A Database Project in a Small Company (or How the Real World Doesn't Always Follow the Book)

Abstract

This case describes the development of a database system used to track and analyze press comments by experts on the information technology industry. The system was developed in a haphazard fashion, without the benefit of professional developers, originally based on a loosely organized collection of data assembled by a staff member, with little visibility into its ultimate uses. Design decisions made early in the project without careful consideration were difficult to change, or were never changed later, even after their negative impact was evident. The system provided real value to its users, but use of proper development disciplines could possibly have reduced some problems while not reducing that value.