of the information system. What is startling is that this does not happen enough. Zhang et al provide charts and explanations for why users should be involved in the experience--making heavy use of the term, "human computer interaction" (HCI) (Zhang et al, p. 512). Recognizing that the emphasis was not necessarily on just humans, but the end users, I was fascinated to see that that term was not used once in article. Written in 2005, the article is slightly dated, because a new field has emerged which focuses on such a study of HCI.

Combining qualities of computer and cognitive science is "human factors." This field does not just study HCI, but the interaction between humans (with regards to all the senses and the body as a whole) and all devices. Through this field, examining how a human interacts with a car can lead to improved ergonomics, increased comfort, and a safer, more pleasant driving experience. The same can be said with regards to computers. It's still an emerging field, and there is still a level of disconnect between developers eager to push a new idea and a wary public which attempts to adjust.

Tony Drewry's "Data Flow Diagrams" is an online instructional tool the breaks down the complexities of the information exchange on the Internet through diagrams. Reassuring readers that there is indeed a system by which data is received and disseminated after it is sent, Drewry reminds his readers that the Internet has a magical way of effectively turning online exchanges into the electronic bureaucracy.

To be honest, much of this information is common sense, and I suppose it derives from an understanding of physics and an understanding of how information is exchanged. However, tying a simple idea to computers and the Internet complicates things and, while the philosophy is easy to grasp, it becomes unnecessarily complicated by the increasingly "pedantic semantics." Because IT specialists/Web developers are anatomically human and naturally involved in the update and revision process, a more accurate term than HCI would be "EUI" (End User Involvement).

To paraphrase Mark Twain, "eschew obfuscation."

_______________________________________________________

Cervone, H. (2007) "The system development life cycle and digital library development", OCLC Systems & Services, Vol. 23 No. 4, p.348-352.

Drewry, T. (2005). Data flow diagrams.

Zhang, P. et al. (2005). Integrating human computer interaction development into the systems development life cycle: A methodology. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, No.15, p. 512- 543.