3
Information Systems Development
Overview
Chapter 3 provides a comprehensive introduction to information system development. The chapter’s intent is to introduce principles and processes used to develop information systems. The information system development process reinforces the information system building blocks that were introduced in
Chapter 2. A hypothetical methodology called FAST (Framework for the Application of System Techniques) is used to teach a representative, implementation of a system development process. This chapter provides a “phase-level” overview.
Later chapters provide “activity-level” descriptions and coverage of tools and techniques. The methodology as presented supports all contemporary paradigms including structured methods, information engineering, and rapid application development, as well as emerging object-oriented methods. As the readers progress through the book, they will learn how to “plug and play” various tools and techniques into the methodological framework provided by FAST.
Chapter to Course Sequencing
This chapter should follow Chapter 2 in all but exceptional course scenarios. Chapter 2 provides the fundamental building blocks of information systems, and Chapter 3 immediately reinforces those building blocks with a system development methodology.
What’s Different Here and Why?
The following changes have been made to the seventh edition of the information system development chapter:
1.

As with all chapters, we have streamlined the SoundStage episode into a quick narrative introduction to the concepts presented the chapter. We believe this streamlined version will be more readable and thus more useful. 2.

The relationship between the classic SDLC phases and the FAST phases has been clarified.

3.

The discussion of waterfall (sequential) vs. iterative development has been expanded and moved into this chapter to better focus this chapter on methodology.

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Chapter Three

4.

Key terms have been added to this chapter for logical model and physical model. These concepts will also be discussed later, but it is useful to have them here to make sure students see the big picture.

Lesson Planning Notes for Slides
The following instructor notes, keyed to slide images from the PowerPoint repository, are intended to help instructors integrate the slides into their individual lesson plans for this chapter.
Slide 1

Chapter 3

Information Systems
Development

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Copyright © 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Slide 2

Objectives
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Describe the motivation for a system development process in terms of the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) for quality management. Differentiate between the system life cycle and a system development methodology.
Describe 10 basic principles of system development.
Define problems, opportunities, and directives—the triggers for systems development projects.
Describe the PIECES framework for categorizing problems, opportunities, and directives.
Describe the essential phases of system development. For each phase, describe its purpose, inputs, and outputs.
Describe cross life cycle activities that overlap multiple system development phases.
Describe typical alternative “routes” through the basic phases of system development. Describe how routes may be combined or customized for different projects.
Describe various automated tools for system development.

Copyright © 2007 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

This repository of slides is intended to support the named chapter. The slide repository should be used as follows:
Copy the file to a unique name for your course and unit.
Edit the file by deleting those slides you don’t want to cover, editing other slides as appropriate to your course, and adding slides as desired.
Print the slides to produce transparency masters or print directly to film or present the slides using a computer image projector.
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