Datasheet

Chapter 1
14
Preliminary
Analysis
High-Level
Design
Detailed
Design
Coding
Testing
Acceptance
Review
Documentation
Detailed
Design
Coding
Testing
Acceptance
Review
Documentation
Review
Detailed
Design
Coding
Testing
Acceptance
Review
Documentation
The Analysis Phase
Irrespective of the type of project lifecycle mode, the first stage, and one of the most important
to get right, is inevitably one of analysis. Without adequate analysis you will not be able to
determine what the user wants from the application, the technical infrastructure within which
the application will be implemented, and the constraints imposed by the data with which you
will be working. Repairing the damage done by inadequate analysis, at a later date, can prove
very costly or even kill a project completely.
Requirements Analysis
The starting point for creating any successful Access application is to have a clear
understanding of what the users of an application want out of it. You need to know this before
you can even start to think about how to design any solution. The sorts of questions you will
need to ask in this stage include, among others:
❑ What is the business process we are trying to automate?
❑ What benefit is the new application designed to achieve? How will we measure
the benefit?
❑ Do we simply want to automate the existing process, or restructure the process and
automate it?
❑ Will the application have to interoperate with other existing or planned systems
or processes?
❑ What volume of data will the application be expected to handle?