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Chapter 5 – Lessons Learned and Next Evolution of the Project
Lessons learned from the project experience:
Throughout the course of this project a number of valuable lessons were learned.
One of the most significant lessons was how to take a concept for an application and, by
using the SDLC, turn that concept into a working application. This author also learned
that while there may not be a defined methodology for building a Web-based application
there are methodologies available that can be adapted for Web development. This may
be of utmost importance to ARC since many of their internal applications are Web-based
and by seeing the success of using such a methodology, they may strive to implement its
usage as part of their standard development procedures.
Another important lesson learned was how to effectively work with management
in setting goals, getting them to allocate resources, in terms of both personnel, hardware
and software, and in communicating ideas to them in a way that was clear and concise. It
was important in this application to set goals, in terms of timeframe, for each of the
individual modules of the application. This not only helped to keep ARC focused on the
project, but showed them that progress was being made which generated excitement
among management. Equally important was communicating with ARC about the ideas
this author had in regard to the design of the application. If the application was designed
strictly by the conceptual screens given then the application probably would not have
been as successful, if at all.
Learning about the effect of different menu structures that can be used on Web
pages, and how those menu structures can notably change the usability of a Web page,
was an important lesson for this project. This knowledge allowed for making a well