Guide to Software Development (eBook)

Dr. Arthur M. Langer is the Director of the Center for Technology Management at Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. Dr. Langer is also the Vice Chair of Faculty and the Executive Director of the Division of Innovation and Design at the School of Professional Studies. He serves on the faculty of the Graduate School of Education in the Department of Organizational Leadership. Dr. Langer is also Chairman and Founder of Workforce Opportunity Services (WOS), a non-profit NGO dedicated to assisting socially excluded youth and veterans in education and professional careers. His other publications include the Springer title Analysis and Design of Information Systems.

Preface 5
The Aim of This Book 6
The Intended Audience for This Book 7
Acknowledgments 8
Contents 9
1: Introduction 16
What Is, Is 17
Just What Is a Complex Project? 19
Development 22
Testing 24
Production 24
Backup, Recovery, and Archiving 25
Reference 33
Part I: Determining Needs 34
2: Assessing Business Requirements 35
The Tiers of Software Development 35
User Interface 35
Tools 36
Productivity Through Automation 36
Object Orientation 36
Client/Server 37
Internet/Intranet 37
Establishing User Interfaces 38
Forming an Interview Approach 39
Dealing with Political Factions 41
Categories and Levels of Users 42
Joint Application Development (JAD) 45
Problems and Exercises 50
3: Build Versus Buy 51
Drivers and Supporters 56
The Supporter Side of Buying 57
Open-Source Paradigm 58
Cloud Computing Options 59
Deployment Models 60
Summary 61
Problems and Exercises 61
References 62
4: Establishing Requirements Using a Request for Proposal (RFP) and a Request for Information (RFI) 63
RFI 63
RFP 68
Requirements Document 68
Problems and Exercises 83
5: Searching for Solutions 85
Selecting the Management Team 85
The Process of Due Diligence 86
Performing Reference Checks 87
Reviewing Financial Statements 87
Doing Bank References 88
Scheduling On-Site Demonstrations 88
Scheduling On-Site Review at Vendor Site(s) 89
Reviewing Vendor Training Capabilities 89
Understanding the Product Upgrade Process 89
General Questions to Ask 90
Understanding the Vendor Ownership 90
Reviewing the Product’s Architecture and Design 90
Finding Vendors 91
Paying for a Plan 92
Summary 93
Problems and Exercises 93
Reference 93
6: Controlling Costs and Realistic Budgeting 94
Controlling Costs 102
Hardware and Infrastructure 102
Software 103
Consulting Fees 104
Customization Costs 104
The Balanced Scorecard as a Budget Tool 105
Problems and Exercises 110
References 110
7: Analysis Methods and Tools 111
The Concept of the Logical Equivalent 111
Tools of Structured Analysis 115
Making Changes and Modifications 116
Pre-Modeled 116
Being Consistent 117
Version Control 118
Legacy Systems 118
The Data Approach 118
The Process Approach 120
Specification Formats 122
Problems and Exercises 124
Part II: Development Architecture 126
8: Creating Requirements Documents Using Analysis Tools 127
Purpose 127
Advantages of the DFD 132
Disadvantages of the DFD 132
Process Flow Diagrams 133
Components of a PFD 133
DFD-PFD Compared 134
Sequence of Implementation 136
Data Dictionary 137
Equivalence (=) 137
Concatenation (+) 137
Either/Or with Option Separator ([/]) 137
Optional () 138
Iterations of { } 138
Comments (**) 138
Process Specifications 141
Pseudocode 141
The Good 143
The Bad 143
The Ugly 143
Case 143
The Good 144
The Bad 144
The Ugly 144
Pre-post Conditions 144
The Good 145
The Bad 145
The Ugly 145
Matrix 145
The Good 146
The Bad 146
The Ugly 146
Conclusion 146
State Transition Diagrams 147
Entity Relationship Diagrams 151
Problems and Exercises 152
Mini-Project 153
References 154
9: The Data 155
Introduction to Databases 155
Logic Data Modeling 155
Logic Data Modeling Procedures 157
Key Attributes 157
Normalization 159
Limitations of Normalization 168
The Supertype/Subtype Model 170
Key Business Rules 175
Combining User Views 179
Integration with Existing Data Models 181
Determining Domains and Triggering Operations 183
De-Normalization 185
Summary 186
Problems and Exercises 186
Mini-Project 187
References 188
10: Legacy Systems and Integration 189
Introduction 189
Types of Legacy Systems 190
Third-Generation Language Legacy System Integration 191
Replacing Third-Generation Legacy Systems 193
Approaches to Logic Reconstruction 193
Enhancing Third-Generation Legacy Systems 194
Data Element Enhancements 196
Application Enhancements 197
“Leaving As Is”:Third-Generation Legacy Systems 201
Fourth-Generation Language Legacy System Integration 202
Replacing Fourth-Generation Legacy Systems 202
Approaches to Logic Reconstruction 202
Enhancing Fourth-Generation Legacy Systems 204
“Leaving As Is”: Fourth-Generation Legacy Systems 205
Hybrid Methods: The Gateway Approach 206
Incremental Application Integration 207
Incremental Data Integration 208
Converting Legacy Character-Based Screens 212
The Challenge with Encoded Legacy Screen Values 213
Legacy Migration Methodology 214
Step 1: Analyze the Existing Legacy Systems 215
Step 2: Decompose Legacy Systems to Determine Schedules of Migration and Linkage Strategies 216
Step 3: Design “As Is” Links 217
Step 4: Design Legacy Enhancements 217
Step 5: Design Legacy Replacements 218
Step 6: Design and Integrate New Databases 218
Step 7: Determine New Infrastructure and Environment, Including Gateways 219
Step 8: Implement Enhancements 220
Step 9: Implement Links 220
Step 10: Migrate Legacy Databases 221
Step 11: Migrate Replacement Legacy Applications 221
Step 12: Incrementally Cutover to New Systems 222
Problems and Exercises 223
References 223
11: Business Process Reengineering 224
Analyzing Legacy Systems for Replacement 224
Data Elements 225
Applications 226
Combining Structured and Object Techniques 226
Dealing with End Users 228
Information Systems Issues 230
System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) 231
Pilot Applications 232
Downsizing System Components 233
Transactions vs. Data Warehousing 234
Problems and Exercises 235
12: Digital Transformation and Consumer Requirements 236
Requirements Without Users and Without Input 238
Concepts of the S-Curve and Digital Transformation Analysis and Design 242
Analysis and Design and the S-Curve 243
Communities of Practice 244
Change Management 253
The Role of the Analyst in Change Management for IT Organizations 255
The Analyst in the Digital Transformation Era 257
Problems and Exercises 258
References 259
13: Data Analytics and Data Warehouses 260
Introduction 260
Data Warehousing Concepts 261
Performance Benefits of Data Warehouses 262
Concept of Multiple Dimensions 264
Data Warehouse Architecture 267
Extracting Data from the Source 267
Staging the Extracted Data 269
Read-Only Activities 269
Front-End Tools 270
Types of Data Warehouse Architecture 270
The Packaged Software Decision Support Life Cycle 272
Phase 1: Planning 273
Phase 2: Gathering Data Requirements and Modeling 274
Phase 3: Physical Database Design and Development 278
Phase 4: Data Mapping and Transformation 282
Phase 5: Populating the Data Warehouse 285
Phase 6: Automating Data Management Procedures 287
Phase 7: Application Development and Reporting 287
Report Access and Analysis 289
Types of Query Tools 290
Phase 8: Data Validation and Testing 292
Phase 9: Training 292
Phase 10: Rollout 292
Understanding Metadata 293
Considerations for Using Big Data 293
Data Visualization and Design 296
Mobile Applications 297
Problems and Exercises 297
References 298
14: Documentation and Acceptance Testing 299
Acceptance Test Plans 300
Quality During Analysis 300
Cannot Test 100% of Everything 300
More Efficient Development 301
Budget Process 303
Establish the Task List 303
Interviewing 303
Modeling 304
Acceptance Test Plans 305
Problems and Exercises 305
Part III: How to Implement 306
15: Project Management 307
Introduction 307
Defining the Project 310
Identify Objectives 310
Identify Users 311
Determining the Scope of the Project 312
Managing Scope 313
The Budget 314
The Project Team 316
Project Team Dynamics 319
Set Rules and Guidelines for Communication 319
Extranet Review Sites 319
Working with User Resources 321
Outsourcing 321
Planning and Process Development 321
Technical Planning 325
Defining Technical Development Requirements 325
Maintenance 326
Project Management and Communication 327
Summary 328
Problems and Exercises 329
References 329
16: Virtual Teams and Outsourcing 330
Status of Virtual Teams 332
Project Management Challenges 332
Dealing with Multiple Locations 332
Externalization 336
Internalization 336
Combination 336
Socialization 336
Externalization Virtual Project Management 337
Internalization Virtual Project Management 337
Combination Virtual Project Management 337
Socialization Dynamism 338
Dealing with Multiple Locations and Outsourcing 339
Social Discourse in Virtual Project Management 341
Identity 341
Skills 342
Emotion 342
Problems and Exercises 344
References 344
17: Cyber Security, ISO 9000, and the Software Development Life Cycle 346
Cyber Security in Analysis and Design 346
Cyber Security Risk in the S-Curve 347
Decomposition in Cyber Security Analysis 348
Risk Responsibility 349
Developing a System of Procedures 350
Why ISO 9000? 351
How to Incorporate ISO 9000 into Existing Software Life Cycles 352
Interfacing IT Personnel 355
Committing to ISO 9000 357
Problems and Exercises 359
References 359
18: Vendor Contract Considerations 360
Ownership and Rights 361
Legal Protections and Coverage 362
Financials 363
Deliverables and Performance 365
Contract Considerations in a Global Economy 381
Problems and Exercises 383
19: Going Live and Conclusions 384
User Training 384
The Role of IT 385
Conclusions 386
Appendix A Case Study: The Rainforest Book Company Problem 389
Event I 389
Event II 389
Event III 390
Event IV 390
Appendix B Case Study: Northwest General Practitioner’s Office 392
Appendix C Case Study: University Student Enrollment Database 394
Further Reading 396
Glossary 398
Index 401