Computer systems life cyle.

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The Systems
Life Cycle

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This lesson will cover:
The life cycle of a system.
The common stages in the design and
implementation of a system.
The need for an ongoing process of system
design and refinement.

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The systems life cycle
How are new IT systems created?
Many systems are created to
solve a problem. The problem
has to be identified first so a
technological solution can be
analysed and researched.
Think of the IT systems in your school. What problems
do they solve, or what processes do they improve?

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Feasibility study
A feasibility study is an assessment of the practicality of a
proposed idea or solution. It might look at factors like:
time costs requirements security maintenance.
Feasibility studies can be
conducted through different types
of research. For example:
studying similar systems
interviews/questionnaires with users
observations of existing
systems/processes/procedures.
Why are feasibility studies important?

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General election 2010

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Systems analysis
Systems analysis is the process of understanding how
systems work, in order to create better systems or make
improvements to existing systems.
Flow charts and data
flow diagrams are
useful tools in systems
analysis as they allow
us to see what is
happening to
information, data and
users of a system.
yes
no
Start
Is somebody
at the door? Open door
Close door

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Planning
This will often involve creating success criteria for the project.
Once a system has been analysed and a feasibility study
conducted, the changes and improvements need to be
designed and planned.
What is the aim of the project?
What needs to happen for the project
to be deemed a success?
What are the project constraints that
must be met by the project?
Ideas can then be discussed and reviewed until a final design
and plan can be produced.
Success criteria allow you to review and
evaluate the project once it is complete.

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Create a plan

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Implementation
Implementation refers to the execution of a plan. It is the
stage in which a design is actualized.
Unexpected problems can
arise during the
implementation process.
This may require plans to be
changed or the overall
system be analysed again
and redesigned.
What aspects are important to monitor
during the implementation stage?

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Testing

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British Airways

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User training and documentation

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Evaluation

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Monitoring and maintenance
Once a system is complete and being used, the work on it
does not stop. The system will need to be monitored and it
may also need regular maintenance to prevent crashes.
Users may also encounter problems and bugs with the
system over time. This can lead to a new analysis of a system
and a new feasibility study for making the improvements.
In this way the systems life
cycle is an iterative review
process, i.e. it is constantly
repeating the entire process
so improvements can be made.

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Systems life cycle