The systems life cycle (SLC) is a methodology used to describe the process for building information systems, intended to develop information systems in a very deliberate, structured and methodical way, reiterating each stage of the life cycle.
The system life cycle in systems engineering
is an examination of a system or proposed system that addresses all
phases of its existence to include system conception, design and
development, production and/or construction, distribution, operation,
maintenance and support, retirement, phase-out and disposal.
System Analysis
In this phase, the current system is studied in
detail. A person responsible for the analysis of the system is known as
analyst. In system analysis, the analyst conducts the following
activities.
Needs Analysis
This activity is known as
requirements analysis. In this step the analyst sums up the requirements
of the system from the user and the managers. The developed system
should satisfy these requirements during testing phase.
Data Gathering
In this step, the system analyst collects data about the system to be
developed. He uses different tools and methods, depending on situation.
These are:
- Written Documents
The analyst may collect the information/data from written documents available from manual-files of an organization.
- interview is another data gathering technique.
-Questionnaires
Questionnaires are the feedback forms used to collect Information.
-Observations
In addition to the above-mentioned three techniques
to collect information, the analyst (or his team) may collect
Information through observation.
After completion of this step the collected data about
the system is analyzed to ensure that the data is accurate and complete.
then the requirements collected for the system are documented in a
presentable form. It means that the analysis report is prepared. It is
done for review and approval of the project from the higher management.
