Waterfall SDLC Paper Example

Whenever one has a project to be implemented, it will be critical to know the method that will be followed in dealing with it. It will not be possible to design and come up with software without having a standard formal sequence that will guide the process. It is through such a system that the ones involved in the software life will be in a position to break it down into manageable chunks. There are different types of SDLCs, and one needs to select the one that is suitable for the case that he or she is addressing with the best results. This paper will be looking at the steps involved in the Waterfall SDLC model and the associated project components.

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The Waterfall model gets its name from the way that the process flows downwards in a sequential manner that resembles a real waterfall. It means that it starts with the first steps and proceeds all the way to the last stage that is at the end of the fall (Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2012). The model is standard within the manufacturing and engineering industries whose workings are best implemented using this kind of structure. This process has been faulted for being high right from the initiation because the client needs to have all the requirements before one commences with the project. Since most of the details are known before starting, then it will be cheaper to deal with the rest of the stages and save costs that may come up later in the design process. It does not allow for prohibitive changes to come later in the project which is common with the other models.

For purposes of the requirements, it will be about the development of business integration software. This will be used to assist in the running of most of the processes within the said firms and similar when it comes to administration, sales, inventory and invoicing. Burnett (2012) agrees that the application is supposed to take advantage of the advantages of databases and cloud computing to improve efficiency in the company business processes and other similar firms. The firm in question is a retail business that has a physical store where clients come to select and purchase what they require for their offices or home processes. This one is specializing in electrical, electronic and hardware appliances like building materials and things like computer components and accessories.

The development of the software to be used by the organization with the needs mentioned above is the one that will need to follow the water SDLC. According to Shelly and Rosenblatt (2012), the SDLC stands for Software Development Life Cycle and has a total of seven or six stages depending on what one may choose. There was a time that these steps were coming to five, but with time they have been refined to increase in number. These stages are requirements dictation and analysis, design and the third of which is an implementation where the actual data will be input into the system (Langer, 2012). The next three stages would assume that it has now been transferred to the site where the client is running his business if these other stages were being done outside the place. These additional stages are testing, deployment and lastly release and maintenance.

In the first step, requirements dictation and analysis will be the stage where the software desires are listed, and directions are given on what to expect. For the software in question, it will be said that there is a need for software that is handling the administration, sales, inventory and involving (Burnett, 2012). The specifics will then be given and their limitations to avoid the situation where the client may be over ambitious and provide what may not work. The said software will be expected to take advantage of cloud computing and store the data in the cloud systems where it can be accessed from any place through various devices. The models and the data scheme will be developed at this stage and passed over as input to the next stage.

The design stage will involve interpreting the input passed herein into documents that will be closer to a programming language to be used. This is where the screen layouts and the interactions that will be there are defined. The layout of the software as the person interacting with it will use it, and the number of screens and how they will spread out regarding different levels will be done. Burnett (2012) agrees that the language to be used or whether it has a choice of varying programming styles will be decided at this level. The error prompts, and the way to address any mistakes are all dealt with at this stage. The result is the pseudo code and process diagrams to be used for the next stage.

Implementation is the third stage where the programmers will do the real code. They will have a choice of the language to use for various models (Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2012). What will be critical is the merging of the multiple individual units to act as one and hence address the needs of the client. These will not be visible to the people who will be using the software nor will it be their bother on what programing language was used in its implementation as long as they get their problems addressed.

The next stage is the testing of the software with the actual data that it will be dealing with at the client's end. It has to be correct and accurate in the handling of various calculations and the production of the multiple reports and other outputs. All the processes including sales, invoicing and the cloud storage of data have to be done. If there will be a section that has any errors, then they will need to be fixed.

At the deployment stage, there are complete systems in a CD, DVD or flash disk to be installed in the client's computer ready for use. Langer (2012) observes that if there are mobile versions, they can also be installed. The required data is fed into the system in readiness for the business processes promised. If there were any other systems, it would be time to abandon it and shift reliance to the new one.

The last stage is the release and maintenance which will have help files and demonstrations for use by people who may not have access to the designers. They can rely on the documentation accompanying the software to guide them in its installation, inputting data and other processes. These will include what to expect at every stage and the screens that will be interacting with them. If any errors occur at this stage, then they will be fixed through the system maintenance. Sometimes bugs come up, or new platforms come up that need additions for the software to run on them, the maintenance stage should address such issues.

References

Burnett, K. (2012). The Project Management Paradigm. London: Springer London.

Langer, A. M. (2012). Guide to Software Development: Designing and Managing the Life Cycle. London: Springer London.

Shelly, G. B., & Rosenblatt, H. J. (2012). Systems analysis and design. Boston: Course Technology Cengage Learning.