SDLC: What is it?

Many people interpret SDLC as an abbreviation for Software Development Life-Cycle.  An alternative view is that SDLC is an abbreviation for System Development Life-Cycle.

A software product is a system in its own right and it interacts with or is part of or is contained within other systems which are not necessarily software systems.

What is a System?

A system is a collection of interacting entities within a deemed boundary.  It usually has a known purpose and defined objectives.  A system might interact via interfaces with other systems[1]. Whilst it is true that a software product is a system, so also is an organisation, or a planet, or a forest.

So Where Does the BA Fit In?

The primary goal of a BA is to assist the organisation for which they work to achieve its goals or to improve the organisation’s ability to achieve its goals.  Before the BA can help to improve the organisation they need to have an in-depth understanding of that organisation.  In order to understand the organisation, the BA needs to treat it as a system.  An essential part of the BAs job is to analyse the business system by performing (business) system analysis.

What is System Analysis?

This paper has already provided a definition of “system”.  Now for the “analysis” part. Quoting from Wikipedia[2]:

Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle (384–322 B.C.), though analysis as a formal concept is a relatively recent development.^[1]

The word comes from the Ancient Greek ἀνάλυσις (analysis, “a breaking up”, from ana- “up, throughout” and lysis “a loosening”).^[2]

As a formal concept, the method has variously been ascribed to Alhazen,^[3] René Descartes (Discourse on the Method), and Galileo Galilei. It has also been ascribed to Isaac Newton, in the form of a practical method of physical discovery (which he did not name).

What is Business Analysis?

Quoting from Wikipedia[3]:

Business analysis is a research discipline^[1] of identifying business needs and determining solutions to business problems. Solutions often include a software-systems development component, but may also consist of process improvement, organizational change or strategic planning and policy development. The person who carries out this task is called a business analyst or BA.^[2]

Business analysts do not work solely on developing software systems. Those who attempt to do so run the risk of developing an incomplete solution.

Since not all organisations are “for profit” it is useful to replace the word “business” with the word “organisation”.

 

An Organisation and the System Development (and Enhancement) Life- Cycle

Perhaps the abbreviation SDLC should be expanded to SDELC because the BA is not always going to be working with a new organisation; sometimes, (usually?) they will be working with an organisation that already exists. Regardless of new or existing, the following work will have to be done, probably in an iterative and evolutionary manner.

1. Understand the organisation as a system
2. Understand the organisation’s requirements
3. Specify ways of meeting those requirements
4. Perform a gap analysis comparing what the organisation should be achieving against what it is achieving
5. Identify and describe the gaps using quantitative and or qualitative measurements
6. Prioritise the gaps
7. Describe the gap closure requirements and get the requirements agreed to
8. Acquire (build, buy, build and buy) ways of meeting those requirements
9. Implement the “ways”
10. Ensure that the organisation’s requirements have been met
11. Continuously monitor the organisation’s performance
12. Repeat steps 1 through 7 ad infinitum

 

[1] See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System

[2] See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis

[3] See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_analysis

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