AN INVESTIGATION OF THE INFORMATION SYSTEMSDEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT: THE NATURE OFDEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLES AND THEUSE OF METHODS

In the present age, information systems are integral to the day-to-day operations of most organisations. However, information systems development (ISD) is very much a volatile area. In addition, the ISD environment has changed considerably in the past few years due to both technological advances and acceleration in the speed of business in general. For these reasons, the purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of the ISD environment with particular emphasis on development life cycles and ISD methods. The findings of the study indicate that the ISD environment area is one of which practitioners are constantly developing greater understanding. The nature of ISD is very much a volatile one and cannot be easily generalised to accommodate the use of standard life cycles and ISD methods. Practitioners in the ISD field readily acknowledge the uniqueness of each ISD project and that ideal conditions for development cannot always be recreated. In particular, practitioners support the idea of using their past experiences and knowledge to develop the best solution to the development projects requirements.