Gone are the days when software development was a mere process of a few programmers completing it in a matter of few programming lines. Nowadays, the complexity of information systems and software call for more robust measures in order to achieve the target of developing a software for specific purposes. Software development in the modern era requires a comprehensive framework. The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is such a framework that helps in pursuing such IT projects and mange such projects.
There are a number of models that exist for the Software Development Life Cycle. One such model is the stage wise model which provides a step by step mechanism to complete software development. These steps are concept and feasibility study which refer to the business idea and case, requirement definition referring to the specifications of the functional and non-functional requirements, design referring to the overall architecture of the system, programming including the process of compiling or developing the software, testing which is the phase in which the components are tested, integration referring to the process of integrating the tested components together, system test refers to the testing of the integrated components, and deployment pointing to the implementation of the thus acquired system. The waterfall model of SDLC is a refinement of the stage wise model as well (Smuts, Van Der Merwe, Kotzé, & Loock, n.d.).
The knowledge of SDLC proves to be highly assistive in IT project management as it outlines a step by step process to efficiently manage such projects that involve Information Technology and Information Systems. Anyone who aims to become a project manager in IT sector should focus on the Software Development Life Cycle and study the models in deep details. SDLC provides a mechanism through which the project may be divided into categories which are then individually managed and hence the efficiency of the project increases due to the fact that the phases are better managed and controlled as compared to the project when taken as a whole (Alecu, 2011).
The provided case study by Smuts, Van Der Merwe, Kotzé, & Loock defines the entire process of the application of the SDLC to a specific case. The specific details of a case are required in order to implement the management framework to a project throuh SDLC. The case study provides a step by step procedure and explains all of the stages involved in the management of the IT project through SDLC. The case study also provides survey data conducted according to the requirements of the SDLC as applied in the case. The development or the design phase of the stage wise process of SDLC required minute details. These details include project plans, definition of project expectations, project standards and procedures, definition of project deliverables according to the different phases of the project which includes the condition of fulfillment of any applicable legal and regulatory requirements to the project deliverables, development of security, audit, and automated control features, quality assurance, risk management throughout the project, the testing of standards and procedures, the involvement of stakeholders, and the detail of the communication techniques and strategies adopted througout the project. These are the things that should be kept in mind when approaching a project with the SDLC method (Federal Finance Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), n.d.).
Although the Software Development Life Cycle has been around for more than a couple of decades now, but it has strongly withstood the test of time and proven to be one of the best methodologies in the field of IT project management. McMurtrey (2013) provides a case study in which the selection of a software package was investigated in a medium size regional hospital in USA. McMurtrey walks the reader through each and every step of the SDLC in the particular case of the hospital and includes an in-depth explanation of the steps. These steps include problem definition, requirements analysis, design, the choice of the stakeholders, the implementation and the maintenance and support. The author concludes how the case helped two professors, who held terminal degrees, better understand the complexities of such systems as SDLC in real-world implementation. The author further concludes that the SDLC is not only valid for the world and systems that are in use today, but also hold valid for the future practitioners. He refers to the students as the future practitioners of such frameworks in IT project management. This case is an all-inclusive example of the relevance of the Software Development Life Cycle in the modern world and urges to utilize such systems today and in the years to come. The implementation, however, has to be tailor-made in each case and the steps and methodologies may vary accordingly. Therefore, it may be safely said that SDLC has still not outdated and is a valid methodology and should be exercised on the full scale.
Further information is available regarding the Software Development Life Cycle and other such frameworks. Many books and literature is available on the topic; however, the internet is a wonderful resource nowadays to conduct research on any topic and provides the researcher with relevant results in the blink of an eye. The internet has grown to become an outstanding source of knowledge regardless of the subject and it should be utilized to further the understanding in the subject of IT project management and the relevance of SDLC in IT project management.
References
Alecu, F. (2011). Managing Software Development Projects, The Project Management Process, 3(3).
Federal Finance Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC). (n.d.). Development and Acquisition Booklet. FFIEC,gov. Retrieved from http://ithandbook.ffiec.gov/it-booklets/development-and-acquisition.aspx
McMurtrey, M. (2013). A Case Study of the Application of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) in 21st Century Health Care: Something Old, Something New? Journal of the Southern Association for Information Systems, 1(1). https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/jsais.11880084.0001.103
Smuts, H., Van Der Merwe, A., Kotzé, P., & Loock, M. (n.d.). Critical Success Factors for Information Systems Outsourcing Management: A Software Development Lifecycle View.
