Life Cycle Management

Purpose

This Life Cycle Management Manual establishes management policies, procedures, and practices governing the initiation, definition, design, development, deployment, operation, maintenance, enhancement, and retirement of automated information systems[1] (AIS).

Objectives Life Cycle Management (LCM) emphasizes decision processes that influence system cost and usefulness efficiencies. These decisions must be based on full consideration of business functional requirements and economic and technical feasibility in order to produce an effective system. The objectives of the LCM approach are to:

• Deliver quality systems which meet or exceed customer expectations when promised and within cost estimates.
• Deliver systems that work effectively and efficiently within the current and planned information technology infrastructure.
• Deliver systems that are cost-effective to enhance and maintain.
• Develop quality systems using an identifiable, measurable, and repeatable processes.
• Establish an organizational and project management structure with appropriate levels of authority to ensure that each AIS or infrastructure project is effectively managed throughout its life cycle.
• Identify and assign the roles and responsibilities of all affected parties including functional and technical managers throughout the AIS or infrastructure system life cycle.
• Ensure that AIS or infrastructure system requirements are well defined and subsequently satisfied.
• Provide visibility and comprehensive information to functional and technical managers for all AIS or infrastructure system resource requirements and expenditures.
• Establish appropriate levels of management authority to provide timely direction, coordination, control, review, and approval of the AIS or infrastructure system project.
• Ensure project management accountability.
• Identify project risks early and manage them before they become problems.