Development Life Cycle
Not A Scooby has adopted a methodology for completing the development life cycle that is tailored to the nature of the website projects that it works on. This approach is a blend of the PRINCE2 project management methodology and the more contemporary recognition of the need for an iterative element to each stage of the cycle. We encourage the Client to participate in feedback throughout the process so that the completed application or web site meets their needs as closely as possible. In many cases this feedback is the result of expert evaluation or end-user testing.
We identify four key stages to the development cycle:
(i) Concept: Accurate capture of the Client's needs is probably the most important aspect of the development life cycle. We aim to achieve this by involving the Client and Project Manager in a series of initial meetings during which the Project Manager is briefed on the nature of the project and the Client is made aware of any technological limitations that might influence the implementation of the project. Where it is appropriate, we create prototype pages and include the Client in a refinement process to hone our specification. In our discussions with the Client we emphasise that changes made during the concept stage are much easier and cheaper to make than if they occur once implementation has started. We require a written agreement on the requirement specification before we proceed to the next stage of the development cycle.
(ii) Task analysis: The project is analysed by the Project Manager to define its main constituent tasks. At this stage the Project Manager may call on a programmer to write a program specification that documents the logical program or database structure and lists any variable or function names that will be used by other members of the development team. The Project Manager must approve the program plan and is responsible for dividing the programming job into clearly identifiable stages each ending in a project milestone.
(iii) Development: The milestones that were identified in the task analysis stage are pursued in sequence - proceeding from one to the next only after the previous one has been successfully completed and thoroughly tested. In some cases the Customer is involved during the testing of individual milestones - this is particularly important where the remainder of the project relies heavily on some core functionality at an early stage in the project.
(iv) Collation and testing: Once all the milestones have been completed and tested, the disparate parts of the project are collated and uploaded to a proofing site for final testing. The Client is involved in thorough testing of the implementation. Any errors or minor modifications are identified and the programmer incorporates these changes by returning to the development stage. Changes to the original requirement may lead to a change for request and a re-analysis of the programming milestones. Once testing has been satisfactorily completed the project is transferred to the live site for final review before it is launched.