Abstract
Electronic spreadsheets for mainframes were developed in the late 1970s; in 1979, VisiCorp Co. introduced VisiCalc for the microcomputer. Lotus 1-2-3 from Lotus Development Corp., the 2nd generation of these tools, became the market leader in the 1980s. A recent survey has revealed that spreadsheet packages are the most important type of software employed for strategic decision making. The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) provides a basis for managerial control, with the steps defining the segments of the workflow and specifying the documents to be constructed in each phase. Seven steps can be followed in the SDLC process: 1. Survey the situation. 2. Analyze specific needs and requirements. 3. Gather available information. 4. Logically design the application on paper. 5. Construct the spreadsheet template or model. 6. Test the template or model with known output data. 7. Implement the spreadsheet. While this approach will not guarantee the integrity of the spreadsheet applications, it will significantly reduce errors and provide the manager with a basis for control.