CARA'S TIPSSystem development life cycle, artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics
JAMBWAECNECO
What the syllabus asks
JAMB: Section G 6 System development life cycle (definition; stages: preliminary study (identification of the problem, recognition of need), feasibility, analysis, design, implementation (coding, testing, documentation, delivery), maintenance, review; diagram); Section H Artificial intelligence and robotics (definition of AI; branches: machine learning (supervised, unsupervised, reinforcement), neural…
WAEC: Systems development cycle (definition, description, stages: preliminary study, feasibility, investigation, analysis, design, implementation, maintenance, study review; description of each stage; diagram)
NECO: Systems development cycle (definition, description, stages: preliminary study, feasibility, investigation, analysis, design, implementation, maintenance, study review; description of each stage; diagram)
What you will learn
- Define system and SDLC and draw the SDLC diagram.
- Describe the preliminary study and the types of feasibility, and carry out a simple cost-benefit calculation.
- Explain fact-finding methods and the analysis stage.
- Describe the design stage: input, output, files, processes and interface.
- Explain implementation: coding, testing, documentation, training and changeover methods.
- Distinguish the types of maintenance and explain the review stage.
- Define AI and outline its history.
- Explain machine learning (supervised, unsupervised, reinforcement) with examples.
- Describe neural networks, deep learning, expert systems, fuzzy logic and NLP.
- List applications of AI and discuss its benefits and risks.
- Define robotics and robots, identify robot components and types, and state applications, advantages and disadvantages.
Key points
- A system is a set of interrelated parts with a common goal; the SDLC is the cycle of stages used to develop an information system.
- WAEC stages: preliminary study, feasibility, investigation, analysis, design, implementation, maintenance, review (draw as a circle).
- Feasibility: technical, economic (payback = cost ÷ annual saving), operational, legal, schedule.
- Fact-finding: interview, questionnaire, observation, record inspection.
- Analysis produces requirements; design specifies output, input (with validation), files, processes, interface and security.
- Implementation: coding, testing (unit, integration, acceptance; normal, boundary, invalid data), documentation, training, delivery.
- Changeover: direct, parallel, phased, pilot; parallel is safest, direct is riskiest.
- Maintenance: corrective, adaptive, perfective, preventive; review checks objectives and may restart the cycle.
- AI: computers doing tasks needing human intelligence; Turing test 1950; term used at Dartmouth 1956; NCAIR Abuja 2020.
- Machine learning: supervised (labelled), unsupervised (clusters), reinforcement (rewards and penalties).
- Neural networks: weighted inputs + bias → activation; deep learning = many layers.
- Expert system = knowledge base + inference engine + user interface; fuzzy logic = degrees of truth 0–1; NLP = human language.
- AI applications: robotics, e-commerce, navigation, HR, healthcare, agriculture, gaming, automobiles, social media, marketing; risks: bias, errors, privacy, deepfakes, jobs.
- Robot components: control system, sensors, actuators, power supply, end effectors (sense → think → act).
- Robot types: humanoid, autonomous, teleoperated, augmenting; advantages: tireless, precise, safe for dangerous jobs; disadvantages: cost, job loss, no judgement.
Start here: Systems and the system development life cycle
A system is a set of interrelated parts that work together to achieve a common goal. A school’s result-processing system includes people (teachers, exam officers), procedures (marking, recording), data (scores), hardware, software and outputs (report cards). An information system collects, processes, stores and distributes information to support decisions.
The system development life cycle (SDLC) is the step-by-step process used to plan, analyse, design, build, install and maintain an information system. It is called a cycle because after review the process may begin again when new needs arise. WAEC requires its definition, description, stages, the description of each stage and a diagram.
The stages (WAEC order)
- Preliminary study: identifying the problem and recognising the need for a new or improved system.
- Feasibility study: checking whether a solution is possible and worthwhile.
- Investigation (detailed study): fact-finding about how the present system works.
- Analysis: studying the facts to find the problems and the requirements of the new system.
- Design: planning the new system in detail.
- Implementation: coding, testing, documentation, training, delivery and changeover.
- Maintenance: keeping the system working and up to date.
- Review (study review / evaluation): checking whether the system meets its objectives.
JAMB lists preliminary study, feasibility, analysis, design, implementation (coding, testing, documentation and delivery), maintenance and review; it treats investigation as part of analysis.
Who does it?
The systems analyst leads the work, studying the problem, talking to users and producing the design. Programmers code it; users and management state requirements and approve each stage; network and database specialists, testers and trainers also take part. Users must be involved throughout, or the system may solve the wrong problem.
Why follow the SDLC?
It gives an orderly plan; each stage has clear outputs (reports, designs, programs) that management can check; errors are caught early, when they are cheapest to fix; and documentation is produced for future maintenance.
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Practice questions
- System Development Life Cycle
- Software Data Link Control
- System Design Logic Chart
- Standard Data Life Cycle
Show answer
A: System Development Life Cycle
Stages: study, analysis, design, implementation, maintenance.
- implementation
- maintenance
- coding
- feasibility study
Show answer
D: feasibility study
Technical, economic, operational feasibility.
- pilot changeover
- phased changeover
- parallel changeover
- direct changeover
Show answer
C: parallel changeover
Safe but costly.
- phased changeover
- direct (big-bang) changeover
- parallel running
- pilot changeover
Show answer
B: direct (big-bang) changeover
Risky but cheap.
- maintenance
- feasibility
- analysis
- design
Show answer
A: maintenance
Corrective, adaptive and perfective.
Key words
- System
- A set of related parts working together to achieve a goal.
- SDLC
- System development life cycle: the stages of developing an information system.
- Systems analyst
- The professional who studies problems and designs computer-based solutions.
- Feasibility study
- An assessment of whether a proposed system is possible and worthwhile.
- Fact-finding
- Gathering information about the current system by interview, questionnaire, observation and record inspection.
- Changeover
- Replacing the old system with the new one.
- Parallel running
- Running old and new systems together until the new one is trusted.
- Pilot changeover
- Introducing the new system in one part of the organisation first.
- Artificial intelligence
- Computer systems performing tasks that normally require human intelligence.
- Machine learning
- A branch of AI in which systems learn patterns from data rather than following only fixed rules.
- Training data
- The examples used to teach a machine-learning model.
- Supervised learning
- Learning from examples that are labelled with the correct answer.
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