A Dynamic Approach to the System Development Life Cycle - Research Paper Example

APPLICATION OF DECISION MAKING GAME ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE (EA) ENABLES SDLC PROCESSES PAPER Introduction The fact that organizations, especially IT based organizations will engage in system and application development will continue to go on but for this to be effective, it is important to have a dynamic approach to their system development lifecycle (SDLC). Quote (year) noted that even though the SDLC serves as a useful guide for the development of systems within organizations and among system engineers, the SDLC is also very flexible and allows for dynamic and innovative manipulations that allows for the best of outcomes (quote). It is based on this that the current paper will look into ways by which enterprise architecture can be used as a dynamic model in making SDLC more functional and effective. Explanation of Enterprise Architecture (EA) There have been several attempts to define EA in a more precise way but it is clear that finding a common definition that embodies all that EA stands for. According to quote (year) however, the harder this attempt is made, the more divergent opinions come up as to what EA really stands for. For the purpose of the current paper however, a definition that is used by The Enterprise Architecture Body of Knowledge (2013) is adopted, which explains that EA analyses areas of common activity that are found within an organization by exchanging information and other resources to guide future states. EA are also known to be very applicable from an integrated viewpoint in terms of strategy, business and technology (quote). EA Support to SDLC Phase of ‘Initiation/Planning/Concept Phase From the definition given about EA, it would be understood that EA emphasizes on the exchange of information. Meanwhile, at the initiation, planning or concept of phase of SDLC, sponsors identify a need or opportunity that they seek to pursue (quote). By incorporating EA, these sponsors will be aided to exchange information with other stakeholders to confirm the viability of the needs or opportunities that they identify (quote). This means that EA helps sponsors not to make bad decisions as to whether they have to carry on the opportunities with other phases of the system development. In effect, EA can help in gathering useful information as to whether the system development should be started in the first place. EA Support to SDLC Phase of ‘Requirements Analysis Phase’ The requirement analysis phase of any SDLC has been noted to be a resource focused phase as it ends with decisions on the requirements that will be needed in undertaking the whole system development (quote). By extension, a lot of the financial budgeting is done at the requirements analysis phase. With this noted, quote (year) indicated that EA can be used to support the requirements analysis phase by basing on the principles of architecture to find ways of avoiding waste whiles getting the requirements underway. There are a number of ways to do this, including the use of IT portfolio management, which helps in ensuring efficiency in the apportioning of resources or IT portfolio for the system development. EA Support to SDLC Phase of ‘Design Phase’ An emerging concept in EA is user experience design. Quote (year) explained user experience design to be an EA process that aims at enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty through the improvement of usability, ease to use, and pleasure. Clearly, this is a principle that can be used to support the design phase of SDLC by ensuring that there is effective interaction between the end user and the designer while designing the system. A major problem that most system developers have faced is lack of satisfaction from the designs they build for their customers (quote). With the user experience design component of EA therefore, it will be possible to overcome this challenge as users are made a consultative part of the design. EA Support to SDLC Phase of ‘Development Phase’ At the development phase of the SDLC, there is the conversion of design into a complete information system (quote). It can therefore be said that the development phase is the stage where actual implementation of the system takes place. Meanwhile, there is a concept in EA known as performance engineering, which defines the roles, skills, activities, practices, tools, and deliverables that must be applied at each phase of the SDLC (quote). Performance engineering can therefore be used in a more elaborated manner at the development phase in such a way that ensures that the actual inputs that are invested into the conversion of the design into the complete information system is one that will result in an acceptable standard of delivery. The direct support of EA to SDLC can therefore be said to be the fact that it helps in avoiding the waste of production defects. EA Support to SDLC Phase of ‘Integration and Testing Phase’ After developing a system, the integration and testing phase is employed to ensure that the developed system conforms to requirements as specified at the requirement stage (quote). This means that the integration and testing phase is more of an assessment stage in the SDLC. Having said this, quote (year) noted that in EA, there is the opportunity for system developers to bring onboard other third party and independent critics who would assess the developed system based on its original requirements. This characteristic of EA can thus support the SDLC phase of integration and testing by making the assessment to be carried out more critical, authentic, and credible (quote). EA Support to SDLC Phase of ‘Implementation/ Deployment/ Support/ Maintenance Phase’ After the whole system has been developed and handed over the owners, it is important that its implementation will be followed with support and maintenance by the system developers (quote). It is actually at this deployment and maintenance phase that tasks to operate and maintain the information system that has been built is issue. Lately, there has been a more dynamic and novel approach to deployment and maintenance by incorporation of design thinking (quote). Design thinking employs the use of design-specific cognitive activities to solving common problems faced in the implementation of the system. As a component of EA, design thinking is very useful in ensuring that users of the system have the necessary cognitive skills to support and maintain the system after it has been handed over to them (quote). Conclusion Based on the above discussions, it will be restated that the engagement in system and application development will continue to go on but for this to be effective, it is important to have a dynamic approach to their system development lifecycle (SDLC). This is because through dynamism and innovation, it is possible for system developers to come up with the best modalities and changes that meet the interest of customers (quote). But to achieve dynamism, it is important that EA will always be incorporated in the SDLC (quote). References Read More