One of the ways of monitoring the different components of a system is to use a transaction processing monitor. A transaction processing monitor^[1] is a systems tool for configuration and management. The TPM monitors transactions from one stage to the next, ensuring that each one completes successfully. If not, the TM Monitor takes the appropriate action. A transaction processing monitor's main purpose is to allow resource sharing and assure optimal use of the resources by applications.
Processing of transactions are important, but perhaps the monitoring aspect of the software is its primary purpose. Monitoring can include logging, resource balancing, and security management.

Only 18% of software development organizations use a formal methodology such as Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology (SSADM).Instead many software development companies adopt in-house methodologies that are far from formal and indeed many are no more than embellishments to waterfall lifecycles. The surveyed companies typically perform full-lifecycle activities that include the following stages, which are performed either iteratively or sequentially depending upon the development methodology adopted by the company for a particular project:

1. System/Information engineering and modeling;
2. Software requirements analysis;
3. Systems analysis and design;
4. Code generation;
5. Testing;
6. Delivery and maintenance.

[1]A transaction process monitor has the primary role of coordination of services, much like an operating system, but does so at a higher level of granularity and can span multiple computing devices.