The planning, development, and implementation of an administrative information system for the New Zealand Correspondence School is described. This was a brand new computer system for users with little or no previous experience of computing. The constraints on the project were such that conventional waterfall development using a third-generation language was impracticable. There was, moreover, a number of significant project risks, including requirements uncertainty, a tight time-schedule, staffing constraints, and possible problems of data quality and user acceptance. The case study describes how risk management was used to determine development strategies, including the selection of an appropriate life-cycle model, development methodology, and fourth-generation language development environment. A feature of the project, which contributed significantly to its ultimate success, was the high level of user involvement in the development process, including project management, requirements analysis, documentation, education, liaison, and some implementation. © 1990.
