Technology is essential to every business, even those that aren’t considered “technology” companies.  You deal with technology in your office productivity software, security system, air conditioning, computers and networks, phone systems, and much, much more.  Whether it’s a simple cash register program that tracks inventory and daily purchases or a sophisticated network that links people and places around the globe, technology helps organizations maintain a competitive edge and build a strong presence in today’s business world.

If you want to compete in today’s business world, then, it’s important to keep up with technology in order to get the most out of the technology you have, to keep abreast of emerging new technology, and to find the information that will help you make the right buying decisions. (more…)

Have you ever wondered how end user's product enhancements or requests get pushed into production?  Some companies follow what is called the Software Development Life Cycle. 

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) 

The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a methodology (process) that is used to create, maintain, and replace information systems as well as improve the quality of the software design and development process.  The SDLC process is executed in a cycle in which business analysts, software architects, software developers, database designers/developers, software testers, and end users collaborate to build application software.  The SDLC process can be divided into several high level phases: 

1. Requirements Specification
2. Requirements Analysis
3. Design
4. Development
5. Testing
6. Implementation/Maintenance

Typically new software or changes to existing software begin with a request from end users.  From this request, the Requirements Specification phase of the SDLC begins.  Business Analysts document a complete description of all the functions and specifications of the software that will be designed.  In addition, resources, scope of the request, purpose of the request, and software limitations are explored and documented.  The product of this process is a document typically referred to as the Software Requirements Specification Document.  The document states all of the functional and non-functional requirements and serves as a roadmap in the Design phase of the SDLC methodology. 

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