Business Documentation and Planning

SDLC Documentation There are several important types of documentation that should be created and updated as part of a fluid and proper systems development life cycle. The types are all quite different and they are also quite individually important. This report will go into the different types that should exist, what each type covers, why they are each important and the overall update and creation process that should be followed.

While some may view documentation as bureaucratic and unnecessary, it is vital that it present and update as having data that is out of date or only in the heads of people that can leave at any time is a disaster waiting to happen if someone not informed on the cycle is put in a position to make important adjustments or decisions. Analysis The first types of documentation would be the bill of materials and the build plan.

The bill of materials and build plan would be a detailed design and summary of a work area or building and it would also show the assembly thereof. Even after construction is completed, a detailed diagram of where the networking equipment and wiring is, where the electrical is and how it all interfaces is important. The build plan is similar and fleshes out a lot of the details not found in the bill of materials. The developer's guide to the area would be an important complementary document to the above.

Supplementary specifications would be important to keep in mind. Business procedures and a summary of both the physical and logical network and software infrastructures should also be exhaustively detailed. Anytime something is changed, these diagrams and summaries should be updated to match so that any new or new person to a situation can immediately look at the documents and know where everything is and how it all works together (USDA, 2014; PCC, 2014).

Some system development life cycle documents are more abstract and esoteric with one example being the mission and vision statements. Of course, such statements can go over the top and can become detached from the operations and infrastructures being managed by the systems development life cycle. However, they do need to exist at a usable and proper level so that the direction of the product or service in question is known and defined.

The type of customers being marketed to, the price points, the updates to be made and so forth are all things that should be planned or as much in advance as possible. However, there also needs to be a willingness and ability to shift the direction and the associated planning documents when the rules on the ground changes and/or there is a new product strategy that can be realized.

Speaking of the future, organization charts showing who is in charge of what as well as succession plans for important positions should all be in place and updated as needed (USDA, 2014). Conclusion Accountants and other bookkeeping professionals are often ascribed to be the best at keeping.