System Elements - Hardware

System Elements - Hardware

Roles in Systems Development - End User

Systems Development Life Cycle - Detail Design

CMGT 555 / Systems Analysis and Development

November 10, 2005

System Elements - Hardware

In order to create a successful project, all areas of the integration proposal must be address and researched thoroughly in order to ensure all areas of the project have been investigated before integration. Of the most important areas, the hardware layer can be that of confusion as well as a success. Investigating what the system proposal is attempting to accomplish will provide a baseline as to what hardware will be needed to ensure the system is successful. This section will outline the hardware portion of a system development as well as describe the uses of common hardware in a successful system.

To begin with, the analysis of what is needed and what is provided must outline the hardware needs and existing hardware possessions. For common data acquisitions, servers of various sizes must be tested and proposed for the end result of the system. Involving a systems engineer in the design phase of the system will ensure areas that may otherwise be left out, is uncovered. As the Government of British Colombia involves a Development Team in the life cycle so should anyone else having a successful system. Servers are a very bare minimum of what is to be used as this encompasses processors, memory, disk drives, and other storage for backup purposes. Servers cannot be used alone though. Servers rely on other servers to accomplish a goal of networked, or communication methods of other computer system.

The hardware identification phase of any project is critical to identify what is exactly needed for the project to be a success and to remain a success. It is my opinion that any hardware design phase be treated with the utmost attention as this phase is typically the most misunderstand and overlooked phase. There are currently too much hardware variations on the market today and ensuring the correct solution is purchased is why this phase and this design portion need special attention. As with most hardware designs, there will always need to have the flexibility to change. Even in the largest organizations like Borland, they maintain a document specifically for change requirements called Requirements Change Process. Hardware design and implementation is extremely difficult to capture the first time around and that is why being flexible to change will allow the hardware phase to go that much smoother.

Roles in Systems Development - End User

One of the most important sections of input regarding a project comes from end users. Upper management and executive level can establish a design and request a system, but often neglect the most critical components of the requirements. Those requirements are often easily identified by the end user of the system that will be implemented. This section of this paper will identify the end users roles and the purposes of involved end users in the design of a system.

In order to receive the input from all users of the system, there needs to be constant communication with those that will end up using this system. Those people need to be the end users. They can also help demonstrate needs or help highlight the areas that are not required or can be removed from the system plans. With this type of input, end users provide feedback that most upper echelon personnel usually will not know, or will overlook. As stated on the Institute for Internal Auditors Technical Overview "Users understand the business processes that must be integrated into the new application." The end users have the most valuable input for a finished project because they can see the end of the tunnel before they are even in front of it. It is because they know what is needed to complete the job and they know what is needed to ensure the job is done correctly. Any system that uses end user input for the designing of the system will ensure the system can meet the objective of those that will use it; the end users. In the Standish Group Study of 1995, one of the highest reasons for project failure is due to lack of user input during the design phase. Designing a project that is to be used by end users, but not involving the end users for the design is rolling the dice. The project may or may not be a success once integrated.

Systems Development Life Cycle - Detail design

The final area in a design of a