Maintenance

The Evaluation stage is over and the system is running smoothly. However as time passes, it will no doubt need to be looked after.

This is the Maintenance phase of the Systems Life Cycle.

At this stage the following takes place:

	Problems are cleared as they arise
	Tweaks to the system are applied to improve performance
	New circumstances might arise such as an office move. The system has to be moved.
	Data is backed up and kept safe.
	Printers, Monitors and other equipment are replaced as required.

This phase never really ends until the Life Cycle of the system is complete i.e. the system is switched off for the last time and a replacement system is introduced.

In summary the System Life Cycle consists of:

	Definition of the problem
	Feasibility Study
	Investigation and Analysis
	Design
	Development (programming)
	Testing
	Implementation
	Evaluation
	Maintenance

As you may now realise, the System Life Cycle model has been developed to make it more likely that projects are completed as planned, within budget and on time. However, even with this rigorous process, there are no guarantees that a project will succeed.