Systems Development Life Cycle SDLC Peer Responses attached is the response instructions and the initial posts. please respond substantively to the peers p

Systems Development Life Cycle SDLC Peer Responses attached is the response instructions and the initial posts. please
respond substantively to the peers posts using the chapter readings to support claims in a minimum of 100 words. You may also ask questions to further the discussion. Discussion 1 Instructions: Define the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Describe how
the model presented in Figure 4.1 (from Chapter 4.1) works and its advantages.
Response Instruction: Respond to three of your peers’ posts using the reading material to
support your claims. You may ask questions to further the discussion.
Student 1:
The Systems Development Life cycle (SDCL) is a “multistage process through which
information systems are implemented” (Kavanagh, Thite, & Johnson, 2015).The SDCL consists
of five stages: planning, analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance. The process is used
to allow business’s focus on specific issues and make managerial decisions.
The planning phase is to figure out what the problem is and determine a solution. The analysis
phase is to determine what are the functional requirements. The design phase describes the
necessary specifications and features that will assist with implementation. The implementation
phase is beginning the process. Everything has been tested and ready to begin working on or
with. Lastly the maintenance phase is where evaluations occur and are used to make any changes
to make the project better or to boost performance. Fix all issues, change certain sections that
may make it better and focus on maintaining how it is working.
The figure is a waterfall model of the SDLC, which is the oldest best known model. However,
some other model types include the fountain, spiral, build and fix, rapid prototyping,
incremental, and synchronize and stabilize.
Some advantages of SDCL are that it allows the focus to be on a limited amount of issues at a
time, the process has multiple steps within a phase that allows organizations to make decisions if
they want to proceed or not proceed, and at any time the project is not beneficial, it may be
terminated on the spot.
Student 2:
As stated in Chapter 4, “the systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a formal, multistage
process through which information systems are implemented.” One of the biggest advantages is
that it provides a level of control of the development process to make sure that the design and
testing process leading to the release of a solution is thought out and well-managed. In figure 4.1
it lists specific phases which include planning, analysis, design, implementation, and
maintenance. In the planning phase, “HR will determine the existing technological and system
capabilities and develop a general plan for adapting, upgrading, or changing these plans.” This is
basically where HR is assessing the information and collecting data to start their program. In the
next step, analysis phase, “the current capabilities are documented, new needs are identified, and
the scope of an HRIS is determined.” This could be the most time consuming phases because the
collection of data and assessing the problems and where to go can take some time to go through,
especially if there are a lot of issues and things to change and you will need to finalize the needs
and requirements of HRIS. Next you have the design phase, this is where the final details are laid
out and vendors are evaluation and selection is done. The implementing phase is where “the
HRIS is built, tested, and readied for actual rollout, or the “go live” stage—the point in the
SDLC at which the old system is turned off and the new system is put into operation.” Finally
you have the maintenance phase, which seems to be forgotten a lot of companies, however, this
is an important phase and needs to maintain so the HRIS can continue to work for a long period
of time.
Student 3:
According to our text, The Systems Development Lifecycle is defined as “a formal, multistage
process through which information systems are implemented. Which includes specific phases
include planning, analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance (Kavanagh, Thite, &
Johnson, 2015, sec. 4.1).” The first phase in the cycle is Planning. This stage’s purpose is to
determine the magnitude of the problem and to identify solutions. This means figuring out
resources, costs, and time, this includes both long term and short-term planning. During this
stage, HR creates a specific plan to adapt, upgrade or change these plans. The next step is
Analysis, in this phase the company is going to work on the primary source of their issue and the
need for change. Possible solutions are reviewed and analyzed in case of problems to determine
the best fit for the project’s goal. In this stage, it is where the analysis of the system will take
place or analyzes the needs of end users to help ensure that their desires can be met by the new
system. The third stage is Design this means the system’s “blueprint” is completed. While the
analysis stage completes the HRIS needs or requirements, the final system components are set
out here. The final assessment and selection of the vendor will be more frequent during this stage
(Kavanagh, Thite, & Johnson, 2015). The fourth stage is Implementation. In this stage, the
system is entirely constructed or bought. During this phase most of the program code is written
also this stage consists of running tests, process finalization, transferring existing data and
training. The fifth stage is Maintenance when the new software has now been properly tested and
no critical issues have been found, the end users can finish the system to increase performance or
add specifications if they want it to.
One advantage I found is that the project has clarity, meaning members of the project could not
move from one stage to the next until the project manager completes the previous stage and signs
it off. At the end of each stage, a formal assessment is developed that requires the project
manager to have total control over the project.
Discussion 2 Instructions: When evaluating vendor offerings, describe the key factors that will
help your firm determine the best software product to acquire.
Response Instruction: Respond to three of your peers’ posts using the reading material to
support your claims. You may ask questions to further the discussion.
Instructor Follow-up question:
Student 1:
For our company’s human resources goal we would first need to evaluate what type of product
would best suit the company and meet our current and future needs without having to adjust the
product or software too much. There has to be architecture or a plan in place that reveals what is
needed for the human resources department to be a successful department within the company.
One of the first things that come to my mind is the need to evaluate the quality of the product
that the vendor is offering and whether or not we need multiple products with different functions.
Combining products from multiple vendors with different specializations for human resources
needs is called best of breed (Kavanagh, Thite & Johnson, 2015).
“The HR department might select Resumix software for resume tracking, Oracle’s PeopleSoft
for most HR applications and data management, Chronos software for time and labor tracking,
ADP software for payroll purposes, and a proprietary vendor product for outsourced HR benefits
administration (Kavanagh, Thite & Johnson, 2015).”
Price also plays a significant role in this decision. What is being purchase is going to have to last
for awhile as well as, continue to be beneficial to the company. The products that are going to be
purchased have to have the ability to be updated overtime without continuous repurchase. We are
looking at long term durability regarding the software NOT something that has to be renewed
each year because that would be very costly. We will also have examine the yearly maintenance
cost from the vendors to keep these software products running smoothly for the human resources
department.
Student 2:
When evaluating vendors for what new software products best fits the firm, it is important to
figure out what is it the firm really needs. By doing this, gathering accurate requirements on
whats needed in the software. This can be done by working with the HR management and the IT
staff. “The HR staff will need to work
closely with both the internal IT department and external vendors to ensure that the business proc
ess requirements and all technical requirements are presented to the vendor” (Kavanagh, Thite, &
Johnson, 2015) Another key factor is checking the vendors credentials and certificates. This
helps see their capabilities and how long they have been in business. It is important to Check for
hidden or additional fees in the contract. These fees can include in-person training, document
management service, maintenance or monthly support cost. ” Although price will ultimately play
a very large role in the selection of an HRIS, price should be secondary to
the goal of finding a system that meets your process needs” (Kavanagh, Thite, & Johnson, 2015)
Doing a test drive before committing to the new software to see the features and benefits will
help see if the software is a perfect fit. By doing these will help make sure the implantation will
be a success for both parties. Having a successful implementation will gain a trusted partnership
between the vendor and the organization.
Student 3:
When evaluating vendor offerings, it is important to look at cost, what you are needing to
accomplish daily, participating in demos so that you have a better understanding of the functions
and outline of the software, and being able to return or replace something if there is an issue or
you aren’t satisfied. Cost is important because you want to make sure that even though you want
the best price, the lowest costing of the bunch doesn’t always guarantee the best quality and
function of the product. You also want to make sure that whatever software you choose can
operate the systems you need to complete daily tasks. Demos are important as well because it
allows you to see everything in action before making a permanent and costly decision. Lastly,
you want to make sure that you can return or replace parts or the operating software because
some vendors have time sensitive contracts in place. These factors are important when
determining what vendor to use because this is the functionality of the organization and how
business is conducted with technology.

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