Transcript What to Do Before the Webmaster Leaves: Documentation and

What to Do before the
Webmaster Leaves
Documentation and
Planning of Web
Development Projects
Karen Harker, Mitchel Walters, Judi Hill, Brenda Berkins
UT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas
Library Web site
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300 pages
15 locally developed products
150,000+ uses per month
Some products being managed
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Document delivery form
Ejournals database
Links database
Class registration database
My Library
What we didn’t have
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Written backup plans
Documentation of local products
Maintenance plans
Backup for technical expertise
A well-defined development process
Learning about software documentation
A two-way process
Development Plan
Project Overview
 Steps in Development
 Risk Management Plan
 Staffing Plan
 Schedule
 Testing and Release
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Requirements
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Constraints
Functional Requirements
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User interactions
Database(s)
Measurements of usage
Non-functional Requirements
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Look and feel
Usability
Performance
Requirements Table - example
Name
Description
Rationale
Necessity
1.1 Personal
Information
Name
Phone
Affiliation
Required to process
and respond to the
client' s request.
Essential
1.2 Non-personal
Data
Suggested Web site
Comments
This is the substance
of the client's
suggestion.
Essential
1.3 Validation of
client data
IP address
Is the client's
computer on or off
campus?
Conditional
1.4 Etc.
Architecture
Overview
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System Overview
System Flowchart
Database(s)
User Interfaces
Software Used
Detailed
Design
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Module Flowcharts
Data Dictionary
Database Design:
fields, tables,
relational diagrams
Web Page Design:
screen shots
Architecture Overview:
System Flowchart
Detailed Design: Module Flowchart
Maintenance Plan
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Software Maintenance Process
Preventive
 Corrective
 Emergency
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Backup Plan
 Evaluation of Product Viability
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Benefits
Fast-track product development
 Therapy for ailing projects
 Written documentation
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Resources
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www3.utsouthwestern.edu/
library/staff/present.htm
Books
McConnell, Steve. Rapid Development. Microsoft
Press, 1996.
McConnell, Steve. Software Project Survival
Guide. Microsoft Press, 1998.
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Web sites
Construx Software
<http://www.construx.com/>
Software Engineering Institute
<http://www.sei.cmu.edu/>