The SPAMEX system. :: Computer Science

The SPAMEX system.1. IntroductionThe SPAMEX system proposed by SCABB is outlined in the attachedletter. I hope to point a suitable softw are process model for thedevelopment of the SPAMEX system in the following document.2. The Waterfall ModelThe waterfall model consists of several stages of the developmentlife-cycle, distributively of which are completed in turn.The first stage in applying this model to the development of theSPAMEX system would be to document the system concept and identify thesystem requirements. After analysing these requirements, one wouldbreak the system into pieces, for example TIP user interface,customer database etc. Each of these components (or subsystems) nowrequire detailed design to begin with the coding can take place. After eachof the components has been tested and debugged individually, they canbe integrated to form part of the whole SPAMEX system. The system as awhole can now be tested and deployed although requiring ongoingmaintenance.The waterfa ll model was the first of its kind and is still widelyused. It allows documented evidence of mount up as each stage must beapproved and signed off before the next stage is undertaken. Thisshould appeal to SCABB since they have access to these documents andcan track the put across of the development of their software. It wouldalso benefit the project manager, who would be able to ensureconsistency in the quality of the software and manage accordingly hisinvestments in period and money.The model also allows the various stages of the development to beoverlapped in accordance with the wishes of SCABB. This isparticularly useful in this case as the current brief presented bySCABB is not to the detail required by the developer. Further meetingsbetween both parties would be essential and ongoing changes inrequirements will be inevitable. However, such iterations are notpossible without significant investments in time and money from boththe developer and SCABB.As we can see, one of the m ain characteristics of the waterfall modelis that commitments be make for each stage early on and each one mustbe completed and signed off before the next is undertaken. Manyproblems may arise from this when apply to the SPAMEX system. Forexample, instability and other coding problems may not be discovereduntil the testing of the whole system. In such cases re-design may berequired, which is very knotted because from the very beginning,this model assumes feasibility before implementation.The waterfall model works well when requirements are stable and welldefined, the present SPAMEX brief is somewhat dull and specificdetails may only be attained through extensive client-developerinteraction.