Hi Kelechi,

From your previous posts, if ISD = Information System Development, then software developer / software development can be subset of ISD because software is merely 1 of the components of Information System.  Other components of an Information System e.g. Customer Relationship Management system includes server hardware, firmware, virtual machines, storage, network, implementation services, integration services, system testing, end to end testing, quality assurance etc.  Moreover, some organizations might / might not treat middleware and databases merely as software.

Regards,

Fung

Kelechi: I have been earning a living as a software developer/IT consultant for some 35 years, but I never used, or even heard of, the abbreviation ISD. Like Han Ping Fung, I can guess as to what you actually mean based on your previous posts, but if you look up ISD on Wikipedia, the only two even remotely relevant meanings are: the Information Services Department of the Hong Kong Government, and the Information Services Division of NHS National Services Scotland.

I think a more commonly used acronym that carries your intended meaning would be IT (Information Technology).

Han Ping Fung is right: IT is a broader category than software development. Think of the life cycle of a typical major automation project at any large organization, public or private. It begins with conceptual planning by management, perhaps with the involvement of consultants. Perhaps a formal feasibility study. This process leads to a preliminary budget, which allows for higher management to evaluate the concept. When the concept is approved it goes to tender. Proposals are evaluated and a winner is selected. One or more contracts are signed (not necessarily at the same time.) Analysts re employed to develop detailed requirements. System architects translate those requirements into a design. Hardware specifications are developed and the hardware is procured and installed by technicians; systems are then configured by system administrators. Coding starts: programmers, software developers are hired. Others work on plans for testing, deployment, training. Still others write documentation (or even translate it, if necessary, if the operating environment is multilingual, as in the case of the Government of Canada for instance.) When the code is complete and tested, the organization begins to implement the transition to the new system. Data are entered or transferred from old systems. Meanwhile, the systems are supervised and maintained to ensure their continuing security and reliable operation. The newly deployed software is maintained as bug reports are collected and prioritized, bugs are fixed, new features are added according to some sensible release schedule. And so on.

This narrative was not intended to be complete, just to illustrate how many different aspects of IT exist. The actual software development, even if I include the analysis, design, testing, software maintenance and documentation as part of the software development process, is still only a small part of the whole.