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Chapter 13 Building Information Systems 537

13.3 ALTERNATIVE SYSTEMS-BUILDING APPROACHES

Systems differ in terms of their size and technological complexity and in terms
of the organizational problems they are meant to solve. A number of systems-
building approaches have been developed to deal with these differences.
This section describes these alternative methods: the traditional systems life
cycle, prototyping, application software packages, end-user development, and
outsourcing.

TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS LIFE CYCLE

The systems life cycle is the oldest method for building information systems.
The life cycle methodology is a phased approach to building a system, dividing
systems development into formal stages, as illustrated in Figure 13.9. Systems
development specialists have different opinions on how to partition the
systems-building stages, but they roughly correspond to the stages of systems
development we have just described.
The systems life cycle methodology maintains a formal division of labor
between end users and information systems specialists. Technical specialists,
such as systems analysts and programmers, are responsible for much of the
systems analysis, design, and implementation work; end users are limited to
providing information requirements and reviewing the technical staff’s work.
The life cycle also emphasizes formal specifications and paperwork, so many
documents are generated during the course of a systems project.
The systems life cycle is still used for building large complex systems
that require a rigorous and formal requirements analysis, predefined
specifications, and tight controls over the system-building process. However,
the systems life cycle approach can be costly, time-consuming, and

FIGURE 13.9 THE TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE

The systems development life cycle partitions systems development into formal stages, with each stage
requiring completion before the next stage can begin.

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