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Fact Finding
Take a look at your existing system and establish how it is being used. Monitor your staff
and ask them how they use the system. It’s a good idea to watch them so you can get a
realistic idea of how they use the system. Often, people will not be completely forthcoming
with their answers because they might be embarrassed about the parts of the system they
have trouble using.

Analysis
At this stage, you get the chance to be a kid in a candy store. Think up your ideal system,
taking into consideration the needs identified in the “Terms” section. Don’t limit yourself by
anticipating budgetary limitations. Design your system the way you would if you had
a blank check.
Design
Now come back to reality and, using the model you made in the previous section, start
building your real model. Use whatever elements you can from the “Analysis” section.
At this stage, you produce a document that describes the system, but it need not contain
specific brands or models of hardware or software.

System Specification
Now that you have general hardware and software packages in mind, it’s time to figure out PART III
which specific products will be purchased. At this stage, you choose exact models, brands,
and identify suppliers.

Implementation and Review
Set up the new system, train your staff to use it, and then monitor it for initial problems.
Make any changes necessary to the system to improve performance. Once the new system
is working as you want to it, you can get rid of the components of the old system.

Use
Use the new system for day-to-day operations. Be sure to maintain and update it as needed.
Part of usage is tuning your system for optimal functionality, so be sure to figure ongoing
maintenance and monitoring into your life cycle plan.
Close
In this stage you put the system in its final resting place (at least final as far as your
organization is concerned). You can close the system and migrate data to a more modern
system. At this stage, you decide what you will do with your data and think about how the
machines will be disposed of.

Life
The life of your system is a fuzzy thing. You want to keep it around for several years to justify
its acquisition, but the fact of the matter is its usefulness will end at some point. A system’s life
is based on three factors. Whichever of these factors arises first will determine how long the
system’s life actually is:

• Useful life This expresses the equipment’s lifetime, in which eventually the
equipment wears out and it is not feasible to repair it anymore.