Topic: THE DEVELOPMENT PHASE

The Development Phase features a key step in the project: system construction.

 Refers to the actual writing of the program.

To complete the Development Phase successfully, two elements are required:

1) a complete set of design specifications and

2) proper processes, standards, and tools.

 Multiple-release projects require multiple iterations of the Development Phase –

one for each release.

DELIVERABLES AND APPROVALS

 SDLC deliverables help State agencies successfully plan, execute, and control IT
projects by providing a framework to ensure that all aspects of the project are
properly and consistently defined, planned, and communicated.
 The SDLC templates provide a clear structure of required content along with
boilerplate language agencies may utilize and customize. State agencies may
use formats other than the templates, as long as the deliverables include all
required content.

The development and distribution of SDLC deliverables:

 Ensure common understanding among Development Team members and stakeholders,

 Serve as a reminder of specified plans as projects become increasingly complex,
 Provide agency senior management and other State officials insight into project risks
and ongoing performance,
 Encourage the execution of repeatable and consistent processes,
 Facilitate the implementation of project management and agency IT best practices, and
 Result in a comprehensive record of project performance useful for many purposes (e.g.
staff knowledge transfer, budgetary and other assessment activities, lessons learned).

During the development of documentation, the Development Team should:

 Write comprehensive, easy to understand documents with no redundant information.

 Develop an organized document repository for critical project information, so
Development Team members can easily access, store, and reference project documents
and other deliverables from all life cycle phases.
 Implement routine deliverable reviews to correct inaccuracy, incompleteness, and
ambiguities.
 Recognize that sample templates for deliverables are available; agencies might accept
deliverables in different formats as long as all required information is present. The
 content of these deliverables might expand or shrink depending on the size, scope, and
complexity of the project.
 Recycle or reference information from earlier documents where possible and beneficial.

The following is a listing of deliverables required of all projects for this phase of work.
Deliverables need to be updated for each iteration of the Development Phase.
All deliverables other than those identified as Updates should be developed in this phase.
Deliverables identified as Updates should be revisited and enhanced as necessary as
prescribed in this phase.

Deliverables produced during this phase must be reviewed in detail and should follow the
approval path as defined in the above table (for each iteration). A signature page or section
should accompany each deliverable requiring approval.
ROLES

The following personnel participate in the work activities of this phase:

 Agency CIO
 Project Sponsor
 Executive Sponsor
 Project Manager
 Development Team
 Project Stakeholders RACI
4.1 Review Phase Prerequisites.

The Project Manager ensures the following prerequisites for this phase are complete:

 The Project Management Plan is current, and the schedule showing the target
termination date for the system is current.
 The Development Team has completed:
 System Design Document o System Security Consensus Document o Security
Plan
 Disaster Recovery Plan o System Development Document
 Test plans for unit and integration testing (draft) o Conversion Plan (draft)
 Implementation Plan (draft) o Data Retention Plan
 Operations or System Administration Manual (draft) o Maintenance Manual
(draft)
 Training Plan (draft)
4.2 Monitor Project Performance.
The Project Manager monitors project performance by gathering status information about:
 All changes to baseline data
 Change management information
 Activity progress with status details
 List of complete and incomplete deliverables
 Activities initiated and finished
 Estimated time to completion
 Resource utilization data
 Changes to project scope

The Project Manager also organizes and oversees systematic quality management reviews of
project work as a part of monitoring the project performance.

To measure project effort at all phases of the life cycle, the Project Manager establishes
timelines and metrics for success at each phase of work when planning project tasks.

4.3 Update PMP and Communication Management Plan.

The Project Manager updates the PMP routinely (at least quarterly) to ensure the PMP reflects
project performance accurately. Review project performance controls and risks for deviations
from the baseline.

Information distribution is one of the most important responsibilities of the Project Manager. The
Project Manager reviews and updates the Communication Management Plan at least quarterly
to account for potential changes in project stakeholders. The Project Manager distributes the
updated PMP and risk management information according to the revised Communication
Management Plan.
4.4 Perform Risk Management Activities.
The Project Manager conducts risk management activities during the Development Phase;
these activities include:
o Identification – determination of initial risks that might affect the project and
emerging risks as well as each risk characteristic
o Risk Analysis – conducting quantitative and/or qualitative analysis of each
identified risk. Usually, qualitative risk management techniques are the most
applicable for State projects.
o Response Planning – planning of methods for developing mitigation, transfer, or
avoidance strategies to reduce risk
o Monitoring and Control – definition of procedures to track risks, monitor residual
risk, identify new risks, execute response plans, and evaluate risk management
effectiveness

These activities occur throughout the project duration to track and mitigate any new or changed
project risks.

4.5 Initiate Development Activities.

The Development Team begins development by:
o Verifying selection for standards, methods, tools
o Consulting with the Maryland EA Repository for available tools and components
of the system
o Carrying out Development Phase activities according to the detailed project WBS
prepared during the Planning Phase. Development activities need to be
performed for each release.
o Performing configuration management and change control
o Documenting and resolving problems and non-conformances found in the system
products and tasks with an issue-tracking process

Project stakeholders should be involved periodically throughout the Development Phase to

ensure that the development team understands their expectations and that it develops the
system in accordance with requirements.

4.6 Build and Test System.

The Development Team establishes the hardware/network development environment and
builds, installs, and documents each system component in accordance with the System
Development Document developed in the Design Phase. The Development Team also
prepares the installation site for the hardware (including cabling and furniture if applicable).

The Development Team creates test procedures for testing each system component (e.g., main
CPU, work stations, network software, and peripherals).

The Development Team performs unit tests of each system component and documents the
results in the Test Analysis Report(s). The Development Team also updates the RTM to include
pointers to test results and updates the test requirements. Ensure that hardware components
are tested independently of one another to validate that they perform in accordance with
acceptance criteria.

The Development Team conducts routine project reviews to monitor progress and quality
according to:
 Traceability to the requirements and design of the system
 Test coverage of units
 Resolution of testing deficiencies
 Appropriateness of methods and standards used

The Development Team builds and tests software for each Development Phase iteration.

4.7 Integrate Hardware.

The Development Team integrates the hardware and network components and tests as the
aggregates are developed. The Development Team must ensure that each aggregate satisfies
the requirements of the item and that the item is integrated at the conclusion of the integration
activity.
The Development Team repeats this activity for each iteration associated with a release to
production.

4.8 Conduct Integration Testing.

The Development Team conducts integration testing of integrated hardware and network
components. Integration testing involves the testing of aggregated hardware and network
components, which were previously unit-tested. Through integration testing, Development
Teams are able to verify requirements of major groupings of the system. The Development
Team repeats this activity for each iteration associated with a release to production.

The Development Team summarizes the testing results in the Test Analysis Report(s). The
Development Team also updates the RTM to include pointers to test results.

4.9 Plan the System Integration.

The Development Team develops an Integration Document to assemble the hardware and
network components into the system. The document includes procedures, responsibilities, and
a schedule for combining the components into a working information system. The Development
Team repeats this activity for each iteration associated with a release to production.

The Project Manager and Development Team review the Integration Document while
considering:
 Traceability to the system requirements
 Consistency with system design
 Quality of units based on test results

The Project Manager conducts project-level and technical reviews of the Integration Document.
4.10 Update the System Implementation Plan.
The Development Team updates the implementation procedures as necessary for the system in
the target environment.

4.11 Plan for Operations & Maintenance Activities.

The Project Manager and Development Team review Development Phase deliverables, and the
Project Manager adds any necessary tasks to the project plan for the Operations &
Maintenance Phase. Each release will require separate operations and maintenance planning.

4.12 Complete the System Documentation.

The Development Team finalizes the following documents:
 Conversion Plan
 Implementation Plan
 Maintenance Manual
 Operations or Systems Administration Manual
 Training Plan
 Release Notes

4.13 Perform Phase-Closure Activities.

The Project Manager and the Development Team prepare and present a project status review
for the Agency CIO, Project Sponsor, Executive Sponsor, and other project stakeholders after
completion of all Development Phase tasks. This review addresses:
 Status of Development Phase activities
 Planning status for all subsequent life cycle phases, with significant detail about the next
phase
 Status of resource availability
 Project scope control as described in the Project Scope Statement/System Boundary
Document and any required adjustments to the scope
 Changes to the project schedule and estimated completion date
 “Go-No Go” decision made to proceed to next phase, based on Development Phase
information
 Verification that all changes are conducted in accordance with the approved Change
Management Plan

The Project Manager compares actual project performance to the PMP and the projected cost
of the project to detect and understand any variances from the cost baseline during the phase-
end review. The Project Manager also performs a comprehensive risk assessment of the
project to update the risk analysis. The Project Manager updates the Maryland EA Repository
with any new or updated components before beginning the next phase, Test.

The Project Manager must obtain deliverable approval signatures before proceeding to the Test
Phase.

Update the project documentation repository upon completion of the phase-closure activities.