Iterative Development Cycles
There are two phases in our project life cycle. In the first phase the product is defined and a draft plan establishing a timeline and milestones is created. In the second phase the project enters into an iterative process, cycling through a specification-analysis-design-construction process. The scope of each iteration corresponds to the releases (milestones) outlined in the draft plan. In each cycle, a new set of functions is added to the product, a build is done, and the application is tested.
Specification
Each iteration begins with refinements and expansions of the specifications for the system functions targeted for that release. The list of uses cases to be done for this iteration is reviewed and revised if necessary. The impact of the targeted functions on the system as a whole is explored in more detail. And, the relevant system attributes are refined and expanded.
Analysis
The first iteration of analysis begins with the first draft of a conceptual model for the problem domain. A glossary is created to keep track of key terms. And detailed use cases are done for the current iterations work. All three of these artifacts - the conceptual model, use cases, and glossary - are extended and refined concurrenlty as the project progresses. Interaction diagrams are developed when necessary and, as the analysis progresses, associations and attributes are added to the conceptual model and specifications developed for the key concepts.
The transition from analysis to design is usually not too clear cut. But, n our approach to design we try to maintain a clear seperation between the design of the user interface (UI) architecture and the system architecture. The look and feel of the product should reflect the users understanding of the problem domain, not the developers understanding of how to satisfy the function specifications. >> more
Construction
The last step in each iteration is the mapping of the design to chunks of coding that must be done. After identifying what has to be done, an order of implementation is established and task lists developed and assigned. At the end of each iteration, a build is done and the application is tested.
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