Growing the Customer-IS Partnership in System Development

Southwest Texas State University is implementing a System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodology that strives to address issues related to partnerships between customers and IS. SDLC identifies tasks to be accomplished and outlines mutually interdependent responsibilities of customers and system designers during the development process. It provides customers an understanding of the work and participation expected of their units in obtaining desired service or product. It is a single, uniform approach applied consistently to system development projects. The overall goal of SDLC is to provide a system that is right for its intended purpose, that meets customer expectation, and that is delivered on time and at a reasonable cost to the University. This paper described the problems and opportunities that provided impetus for action, the process used in developing the methodology, the policy and procedural documents that evolved, and the results and conclusions to date. Paper presented at CAUSE94, the full proceedings of which are available through this Library as PUB1094.