Development Lifecycle
The following diagram provides an overview of the ISDG (Information Systems Development Group) Small Works development lifecycle. Each of these key phases is further defined below:
Request
The initial stage is the Request stage. This stage commences with a member of the University community completing and submitting a Work Request to the relevant Process Steward or a member of the Small Works Sub Group (SWSG). The Work Request aims to clearly identify the problem or opportunity for improvement, the impact of the problem or potential benefit, and the people that are affected by and have knowledge of the issue. It also allows for a solution to be proposed.
For guidance in completing a Work Request please refer to Submitting a Work Request.
Prioritisation
At the Priorisation stage the Small Works Sub-Group reviews and prioritises the submitted Work Request, based on impact and benefit as per the Work Request Overall Impact Ratings.
If SWSG find that the scope of the Work Request clearly exceeds $110,000 of development costs or requires the introduction of a new Information System, the Work Request is submitted to the Information Technology Governance Committee (ITGC), otherwise it is recorded within the Work Request List to be addressed based on ISDG resource availability and priority.
As ISDG resources become available, SWSG allocate high-priority Work Requests to ISDG for planning and future delivery.
Planning
At the Planning stage ISDG schedule the development of a plan to deliver a solution that addresses the Work Request. This plan is developed in accordance with the schedule.
The development plan, known as a Statement of Work, defines the;
- Key business rules and requirements (scope)
- Associated business processes
- Expected solution architecture
- Development approach
- Detailed development activities and estimates
- Assumptions, constraints and risks
- Cost vs benefit check
Base on the initial cost vs benefit check, one of the following actions are taken:
- If the development cost exceeds $110,000, the Major Product is referred to the ITGC.
- If the benefit does not justify the development cost, direction on proceeding is requested from the SWSG.
- If the benefit justifies the development cost, the Major Product (Small Work) is scheduled for Delivery.
Delivery
At the Delivery stage the Major Product is scheduled for delivery, based on the availability of resources and the estimates and scope defined within the Major Product Development Plan.
Typically, the delivery of the Major Product will follow a common Software Development Lifecycle (i.e. Waterfall). More specialist development methodologies such as RAD, Iterative/Incremental, Prototyping, Agile and Extreme Programming will be employed as appropriate, to reduce the overall development effort.
Required documentation is developed and testing is conducted regardless of the development lifecycle employed.
This stage is completed once the solution has been handed over to the business for User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
For information on tracking the progress of your Work Request, please refer to Tracking a Work Request.
Implementation
At the Implementation stage the Business performs User Acceptance Testing (UAT), plans for Communication and Training and undertakes the actual Communication and Training tasks.
The UAT Planning usually starts in parallel with the Delivery Stage but the UAT Execution starts once the Delivery Stage has been completed.
Once the Business has completed UAT, the Major Product is handed over to the Maintenance and Support (M&S) team to install the newly implemented software. This is coordinated and managed by the Business.
The Implementation Stage is completed that is, the Major Product is closed in the Schedule once the Business informs ISDG that the Product has been installed for use.