Step-by-step design

The Small Business Administration followed eight steps, as dictated by the

Small Business Reauthorization Act of 1997, when designing its loan-monitoring

system.

1. Define system requirements using online capabilities as much as possible.

2. Identify data inputs and outputs to generate timely reports.

3. Benchmark SBA's loan-monitoring business processes and systems against

industry practices.

4. Determine data standards and control systems to ensure accurate information.

5. Develop an acquisition strategy and incremental development steps.

6. Analyze the benefits and costs of alternatives and demonstrate the

advantage of the final project.

7. Determine whether the system is consistent with the agency's information

architecture.

8. Estimate the total cost of the system.