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| To apply an effective software development process, it is important to first identify the key objectives, why each is important, and how they work together to help the development team produce a quality software product that meets all of your business needs. Our Irisians (core engineers) can also incorporate an appropriate improvement strategy as your enterprise grows or changes direction over time. |
| Here are the 10 steps involved with the IrisLogic e-Business Development Process: |
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Vision |
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Plan |
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Risks |
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Issues |
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BusinessCase |
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Architecture |
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Product |
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Evaluation |
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Change Requests |
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User Support |
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| Each step is discussed in detail below. |
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| 1. Vision - Product Vision |
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| The IrisLogic team first develops a clear vision of the product in a collaborative effort with the client. The vision captures the essence of the requirements workflow: analyzing the problem, understanding stakeholder needs, defining the system, and managing the requirements as they change. |
| The product vision provides a basis for more detailed high-level technical requirements and design constraints and gives the client a clearer understanding of the system to be developed. Since it provides input for the project-approval process, the product vision is intimately related to the business case (Step 5) and communicates fundamental questions in the development process: |
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What are the key terms? |
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What problem are we trying to solve? |
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Who are the stakeholders? |
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Who are the stakeholders? Who are the users? What are their needs? |
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What are the product features? |
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What are the functional requirements? |
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What are the non-functional requirements? |
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What are the design constraints? |
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| To graphically represent the project vision and provide a framework for these and other questions that may arise, the IrisLogic team uses UML Use Cases Tools from Rational and Visio. |
| 2. Plan - Software Development Plan |
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The Software Development Plan (SDP) gathers all the information required to manage the project and organizes the schedule and resource needs. It tracks progress against the project schedule and addresses planning areas such as project tools, iteration, requirements management, configuration management, problem resolution, quality assurance, testing, evaluation, and product acceptance.
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| The IrisLogic team uses UML Use Cases and project management tools from Rational and Microsoft to graphically represent project milestones and timelines |
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| 3. Risks - Identification & Mitigation of Risks |
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| An essential precept of the development process is to identify and control risks early in the project. A risk list captures, in decreasing order of priority, the perceived risks to the success of the project. For each risk, a mitigation plan should be developed. |
| The IrisLogic team uses mechanism of early prototypes on the high priority risk factors of the project, which helps architects and designers study and explore loopholes and potential delays. This serves as a focal point for planning project activities and forms the basis for organizing iterations. |
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| 4. Issues - Assignment and Tracking of Issues |
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| Continuous open communication with objective data derived directly from ongoing activities and the evolving product configurations are important issues in any development project. The IrisLogic team achieves these tracking issues through regular status assessments to address, communicate, and resolve management issues, technical issues, and project risks. Each assessment item is assigned to a project team member with a completion date and is updated as required. |
| These status assessments provide the necessary details to resolve or remove any roadblocks or bottlenecks that affect progress. The IrisLogic team uses proven project management tools such as Microsoft Project Manager 2000 to track the issues. |
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| 5. Business Case - Examination of Business Case |
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| The function of the business case is to develop an economic plan for realizing the project vision. It provides an accurate assessment of the projected return on investment (ROI) and justifies the continuation of the development process. |
| The IrisLogic team conducts a brainstorming session with the customer and business analyst to determine the feasibility of the development process by examining the business case. The examination does not address the specifics of any particular problem, but instead creates a compelling argument for the success of the project. At critical milestones, the business case is re-examined to confirm if ROI estimates are still accurate and achievable. |
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| 6. Architecture - Designing a Component Architecture |
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| In the development process, the architecture of any software system (at a given point) is the organization or structure of the system's significant components interacting through interfaces, with components composed of successively smaller components and interfaces. |
| What are the main pieces? How do they fit together? |
| IrisLogic provides a systematic way to design, develop, and validate software architecture. This is the essence of the analysis and design workflow. Our Irisians begin by defining an architectural representation, which is captured in the Software Architecture Document and presented in multiple views. Each view addresses some specific set of concerns for the end users, designers, managers, system engineers, maintainers, and other stakeholders. The document serves as a communication medium between the architect and other project team members regarding subsequent planning and decision-making. |
| The use of UML tools and technology is the way IrisLogic architects define and design the system and component architecture. |
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| 7. Product - Incremental Product Build and Test |
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| At the end of the architecture, a prototype is available for evaluation, which may also include a user-interface. The essence of the implementation and test workflows in the development process is to incrementally code, build, and test the components of the system with executable releases at the end of each iteration. Throughout each iteration of the construction phase, components are integrated into executable, tested builds that evolve into the final product. |
| Key to these product tests is an integrated set of activities that accompany the building of the product, as well as ongoing configuration management and review activities. |
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| 8. Evaluation - Regular Result Assessment |
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| The iteration assessment captures the results of an iteration, the degree to which the evaluation criteria have been met, along with the lessons learned and the process changes to be implemented. At this step, the IrisLogic team focuses on process and product challenges with the belief that, "the sooner you fall behind, the more time you will have to catch up." |
| The iteration assessment is an essential artifact of the iterative approach. Depending on the scope and risk of the project and the nature of the iteration, it may range from a simple record of demonstration and outcomes to a complete formal test review record.
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| 9. Change Requests - Manage and Control Changes |
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| The essence of the configuration and change management workflow is to manage and control the scope of the project, as changes occur throughout the project lifecycle. The workflow maintains the goal of considering all stakeholder needs and meeting those to the fullest extent possible. |
| To effectively control changes to the prototype and continue managing the project scope consistently, the IrisLogic team recommends that all request to alter any development artifact be proposed through official IrisLogic Change Requests. These forms are used to document and track enhancements, defects, or any other type of product alterations. Change Requests provide a clear record of decisions and ensure that the impact of every potential change is understood by all project team members.
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| 10. User Support - Assistance to the User |
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| The final step in the IrisLogic Development Process involves completing and delivering the product to the customer, along with whatever materials are necessary to assist the end-user in learning, operating, and maintaining the product. At a minimum, this should include a User's Guide, perhaps implemented through online help, and may also include an Installation Guide and Release Notes. Depending on the complexity of the product, training materials may also be required, as well as a bill of materials and any product packaging. |
| In the Iris Project Execution Framework, the IrisLogic team includes this step as part of the Transaction Stage. Our experience has proven that the transaction of knowledge in an iterative fashion is one of the best method of clarification of system functionality. In addition, it help to document evolving customer needs for future versions and releases. |
Read more in our Implementation phase how we actually go through life
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| Java@work within IrisLogic |
| IrisLogic Java Customers |
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