1. Introduction

New software and computer systems are always being developed and released for sale.

When a company decides to create a new piece of software/system they have to think carefully about every stage of the development. Any mistakes can be very costly, especially if the finished product doesn't do what people expect and very few people purchase it.

Research has shown that companys who are successful at software development follow a process called the 'Systems Life Cycle'.

The Systems Life Cycle (SLC) breaks down the development of any new system/software into specific stages.

Over the next few pages we will be taking a look at those stages.

For your exam, you need to be able to recognise the correct order of the stages and have an idea of the different things which are likely to happen during that stage.

Use the menu on the left-hand side to navigate through the pages