Factors

Factors Affecting Systems Development
Successful systems development means delivering a system that meets user

and
Organizational needs on time and within the budget. Years of experience in
completing
systems development projects have resulted in the identification of number of
factors
that contribute to the success or failure of system development. These factors
include
the degree of change involved with the project, quality of the project
planning,
Organizational experience with the systems development process and use of
computer aidedsoftware engineering tools.
1. Degree of Change
The degree of change associated with the project is a major factor that affects
the
quality of systems development. The scope can vary from implementing minor
changes to an existing system to major changes involving reengineering. It is
very
important for the project team to recognize where they are on this
spectrum of change.
Let’s look at the following two project types:
-Managing Change
Ability to manage change is a critical factor to the success of Information

Systems
development. The Development of new information systems will invariably
affect the work
environment and habits of users. It is unfortunate to note that, not everyone
adapts easily to
these changes. This problem will multiply with the increasing complexity of
systems.
2. Quality of Project Planning
Another key factor that contributes to the success of system development is
the quality
of project planning. When the project is bigger, it is more likely that poor
planning will
lead to significant problems.
Poor systems development planning can be deadly.
Eg. A federal jury found that a company developed navigational software that
was
partly responsible for an air plane crash near Cali, Colombia.
Failures of large system projects are due to the following reasons.
1. Fall behind schedule
2. Exceed budget
3. Do not meet expectations
3. Organizational Experience with the Systems

Development Process
Another key factor that contributes to the success of system development is
the
Organizational Experience with the Systems Development Process. One way
to
measure this experience is the Capacity Maturity Model (CMM). CMM is a
standardized framework for assessing the maturity level of an organization’s
software development process. CMM is organized into five maturity levels.
Level 1- Initial: At this level system development projects do not follow a
consistent
process. Each development team uses its own tools and methods. Skills and
experiences of the team determine whether the project is successful or not. A
project
typically encounters many crises and is frequently over budgeted and behind
schedule. Documentation is irregular or not consistent from one project to the
next,
thus creating problems for those who must maintain a system over its
lifetime.
Almost all organizations start at level1.
Level 2- Repeatable: At this level, project management processes and

practices are
established to track project costs, schedules and functionality. The focus is on
project management. Although a system development process is always
followed, it
may vary from project to project. Success or failure is still a function of the
skills and
experiences of the project team. However active effort is made to repeat
earlier
project successes. Effective project management practices lay the foundation
for
standardized processes in the next level.
Level 3- Defined: In this level, a standard system development process

(Sometimes
called a methodology) is purchased or developed. A tailored version of this
process
is used for all the projects to develop and maintain information systems and
software. As a result of using the standardized system development processes
for all
projects, each project results in consistent and high quality deliverables and
documentation.
Level 4- Managed: In this level, organizations use detailed measures of the

system
development process. This will help the organization to manage the process
and
improve software and system quality.
Level 5- Optimized: In this level all aspects of the system development

process is
continuously monitored and improved.
4. Use of Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE)
Tools
They are tools design to automate many of the tasks required in a system
Development. CASE tools also enforce adherence to the systems development
life
cycle. Think of CASE tools as software that is used to design and implement
other
-software.

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Factors Affecting Systems Development

Successful systems development means delivering a system that meets user

Ability to manage change is a critical factor to the success of Information

3. Organizational Experience with the Systems

Level 2- Repeatable: At this level, project management processes and

Level 3- Defined: In this level, a standard system development process

Level 4- Managed: In this level, organizations use detailed measures of the

Level 5- Optimized: In this level all aspects of the system development

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