Information systems and data management
The Change Pipeline
Code moves through the SDLC under change control: users test, someone independent migrates, and emergency fixes get logged after the fact.
How the exam words it
- -The stem lists SDLC phases and asks which comes next or where user acceptance testing belongs.
- -It cuts over to a new system and asks which conversion strategy is safest or riskiest, contrasting parallel, pilot, phased, and direct cutover.
- -It asks who should move an approved change into production, testing the separation of development from migration.
- -It describes a rushed emergency fix and asks what control still applies.
The playbook
- 1Walk the SDLC in order: analysis, design, development, testing, then implementation, with users driving requirements and user acceptance testing before go-live.
- 2Rank conversion risk: parallel is safest because the old and new systems run together, while direct (big-bang) cutover is riskiest with no fallback.
- 3Require change management: authorize, test, and approve changes, and have someone independent of the developer migrate the code to production.
- 4Allow emergency changes but log and authorize them after the fact, then review to confirm they were appropriate.
The trap
Calling direct cutover the safe choice because it is fastest, or letting the developer migrate the change. Parallel running is safest, and migration must be independent.
How the exam varies it
The same pattern, re-skinned along these axes:
SDLC phase ordering versus the placement of user testingConversion strategy: parallel, pilot, phased, or direct cutover riskRoutine change authorization versus emergency-change logging
Drill this pattern
8 questions of The Change Pipeline from across the AUD topics. Clear it by getting 5 right with a streak of 3.