In systems analysis and design, ongoing changes made periodically after a system is implemented are collectively known as which system activity?

Introduction / Context:
After a system goes live, organizations rarely freeze it forever. Business rules evolve, volumes grow, regulations change, and bugs surface. The discipline that encompasses corrective fixes, adaptive updates, perfective improvements, and preventive hardening—performed periodically or continuously—is called maintenance.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The system is already implemented and in use.
• Changes may be scheduled (releases) or reactive (patches).
• Objectives include reliability, usability, security, performance, and compliance.

Concept / Approach:
Maintenance spans four classic categories: corrective (fix defects), adaptive (enable operation in a new environment such as OS/DB upgrade), perfective (enhance features, performance, UX), and preventive (reduce future risk, refactor brittle modules). Effective maintenance uses backlog grooming, impact analysis, regression testing, automated deployment, and monitoring to ensure safe evolution.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Recognize that the work occurs post-implementation, not during initial build.Map typical change examples—bug fix, API version update, report enhancement—to maintenance categories.Identify the term that collectively covers these post-go-live activities: maintenance.

Verification / Alternative check:
Project lifecycle standards (e.g., SDLC/ITIL practices) consistently place these activities in the maintenance/operations phase, with change management and release management as supporting processes.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Analysis, design, and development are pre-implementation phases. “None of the above” is incorrect because “maintenance” precisely names the post-implementation change work.

Common Pitfalls:
Deferring maintenance until issues accumulate, skipping regression tests, or performing ad hoc fixes without documentation—each increases risk and cost later.

Final Answer:
maintenance