Development Life Cycle Processes

This section describes the developmental processes in use as the system evolves through its life cycle

The developmental life cycle typically identifies how this system is:

• created

• developed

• Improved

• released.

For living systems, this process covers birth to death; and for designed systems this covers the life cycle from idea to retirement.

An example of the life cycle for designed systems is found in the international standard: ISO 15288:2015 or later.

Development processes also arise through the interaction of some parts of the system. These determine the temporal aspects of the development life cycles.

Development cycles may be identified through various stages of development. These processes may be triggered by development readiness in the life cycle.

The Development life cycle process can show the dynamics of the development process. The following types of models are relevant in this area:

• Activity Diagrams

• Gantt Charts

• State Machines / Markov chains

• Causal Loop Diagrams (CLD).

• Decision Trees

Evolutionary Changes

Some changes / Bifurcation points in the development of a system may actually create a new type of system which needs a new system description. This type of developmental change actually changes the identity of the system (name, purpose and structure (pattern of organization). For example, this type of change may create a new species or new system concept.

This type of evolutionary change relates to the system classification concept (e.g. a new system in the classification). (T.B.D where this information will be positioned).