ABSTRACT
The management of client/server projects involves unique pitfalls within traditional systems development categories. This chapter addresses the unique characteristics of client/server development projects within the following categories:
• Defining/documenting business requirements • Determining hardware/software/network requirements • Estimating • Project tracking • Defining tasks • Estimating hours required • Estimating percentage of completion • Timekeeping • Issue tracking • Developing skills with technology and tools • Security • Testing/QA process • Developing documentation • Organizational stability • Prototyping/usability • Sign-offs and approval
DEFINING AND DOCUMENTING BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS
As with a traditional development project, documenting requirements should be the start of a client/server development project. It is here that the user requirements are defined as a basis for the project estimate and cost benefit analysis. The requirements document should be detailed and include input screens, processing cycles, and output reports. The database design should also be included, defining data relationships. Not only is defining/documenting business requirements important for estimating the initial effort of the project, it is also critical for determining changes in scope and determining what “done” is. Many times what is casually reviewed at the start of a project becomes critically important in determining a project’s completion. Typical elements of a requirements document include:
• Objective of the project/system • Business requirements • Input/output requirements • Affected business area • Processing requirements • Security requirements • Data or file handling requirements • Organizational impacts • Documentation requirements
It is difficult for an auditor to determine if the all requirements are comprehensive and adequately defined. However, at a minimum, the auditor should verify that the requirements are defined at a sufficient level of detail and that there is appropriate user management authorization.
