Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
(Master of Business Administration) or an equivalent qualification with some
experience in their respective functions and then train them on the COTS product
before putting them on the job. Can a newcomer be used in these positions? Strictly
speaking,—no. But, the individual can be taken a s a trainee and mentored on the job
by senior staff for some time before putting them on the job independently.
So in this type of project, it is better to use persons with professional qualifi-
cations in the respective field with some field experience and training on the
respective COTS product.
11.2.2.2 Full Life Cycle Software Development Projects
Full life cycle software development projects begin with requirements analysis and
end with acceptance testing at a minimum. Project acquisition and implementation
are also included in internal projects. This project type is perhaps the oldest in all
software development projects. The practice from the beginning has been to utilize
senior programmers for requirements engineering work which was referred to as
''systems analysis'' in those days and until recently.
After the advent of ERP and its implementation projects, functional specialists
made an entry into software development projects. Managements have been quick
to grasp the merits of using functional specialists in requirements engineering and
started using them in full life cycle development projects with much better results
than when senior programmers were used. So, now the trend is to use functional
specialists for requirements engineering in these full life cycle projects even
though the practice of systems analysis is not yet extinct.
So, just as in COTS product implementation projects, business analysts are
being utilized more and more frequently for requirements engineering activity.
Presently, MBAs are being recruited with some experience in functional domains
and are trained in the requirements engineering specialty for use as business
analysts in full life cycle software development projects. The practice of recruiting
fresh graduates from business schools is also picking up. However, these indi-
viduals need to be mentored on the job before giving them independent charge for
a new project.
11.2.2.3 Testing Projects
Just a few years ago, testing was just an appendage of software development.
Software developers used to self-test and certify the product for use. Independent
testers were unheard of! Gone are those days and IV and V (Independent Verifi-
cation and Validation) has become an essential part of software development. With
the advent of web based projects the need for testing the software products
increased exponentially. Additionally, the need for certification of COTS products
for use is becoming rather mandatory to prove that they are functionally adequate
and are safe for use. Because of the complexity involved in testing the software for
Search WWH ::
Custom Search