Methodology

In order to attain some sense of how to approach and manage such a project, a structured methodology is required. Development methodology is an important aspect of any project, as different styles of project often require different development methodologies.

The Waterfall Model

The stages of the waterfall model are:

Feasibility Study > Systems Analysis > Systems Design > Implementation > Maintenance

The advantages of the waterfall methodology are that it controls schedules, budgets and documentation. There is also more certainty that the project is complete as each stage of the systems life cycle is addressed specifically. It provides a way for the system to be maintained.

However, some disadvantages of the waterfall model are that there is an inability to return to a previous stage. There are increasing `fixing costs' as errors are discovered in previous stages. It also assumes the requirements are made explicit at the start.

Prototyping

Prototyping was my original choice for methodology, however it occurred to me that relying on a focus group to analyse any prototypes that I may develop will be very time consuming and may prove difficult, especially if several prototypes are developed. The evolutionary prototyping methodology consists of systems analysis, system design and the implementation of a prototype. The stages are then repeated with the prototype being modified accordingly until the final system is generated. The throwaway prototyping methodology involves the development of a prototype to determine user requirements. After they have been determined, the prototype is discarded. The advantages of prototyping are:

• The users have a basic system very early in the development, which reassures the users that the system is being developed prevents dissatisfaction that could occur while waiting for the project to be finished.
• The users are more likely to learn the system, as they have been exposed to it from the start of the development process.
• The iterative design process means that evaluation is more effective and problems in design are likely to be fixed.

The disadvantages however of prototyping are:

• The fast-paced development of the system would prove to be difficult when attempting a systematic design of the system. Many initial design decisions become poor ones and would increase the possibility that fundamental issues and problems are not recognised until well into the development process.
• Documentation may be lacking, as the developers are focussing on production of the prototypes.