Planning and Managing Information Systems Development

Every successful software and hardware deployment begins with a structured plan, yet many projects fail due to poor alignment with business goals. Understanding how to assess organizational needs and plan development phases is a critical skill for any aspiring systems analyst or project manager. This text-based course guides you through the foundational concepts of information systems planning, helping you transition from identifying a business problem to defining clear system requirements. You will learn how to evaluate organizational needs, align technology strategies with business objectives, and structure the initial phases of the development lifecycle. What you'll learn: 1. Understand the core phases of the information systems development lifecycle (SDLC). 2. Conduct thorough needs assessments to identify organizational pain points. 3. Define clear system requirements and functional specifications. 4. Evaluate modern system architectures, including cloud-first and security-by-design principles. 5. Create structured project plans and feasibility studies for new systems. 6. Apply modern agile planning frameworks to manage development workflows. Starting with key terminology and foundational definitions, you will progress through real-world scenarios and written exercises that simulate actual system planning challenges. This course is designed entirely for beginners, requiring no prior technical background or programming experience. Start reading today to build the essential planning skills needed to lead modern information systems projects.