<p>Den här rapporten behandlar frågeställningen om hur man kan anpassa systemutvecklingav ett informationssystem enligt livscykelmodellen till att inkludera användbarhetstester. </p><p>Frågeställningen grundar sig i att god användbarhet inte är ett explicit uttryckt mål i Andersens beskrivning av livscykelmodellen. För att besvara frågeställningen har vi utvecklat och testat ett bokningssystem åt en mindre verksamhet. Utvecklingsarbetet har bedrivits enligt en egen anpassning av livscykelmodellen. Testerna har utförts enligt metoden c<i>ooperativ evaluation. </i></p><p>Frågeställningen besvaras genom att vi presenterar hur vi har gått tillväga för att inbegripa testerna i utvecklingsprocessen. De delar av informationssystemet som vi utvärderat beskrivs i rapporten. </p><p>Testerna hjälpte till att identifiera problem i systemets gränssnitt som annars troligen inte skulle ha upptäckts förrän slutanvändarna fått tillgång till systemet. </p><p>Slutsatserna är att det är möjligt, och dessutom önskvärt ur användbarhetssynpunkt, att innefatta användbarhetstester i utveckling av informationssystem. </p> / <p>This reports regards the question of how one can adjust system development according to the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) to include usability testing. </p><p>The question is based on the fact that usability isn’t an explicit goal in Andersen description of the SDLC. To answer this question we have developed and tested an information system for a small business. The development has been carried on according to an own adaptation of the SDLC. The testings have been performed in accordance with the Cooperativ evaluation method. </p><p>The question is answered by the presentation of our adaptation to include the tests in the development process. The parts of the information system we have evaluated are described in the report. </p><p>The tests helped to identify problems in the user interface which otherwise probably would not have been discovered until the end user gotten access to the system. </p><p>The conclusions are that it is possible, and furthermore desirable from a usability point of view, to include usability testing duringthe development of information systems.</p>

The research is conducted in the area of software methodologies with the emphasis on the integration of legacy systems with the client/server environment. The investigation starts with identifying the characteristics of legacy systems in order to determine the features and technical characteristics required of an integration methodology. A number of existing methodologies are evaluated with respect to their features and technical characteristics in order to derive a synthesis for a generic methodology. This evaluation yields the meta primitives of a generic methodology. The revised spiral model (Boehm,1986; DuPlessis & Vander Wah,1992) is customised to arrive at a software process model which provides a framework for the integration of legacy systems with the client/server environment. The integration methodology is based on this process model. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

Den här rapporten behandlar frågeställningen om hur man kan anpassa systemutvecklingav ett informationssystem enligt livscykelmodellen till att inkludera användbarhetstester. Frågeställningen grundar sig i att god användbarhet inte är ett explicit uttryckt mål i Andersens beskrivning av livscykelmodellen. För att besvara frågeställningen har vi utvecklat och testat ett bokningssystem åt en mindre verksamhet. Utvecklingsarbetet har bedrivits enligt en egen anpassning av livscykelmodellen. Testerna har utförts enligt metoden cooperativ evaluation. Frågeställningen besvaras genom att vi presenterar hur vi har gått tillväga för att inbegripa testerna i utvecklingsprocessen. De delar av informationssystemet som vi utvärderat beskrivs i rapporten. Testerna hjälpte till att identifiera problem i systemets gränssnitt som annars troligen inte skulle ha upptäckts förrän slutanvändarna fått tillgång till systemet. Slutsatserna är att det är möjligt, och dessutom önskvärt ur användbarhetssynpunkt, att innefatta användbarhetstester i utveckling av informationssystem. / This reports regards the question of how one can adjust system development according to the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) to include usability testing. The question is based on the fact that usability isn’t an explicit goal in Andersen description of the SDLC. To answer this question we have developed and tested an information system for a small business. The development has been carried on according to an own adaptation of the SDLC. The testings have been performed in accordance with the Cooperativ evaluation method. The question is answered by the presentation of our adaptation to include the tests in the development process. The parts of the information system we have evaluated are described in the report. The tests helped to identify problems in the user interface which otherwise probably would not have been discovered until the end user gotten access to the system. The conclusions are that it is possible, and furthermore desirable from a usability point of view, to include usability testing duringthe development of information systems.

This dissertation investigates the role of specification, refinement and implementation in the software development cycle. Both the structured and object-oriented paradigms are looked at. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of the refinement process. The requirements for the product (system) are determined, the specifications are drawn up, the product is designed, specified, implemented and tested. The stage between the (formal) specification of the system and the implementation of the system is the refinement stage. The refinement process consists out of data refinement, operation refinement, and operation decomposition. In this dissertation, Z, Object-Z and UML (Unified Modelling Language) are used as specification languages and C, C++, Cobol and Object-Oriented Cobol are used as implementation languages. As an illustration a small system, The ITEM System, is specified in Z and UML and implemented in Object-Oriented Cobol. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

Business organisations today are faced with the complex problem of dealing with evolution in their software information systems. This effectively concerns the accommodation and facilitation of change, in terms of both changing user requirements and changing technological requirements. An approach that uses the software development life-cycle as a vehicle to study the problem of evolution is adopted. This involves the stages of requirements analysis, system specification, design, implementation, and finally operation and maintenance. The problem of evolution is one requiring proactive as well as reactive solutions for any given application domain. Measuring evolvability in conceptual models and the specification of changing requirements are considered. However, even "best designs" are limited in dealing with unanticipated evolution, and require implementation phase paradigms that can facilitate an evolution correctly (semantic integrity), efficiently (minimal disruption of services) and consistently (all affected parts are consistent following the change). These are also discussed / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

The purpose of the research is to propose and evaluate a methodology for implementing EDI to assist organisations in reaping the anticipated benefits. The research involved the systematic analysis of the state of the art of EDI and paradigms of methodologies, to define a model for the EDI implementation methodology, and to define criteria for evaluating such a model. The methodology was developed and modelled utilising the software process model, as adopted by Boehm (1988) and later duPlessis and van der Walt (1992), as a framework. Next a synthesis of the assimilated knowledge and brainstorming of project teams involved in EDI pilot projects, was used to systematically develop an EDI implementation methodology. The methodology was evaluated by utilising it in the implementation of EDI between two organisations, Computer Equipment Brokers (PTY) and Marksec (PTY). It was concluded that the methodology was efficient for implementing EDI. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

This thesis examines integration testing of object-oriented software. The process of integrating and testing procedural programs is reviewed as foundation for testing object-oriented software. The complexity of object-oriented software is examined. The relationship of integration testing and the software development life cycle is presented. Scenarios are discussed which account for the introduction of defects into the software. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is chosen for representing pre-implementation and post-implementation models of the software. A demonstration of the technique of using post-implementation models representing the logical and physical views as an aid in integration and system testing of the software is presented. The use of UML diagrams developed from the software is suggested as a technique for integration testing of object-oriented software. The need for automating the data collection and model building is recognized. The technique is integrated into the Revised Spiral Model for Object-Oriented Software Development developed by du Plessis and van der Walt. / Computing / D.Phil. (Computer Science)

The research is conducted in the area of Software Engineering, with emphasis on the design phase of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The object-oriented paradigm is the point of departure. The investigation deals with the problem of creating support for the design phase of object-oriented system development. This support must be able to guide the system designer through the design process, according to a sound design method, highlight opportunities for prototyping and point out where to re-iterate a design step, for example. A solution is proposed in the form of a knowledge-based support system. In the prototype this support guides a designer partially through the first step of the System Design task for object-oriented design. The intention is that the knowledge-based system should capture the know-how of an expert system designer and assist an inexperienced system designer to create good designs. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

This dissertation investigates the role of specification, refinement and implementation in the software development cycle. Both the structured and object-oriented paradigms are looked at. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of the refinement process. The requirements for the product (system) are determined, the specifications are drawn up, the product is designed, specified, implemented and tested. The stage between the (formal) specification of the system and the implementation of the system is the refinement stage. The refinement process consists out of data refinement, operation refinement, and operation decomposition. In this dissertation, Z, Object-Z and UML (Unified Modelling Language) are used as specification languages and C, C++, Cobol and Object-Oriented Cobol are used as implementation languages. As an illustration a small system, The ITEM System, is specified in Z and UML and implemented in Object-Oriented Cobol. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

Business organisations today are faced with the complex problem of dealing with evolution in their software information systems. This effectively concerns the accommodation and facilitation of change, in terms of both changing user requirements and changing technological requirements. An approach that uses the software development life-cycle as a vehicle to study the problem of evolution is adopted. This involves the stages of requirements analysis, system specification, design, implementation, and finally operation and maintenance. The problem of evolution is one requiring proactive as well as reactive solutions for any given application domain. Measuring evolvability in conceptual models and the specification of changing requirements are considered. However, even "best designs" are limited in dealing with unanticipated evolution, and require implementation phase paradigms that can facilitate an evolution correctly (semantic integrity), efficiently (minimal disruption of services) and consistently (all affected parts are consistent following the change). These are also discussed / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)