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After the systems problems have been investigated and analysed, solutions
have been designed, and the best alternative has been selected, the next phase is
implementation. When the system is operational, it must be maintained. Finally, it
must be reviewed, and the systems development life cycle is complete. All systems
must also be subject to audit, either internal or external.
SYSTEMS DOCUMENTATION
After the new system is tested and before users are trained, user procedures
should be developed, tested, and documented. These documented procedures form
the basis of user training. The user procedures are usually included in the final user
documentation.
Documentation is the collection of documents that describes the
requirements, capabilities, limitations, design, operation and maintenance of a
system. For short, it describes how the system works.
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Types of maintenance
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System
maintenance
measures:
includes
the
following
post-implementation
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A few companies may have a request for maintenance form for handling
maintenance requests when an external vendor provides the software and/or
support. It is important that the group that does the actual maintenance provides
estimates that are agreed to by the user department paying for it. Many simple
requests actually require considerable time and effort, as well as a price tag that
exceeds the benefit received.
Performing maintenance
Who actually performs maintenance is a matter of company or IT department
policy. Some organizations assign this to the original development team, partly
because they are the ones most familiar with the system, and partly as an incentive
to build the systems better in the first place. Other companies assign new staff to
the maintenance task because it helps them to become familiar with the system.
Some organizations establish a maintenance team that specializes in handling
maintenance requests, and includes people with a variety of technical abilities and
skills.
The same tools are used in maintenance as in development, and
documentation is equally important for maintenance. Unfortunately, many
companies have wasted time and money in handling a modification because earlier
maintenance and changes were not documented. This is also true when support
comes from external sources. The only way to ensure that documentation is
performed properly is to have a checklist of tasks that includes updating all
documentation, and ensure that the maintenance staff follow the checklist and sign
off on each task.
Vendors are developing tools that make maintenance easier, some of which
include documentation. Some CASE tools also automatically update documentation
as maintenance is performed.
Financial implications
Maintenance is expensive (up to five times more than the cost of
development) and costs increase with age. It also uses up valuable people
resources. There comes a point when it is more cost-effective to replace the system
(an asset), for two reasons. One is that maintenance costs will exceed replacement
costs. The other is that the asset may not be capable of meeting new demands or
needs, and in order to attain important benefits, it must be replaced. Requests for
maintenance should include lost opportunities and unrealized benefits, or ideas for
enhancements that could not be met by the existing system.
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SYSTEMS REVIEW
Systems review completes the SDLC. The objective is to measure the success
of the system and of the process after the dust has settled. Its primary goal is to
ensure that the system operates in a manner that meets the functional
requirements and achieves the objectives for developing the system. This first stage
of review is often called post-implementation review (PIR) or postimplementation audit (PIA) because it looks at the results of the development
process, including costs and benefits, and compares them to the planning and
estimates. Although systems professionals strive to produce systems that are on
budget, on time and meet user needs, this does not always happen. The post
implementation review of the newly installed system can provide insight into ways
to improve the process for future systems.
PIA or PIR is a top-to-bottom evaluation of the hard benefits, such as changes
in return on investment from the original business case and savings as a result of
implementing the solution, and soft benefits of the installed system such as
improved communications, more consistent data, easier access to data, data
sharing among different groups, and improved regulatory compliance derived from
a strategic information system, the security of the system and the project
management process deploying it. It is usually timed to allow the new system to
operate for a given period, such as a quarter, to concentrate on ongoing issues
rather than those generated and resolved a cutover time.
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During systems review, the team would review systems documentation, operations
documentation, and user documentation review requests for maintenance,
improvements, and enhancements, as well as operating costs review company
policy and mission statements compare such factors as controls and reliability to
industry standards conduct interviews with key stakeholders use performance
measurement techniques and tools
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Name:
Score:
MULTIPLE CHOICE.
Encircle the letter of your answer. In case the answer is not found in the given
choices, write Pabebe ako before the number. (15pts.)
1. It is a minor change to correct a problem or make a minor enhancement.
a. Patch
b. Slipstream update
c. New release
d. New version
2. It is a major change that includes numerous features not included on the
previous version.
a. Patch
b. Slipstream update
c. New release
d. New version
3. It is a significant change that usually requires alterations to the documentation.
a. Patch
b. Slipstream update
c. New release
d. New version
4. A review procedure that is performed periodically based on a lapse of time.
a. Event-driven
b. Document-driven
c. Data-driven
d.
Timedriven
5. The following are the objectives of post-implementation review, except
a.
to compare the operational performance to the design objectives
b.
to learn from the project what the key success factors are and identify the
costs of any future system enhancements
c. to determine whether the conversion to a new system has met the objectives
originally identified
d.
to compare the actual costs of the development effort with the budgeted cost
6.
a.
b.
c.
d.
7.
a.
b.
c.
d.
8.
a.
b.
c.
d.
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9.
a.
b.
c.
d.
10.
a.
b.
c.
d.
11.
review;
The
post-
d. False; False
12.
All systems need to be maintained, if for no other reason than to ensure that
they are still achieving the objectives for which they were designed; Also,
circumstances change, new ideas for improvements arise, technologies
change, and opportunities for profit arise
a. True; False
b. True; True
c. False; True
d. False; False
13.
14.
15.
d. b only
TRUE or FALSE.
Write #AlDub if the statement is true, otherwise, write #WalangForever. (10pts.)
1. Extra time spent in design will reduce maintenance costs
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