SDLC Improvements

Every aspect of the SDLC is improved with the ability to fully and completely understand your Software.

SDLC Improvements

How App Overview Helps Improve the SDLC

Below are the main steps of the SDLC, but any general task related to your Software will be improved by having better knowledge about it. Without going into too much explanation (if you work on a Software Team, you will understand these benefits), below are examples of where App Overview would give Software Teams a much needed boost.

 

Requirements

The more understanding you have of the current system, the better you can understand how to define new requirements on it to integrate new functionality. You can also easily document and easily reference all of the existing business rules and logic, something that normally remains hidden from the Analyst’s view in the code.  

 

Design, Development and Architecture

Estimates are usually very time consuming, and end up far from accurate even after spending time to do all of the Research.  With App Overview, you can find comprehensive information in a very short amount of time, giving you the best chance for an accurate estimate. 

Architects can see the bigger picture (and the details) and ensure the system is being built for the long term.

Code Debt is reduced by documenting legacy systems and refactoring them with confidence and lower risk.  Existing areas in the Software Systems that need to be refactored are easily identified. New development has a higher chance of not introducing code debt when a comprehensive understanding of the Software is part of the decision making.  In general, refactoring becomes much easier when you can see and explore the whole system graphically from high, mid, and lower detail levels, drilling into components to learn about their logic and anything else you need to know.

Enhancement Implementations can be based on an exhaustive check of integration points, and a thorough understanding of those integration points.  Much of the guess work and assumptions are removed, which in today’s development process is responsible for defects and code debt.

Defect resolution allows capturing the particulars of the error, and how it was resolved.  If the error is ever encountered again, the resolution can be immediate.  Additionally, by capturing the defect alongside the component, it can be further addressed on future releases when a Developer is in there making a change again.

Cross-functional work no longer requires a knowledge transfer.  Team Members can work on any part of the system because the documentation tells the story. 

Less interruptions from everyone across the organization that has questions about the Software.  This allows Software Developers to focus more of their time on productivity, instead of always being relied upon to research and explain how the system works.

 

Testing

Test Cases can be captured and/or related contextually to the software’s processes, and component relationships.  Quality Assurance Teams are mostly cut off to the internals of the Software and how it works, where its integration points are, etc., but always wanting to know and understand their Software Systems.  Being able to understand changes to the Software will allow them to provide comprehensive testing more efficiently and thoroughly.

Deployment 

Where the “software meets the hardware” can be documented as well. Knowing where areas of the Software go on which servers, as well as any additional deployment related information, will help make Deployments and troubleshooting easier.  Additionally, the hardware can be documented as well, to store relevant information about servers, versions of software, configurations, etc. 

Operations

Operations departments that support the existing Production systems, and help with resolution of issues, can greatly benefit from a knowledge base that provides a graphical view of the Software, as well as the ability to capture Operational Team Support information on top of it.  For example, when something errors or fails, you can locate the components, and find the documentation on what do next.  Whether that be restart, contact the SME, capture new errors and how to handle, etc.  Additionally, new errors can be easily captured to support future troubleshooting. Because App Overview is Team based, Operations can capture and find what they need to do their job quickly and effectively.

 

Customer Support 

When Customer Support Teams really understand the software, they can provide much better customer support by resolving issues, or communicating to the next support tier more precisely what needs to be fixed, by bridging the gap between the error, and the component causing the error.