403.0 Caveats

This page describes some disclaimers and caveats to keep in mind when using the LifecycleStep Process.

  • Portions of LifecycleStep are designed to be applicable to all projects, whether you are building a house, a circuit board or a computer application. After all, all projects deal with analysis, requirements, design, construct, etc. The content and descriptions for the Analysis Phase, for instance, can be utilized on most all projects. However, as the lifecycle moves into the more detailed process, the context starts to focus on IT software development projects. During the Construct Phase, for instance, there are many references to programming and development work. This focus is necessary because as the processes come closer to implementation it is harder to stay generic. However, projects that are not IT development can still use much of this content by just substituting your own products in at the appropriate places.

  • This methodology is designed to provide a large degree of value, while also being as concise as possible. After all, you are not necessarily looking for a methodology with thousands of pages that aren’t applicable to most projects. There is much more information that can be written for each of the steps in the process. For instance, there are entire books about the construction process showing how to write good C++ or Java code. However, LifecycleStep is not the place to learn how to code, so the topic is covered at a high-level. This is enough to describe the purpose of the step and make sure the reader knows the type of detail that would go into that activity or set of activities.

  • There are many more skills required for a project team to be successful. Some of these skills are people related instead of process related. For instance, a good team must work together well, communicate proactively, take the initiative, complete their assigned activities on schedule, etc. Team members should be a good verbal and written communicators, have good interpersonal skills, good listening skills, leadership skills, etc. LifecycleStep does not fully address these important people skills, and they are not described much outside of the client-team interaction as a part of gathering business requirements. LifecycleStep focuses on processes - not people.

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