Fifteenth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge & Society

Abstract

The systems development life cycle (SLDC) is a complex process that often results in costly failures for businesses. Most failures result from human factors: incomplete or faulty requirements, user resistance, lack of user involvement, know-it-all developers, amongst others. In a systems analysis and design, students learn theoretical aspects and technical skills, such as project management, data flow diagrams, normalization, entity-relationship diagrams, database design or software customization. However, the greatest difficulty resides in understanding the human factors that impact SLDC. I teach system analysis and design through service-learning to help students understand the human aspect and organization politics of SLDC. At the beginning of the term, students form teams. Each team will then go through the whole SLDC to build and deliver an information system for a local non-profit organization or a small business. As they learn a new concept, they apply it immediately to their project. At the end of the term, they present and deliver their project and their system to their clients. Students gain a deeper understanding of their craft as well as practical experience. In this paper, I will discuss the lessons I learned from my students’ projects as well as best practices developed over the years. Critical success factors will be discussed.