System Development Lifecycle in the University

                As a student in the university, it would be hard for me to determine the system development methodology or system development process that the information system developer used in developing the information system in the university. it would be natural to think that every faculty in the university will not disclose the methodology and every faculty of the University of Southeastern Philippines Obrero campus will not confide the details about the system of the university without having permission the university president Dr. Alibin. For now, it would be hard for me to determine the exact answer that if the information system developers developed new methodology of system development specifically for the university. and it would be natural to think that every faculty would not disclose their work to a student like me who is a current student of the university. my words here are based on what I observed to what I see and feel when I encounter and experience the information system of the university.

                In the university, many systems that the university professors developed used in their operation. The system of the university is functional and it is satisfying the need of the university in terms of the business processes, to accommodate the students in the university in each different colleges.  The information systems that the university is using, based on what I observed, are the billing system or the system that the cashier of the university used. The other system that the university is using is the nails enrollment system that every students of the university experience of which also every students of the university experience to enroll for the semester. The other system that the university utilizes is the human resource system that the people of the university used in order to have information about the staff, professor and facilitator of the university. The other information system that I observed is the library system of the library in the University of Southeastern Philippines. It handles about the operation in the library of the university. Also the other information system that is currently used in the university is the online grading profile system of the university. The online grading profile system is all about the grades of every student in the university in all the subjects in all semester that the student enrolled. There is another information system that I observed in the university, it is the VaqSys system. It is a log in system for the student to use the computer of the school, in the computer lab 2 and in the library. These information systems are used in the operations of the processes in the university. And these information systems are done by the faculty of the institute of computing, one of the colleges of the university. I observed also that the making of the system is done alone by a faculty of the college, as if like every faculty of the college is assigned to a system for the maintenance, operation, and development of the system.

                The cashier’s billing system is helping the cashier of the university in doing cashier’s job. It help the cashiers in checking the accounts of the students. Based on what I observed, the billing system can do checks about the account of the students. It helps the student to check their corresponding accountabilities and unpaid payments in school. When making a payment the cashier’s billing system made an official receipt that will be given to the student or to the person who pays. The cashier’s billing system helps the work force of the cashiers in the university. The cashier’s billing system also helps the process to be easy to audit, since the system returns reports to the user of the system as one of the its output.

                The other system that the university used in their operation is the enrollment system. The enrollment system of the university is used for the enrollment of the students in the university. The enrollment system of the university also used to enroll the subjects of the students in the university. The initial process of the information system is the student will input the subject that the students in the encoder of the student’s respective college. There, the enrollment information system will check if there will be existing conflict of schedule that exists within the schedule of the subjects of the student. If there is no conflict of schedule, the student can proceed to the next process of the enrollment. With that, the enrollment information system will eventually add the subjects of the student with in that semester. After that the information system will just to confirm the enrollment of the student when the student is done to the other processes. After that, the student will go the registrar and let the registrar see the receipts and the other reliabilities of the student to the person in the registrar. After that all, the person in the registrar will confirm the enrollment of the student and the registrar will give the student the student’s copy of the certificate of enrollment. The output of the information system is the student’s copy and the registrar’s copy of the certificate of enrollment. This certificate of enrollment will be the basis that the student is enrolled to the university in the semester. The other output of the information system is the set of schedule that will be given to every faculty of the university. It is the set of schedule that will be followed throughout the semester. As part of the output of the information system, there will be complete assignment of the faculty to their respective classes that will be followed throughout the semester.

                The other information system of the university is the online grade profile of the students that can be seen in the website my.usep.edu.ph which most of the students in the university used.  The system is about the grade of the students of all the semester that the student enrolled. in the website, the student can view the grade of the subjects that the students enrolled after the student log in to the system. The student log in to the information system with the student’s id number. The system is also allowing changes on the password of the student’s account. The system was made by Sir Fortich before he leaved from the university.

                The other system that the university used is the VaqSys that can be seen by the students of the university every time they use the computer in the computer laboratory and when they use the computer in the library of the university. It is used so that the computer can be used only by the students of the university. The utilization of the computers is limited which means that the student is limited to use the computer to a certain number of consumable hours. Every time the student log in to the information system, they use their id number to log in. when they log in, the time that they accommodate will be subtracted to the allotted time that is left to the student account after they log out to the system. The system also can give or transfer some of the consumable time of a student to other student. The student is also allowed to change their respective password in the information system.

                The other system of the university includes the library system that every student encounter is the human resource system that the school uses to have information about the staffs and faculty of the university. With that the university has information with the staffs and the faculty of the university.

                 The information systems of the university were done by doing the different methodology or approach of developing a system. Because as I observed, the university did not hire a team or an experienced system analyst in doing the systems that university utilize today and also the university didn’t have experienced system analyst. As what I know, the VaqSys system that is used in making a check in using the computers in the computer laboratories was done by Engr. Val Quimno. The online grading profile was done by Sir Japheth, according to what I know. The system in the library, based on what I know was done by Sir Dan. From these facts, it only means that the information systems of the university were done individually by the faculty of the Institute of Computing. And it also means that the process of the development of the systems were different. The developers do not have a team to work with. The making and the development of the systems were done in unorthodox way. From these facts, it is safe to say that the life cycle of making and developing information systems was developed specifically for the university. The life cycle of making and developing the information system of the university can easily be observed since, based on what I observed, all of the systems were done individually which means that the approach of making the system is different than the usual way of making or developing the information system.  Whatever what is this life cycle of development of information system, this life cycle or methodology is design for making the information system with only one person or making the information system alone. By thinking about it in very deep manner, I can say that the life cycle or the methodology was developed or made to cover up the thing that the university cannot provide.

                The university does not have enough funds for hiring experienced system analyst who will initiate the project of making or developing the project or the system, and the university does not enough finances for hiring experienced members that will work in the team with the system analyst in making and developing an information system. From that facts, it means that the life cycle or the methodologies of making the information system is developed specifically for the university which does not have enough funds for sponsoring or subsidizing projects like making or developing information systems that would cost too much for the university when the project will be initiated.

                The university is lacking people that they need to handle in developing and making new systems. The university does not have the people who can do the development or making the new system fulltime. Since all the faculty in the Institute of Computing is also teaching and so with the other faculty of the university that can have the knowledge or can have the ability in helping with the developing or making a new system, like the faculty of the computer technology in the College of Technology.

                With these facts about the current situation of the university, the work on developing or the making of the information system that the university is needed to be done alone by faculty of institute of computing. So the life cycle or methodology of developing or making a system was developed or made specifically for the university to cover up or to handle the lack of resources of the university.

                By investigating more, maybe I can find out more about the life cycle or the methodology that was used as a basis in the making or in the development of the system. By now, using what I know as the basis of what I am saying, it is still not clear in me for now to tell that the university developed life cycle or methodology in making system specifically for the usage in making new system in the university. To know that fact, it is needed to have interview with the one who made the information systems that are currently used by the University of Southeastern Philippines. To have an accurate and reliable answers or information, I have to do some interviews and ask some questions with the person who helped develop and made the information system. I have to ask what system development methodology or process of developing information system that they based at. i can ask if they follow some methodology which would be the basis of other information system developers that made or develop the other information system in the university, of course, can be confirmed after asking all the developers that made their respective information system. by also making more detailed observation  to the system in the University of Southeastern Philippines in Obrero Campus. In doing observation and investigation,

                As of now, we cannot see clearly the methodology if it is happening or not. In order to have knowledge whether the methodology that information system developer of the system that the university utilize, I have to investigate more and ask more of the questions to the information system developers of the University of Southeastern Philippines in Obrero Campus. The other way also is to have more rigid observation to the systems in the University of Southeastern Philippines a check if the system meets the minimum requirements needed by the university in its operation and work force. I believe that there is no perfect system, the information system that the university utilized, i think, meets the minimum requirements that the university needs but the system is not that perfect to make the works of the stakeholders of the information system to the easiest possible. The information system has also delays and lapses.

                In the enrollment information system, the lapses their based on what I observed, that it is still impossible to have an online enrollment to lessen that queue during the enrollment period. During the enrollment of the start of the semester, the queue of the student who try to enroll is very long and time consuming. It makes me think that what if there’s online enrollment so that everybody can focus on their break and so that everybody will not ruin their vacation just to have a very long and stressful enrollment of the university.

                In the cashier’s billing system, the system and the information system of the billing system is quite perfect. It make me wonder if we could have pay it through our payment cards like or pay it without have to be in the very long queue of the billing system. like paying in the cashier using a student’s bank account or by using a payment cards as a payment like ATMs, credit card, or debit cards. With that, it would be easy for the student to handle in paying to the cashier much easier, more comfortable and more efficient way.
                As of now, the information systems that the developers who done the information system alone, based on what I observe, is effective and meets the minimum requirements of the system. at least the information system that the information systems developers made, help in the improvement of the work force in the university and help the process of the university faster. And I also think that that it is way better to have this system even it is not that perfect, it is way better than to have a manual process in the university which would be more hustle, more stressful, and more error prone process of doing university related stuffs.