SDLC and National Culture

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SDLC and National Culture

• Variations on the SDLC theme

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SDLC Phases

• Requirements analysis
• Systems design
• S/W H/W identification or design
• Implementation

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Requirements analysis

• problem statement
• data collection
• preliminary analysis, feasibility
• detailed problem description
• documentation of existing system

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System design

• detailed analysis of existing system
• input-output requirements
• data requirements
• network requirements
• specification of new system

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SW and HW identification and design

• specification of HW and SW
• building procurement of SW
• acquisition of HW
• testing of HW and SW

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Implementation and evaluation

• Testing of components and the entire system
• users training
• installation
• documentation
• post implementation reviews

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Cultural profile of organizations
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General features of quadrants (contd)

• MACHINE QUADRANT
• DECENTRALIZED
• (LOW PD)
• HIGH DEGREE OF FORMALIZATION (HIGH UA)
• PYRAMID QUADRANT
• HIGH DEGREE OF CENTRALIZATION (HIGH PD)
• HIGH DEGREE OF FORMALIZATION (HIGH UA)

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General features of quadrants

• FAMILY QUADRANT
• HIGH DEGREE OF CENTRALIZATION (HIGH PD)
• LOWER LEVEL OF FORMALIZATION (LOW UA)
• MARKET QUADRANT
• NOT VERY CENTRALIZED, I.E. IT IS DECENTRALIZED
  (LOW PD)
• NOT VERY FORMALIZED EITHER (LOW UA)

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Classification by PD UA Only
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Value shifts (again!)

• Implications to information
• used by employees and managers?
• Implications to system design?
• Case examples
• Brunei
• Gondwanaland

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Problems with this model

•   It is based on a small sample of other
  studies.
•   With a few exceptions, other studies only
  indirectly address SDLC or related approaches.
•   National culture is only one force influencing
  IS development. Others are organizational
  culture, education and training.
•  We are using only 2 dimensions of national
  culture, albeit significant ones.

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Advantages of this model.

• It is the only one we have with reliable
  documentation so far.
• It makes rational sense and can be argued from
  the standpoint of logic internally consistent.
• New research confirms parts of the model.
• There is some evidence that the other 2
  dimensions also make logical sense.
• Users of this model have had success with it on a
  case by case basis.
• Though not intending to fully explain variations
  among cultures in using IS and SDLC procedures,
  it does suggest the influence of culture is real
  and measurable.

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End SDLC and Culture