Information systems are complex. To create new systems or modify existing ones, IS professionals go through several steps. Investigation is the process of understanding a problem or opportunity. IF we use building a new house as an analogy, this would be the period where you decide you need a new house & checkout your finances. Analysis is defining what the system should accomplish: what will its outputs and purpose be? Continuing the house analogy, here’s where you’d sit down with an architect & explain what kind of house you want, how many stories, how big, how many rooms of each kind you want, etc. The architect might draw sketches until you agree that he has the right idea. There wouldn’t be enough detail in the sketches to allow a house to be built from them. Design is determining how the system will accomplish it purpose. Design for the house would include developing the blueprints, heating and air conditioning specifications, electrical and plumbing specifications, and materials lists. Implementation involves creating the system and putting it into use. This would be when the house is built, landscaped, cleaned, and occupied. Maintenance involves monitoring and changing an information system throughout its life. This would be analogous to everything you do after you close on your house – for example, clean it, repair it, expand it, renovate it.
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