Construct | Develop
This stage represents the bulk of the overall effort in solution development effort. Specifically this stage’s outcomes are the creation, implementation and launch of the new web solution.
As Mission Data adhere’s primarily to an iterative development approaches many of the activities described in this stage are performed repeatedly as functionality is created. At the highest level the following work is performed:
- Web page coding
- Solution architecture construction
- Database development
- Business logic development
- Data conversion
Web page coding
Each iterations effort begins with the finalization and formal approval of the prototypes supportive of the functionality to be developed. Following the completion of prototypes, the web page coding will be initiated to create working web pages, which will be nearly identical in appearance as the prototypes. Mission Data exposes the progress of the efforts on our non-public development server.
Solution architecture construction
At the same time as web page coding is performed, work begins on the creation and customization of the underlying technical and application architecture. This work includes the creation (or update) of the solution's database(s) and the selection and tailoring of of the functional componentry (e.g., audio/video players, reporting engines, etc.) associated with the iteration. Unlike the web pages these efforts will not be visible until they are tied in to the user interfaces themselves.
Database development
Following the establishment of the databases and applications infrastructure, an initial import of existing data for the applications into the system is executed if legacy data is to be maintained. This allow testing to be done with existing, real-life data. Otherwise, test data is used to populate the supporting database(s).
Business logic development
As the database is being developed, the functionality for the iteration being built using the development frameworks and languages selected during the Plan | Architect stage of the process. The functional componentry is integrated into the solution along with any new business logic required to deliver the required capabilities of the solution. In short, the hard work of programming, systems engineering, and systems integration is performed by the project's architects and devlopers.
Data conversion
As the iteration's functionality is nearing its final state, the final production data will be imported and tested and then made ready for use in the operational solution. This step often includes the creation of import and conversion utilities that ensure the integrity of the data as it is converted for use in the new system. These utilities are typically maintained throughout the lifespan of the application to support the continued inclusion of externally provided data and to support backup and recovery efforts if ever required.
Although the true deliverable of this stage is a working and functional solution that is ready for deployment, some key deliverables include the following:
- Build prototype
- Build code
- Build documentation
- Updated use cases
- Updated models and architectures
- Converted data and conversion utilities