1. Product Life Cycles
1.1. Products also have life cycles
1.2. The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a framework for describing the phases involved in developing and maintaining information systems
1.3. Systems development projects can follow
1.3.1. Predictive life cycle: the scope of the project can be clearly articulated and the schedule and cost can be predicted
1.3.2. Adaptive Software Development (ASD) life cycle: requirements cannot be clearly expressed, projects are mission driven and component based, using time-based cycles to meet target dates
2. Predictive Life Cycle Models
2.1. Waterfall model
2.1.1. has well-defined, linear stages of systems development and support
2.2. Spiral model
2.2.1. shows that software is developed using an iterative or spiral approach rather than a linear approach
2.3. Incremental build model
2.3.1. provides for progressive development of operational software
2.4. Prototyping model
2.4.1. used for developing prototypes to clarify user requirements
2.5. Rapid Application Development (RAD) model
2.5.1. used to produce systems quickly without sacrificing quality
3. Adaptive Software Development (ASD) Life Cycle Models
3.1. Scrum
3.2. Extreme programming
3.3. Feature driven development
3.4. Dynamic systems development model
3.5. Agile software development
4. Project Phases and Project Life Cycle
4.1. The PMBOK Guide, Fifth Edition calls these phases starting the project, organizing and preparing, carrying out the project work, and finishing the project.
4.2. A project life cycle is a collection of project phases that defines
4.2.1. what work will be performed in each phase
4.2.2. what deliverables will be produced and when
4.2.3. who is involved in each phase, and
4.2.4. how management will control and approve work produced in each phase
4.3. A deliverable is a product or service produced or provided as part of a project
4.4. In early phases of a project life cycle
4.4.1. resource needs are usually lowest
4.4.2. the level of uncertainty (risk) is highest
4.4.3. project stakeholders have the greatest opportunity to influence the project
4.5. In middle phases of a project life cycle
4.5.1. the certainty of completing a project improves
4.5.2. more resources are needed
4.6. The final phase of a project life cycle focuses on
4.6.1. ensuring that project requirements were met
4.6.2. the sponsor approves completion of the project