An incredible software idea doesn’t mean you can be the next Mark Zuckerberg or Jeff Bezos. The idea is simply the beginning or the stepping stone of your software development journey that might take a week, a month or even a year. Generally, software development procedures are pretty long, tedious and tiresome. And in addition to that, if you plan to go with the flow without having preconceived notions about it, what can I say?

You will soon get lost in your whirlwind. Fortunately, several software development companies tend to offer intimidating software-based solutions from their space. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be well-versed in the procedure, approaches and development methodologies. 

Software development is more like a jigsaw puzzle game. You need to plan everything and then add one piece at a time. Once all pieces are added, the puzzle will automatically be solved. Similarly, in a software development project, there are multiple stages or, should I say, pieces which need to be placed one after the other. And that’s what today’s post is all about! The following post focuses on a software development lifecycle and the relevant stages or phases included in a software development life cycle. 

What is the Software Development Life Cycle?

Well, in simple words, as the name implies, a software development lifecycle is a mere process for developing and deploying software development processes right in accordance with the client’s needs. Now when you plan a road trip or a short getaway to an unknown destination, I am sure you must be doing lots and lots of research regarding the routes or the hotel stay, what local amenities can be found nearby, etc.

Well, after all, you are going to an unknown place and not being prepared in advance could be one of your biggest mistakes here. Well, conducting a software development project is no different. Just like you get cherishable memories from your vacation, by conducting a well-planned software development project, you will receive an amazing software product that is high-end in regards to quality and is way better in regards to functioning. 

Not to mention, developing software by following the software development lifecycle precisely can be pretty beneficial; here’s how! 

● You get to manage precisely and better control 

● The entire process must be transparent 

● By following SDLC, you can understand the requirements pretty thoroughly 

● You get to know the result before even the result comes out 

● There is no scope for you as well as your team, to go off the track

So basically software development life cycle is the most vital methodology or approach that should be used to create software. Plus, all the long, tedious-looking and complicated stages can be broken down into small chunks and achieved accordingly. Here you get to watch out for each step and work more efficiently. Now it’s time to understand the different stages of a software development life cycle. 

The Phases of the SDLC

Developing software from scratch can be insanely tricky; no two ways about it! By implementing SDLC, your complex and complicated-looking project can be more smooth and seamless. Developing functional and completely operational structures is not child’s play; one small mistake can cost you an arm or a leg. And above all, here you get a fair chance to plan things, be it in regards to the cost or decisions regarding the staff, identifying relevant issues, analyzing performance, and so forth.

Let us get acquainted with the prime stages or phases of a software development lifecycle without delay.  

Planning stage

As the name implies, it’s all about planning things, mapping them out, or creating some outline- seemingly obvious. And maybe that’s the reason why most of the non-techies ask to skip the obvious part and begin with the process. And this is where they make a big, huge mistake that might fail. Planning is not just obvious but worth considering in any software development lifecycle, irrespective of its size and industry vertical.

By not doing proper planning prior, you might not have a clear scope or purpose, and you are likely to be carried away. From the ultimate objective to how much everything will cost, how you will be your team, etc., must be taken into account here. The ultimate purpose behind planning is to identify why exactly you are working on this project. What is the issue, potential resources, costs, time-consumed, energy used and whatnot?  

Requirements Gathering Stage

The next stage we should be looking forward to is the stage where you must gather all the relevant information, data and requirements. Here you won’t collect all the data or information but also conduct appropriate analysis and make the required decisions. In other words, your team of software developers is responsible for determining prototypes. It may quite interest you to know that there is another jargon for gathering requirements; it is known as Elicitation. Here the experts tend to gather clear, concise and correct information regarding what the customer needs, their main objective, what problem they want to solve and so forth.

To pass the stage successfully, there is one catch! Listen to your client or customer very carefully. Yes, listen to them precisely, know exactly what they are looking for and then deal with them. After having a brief understanding of what’s required, you can develop a prototype model to show how the planned product will be. This also gives your customers a broad idea of what or how much they should expect from you.  

Now generally, what happens is your client or customer tends to offer business requirements. The software development team must convert those business requirements into software requirements. Here comes the big question, how? 

● Try breaking things down 

● Come up with different user-stories

● Create a relevant flowchart

● Create wireframe diagrams for a detailed explanation

You can start by understanding who your end user is, their prime concern, the user experience or navigation or performance issues, etc. Again I would like to say that the software development life cycle is surely a step-by-step process, it will take time, but it’s worth considering. 

Design Phase

The next phase is the Design phase. Design and development are the two fundamental stages of any software development life cycle. And do you know what is the best part here? They always tend to work in tandem with each other. I have come across many of you who have this misconception that design is way above development or that development should be given more importance than design. Whereas the truth is both must be given equal importance. After gathering requirements, the design phase begins. Here not just designers but software developers are also roped in so that they can outline the relevant details of the app prior. Certain aspects must be more important here, such as user interface or system interface, network requirements, databases and whatnot! 

So, from creating design documents to adhering to the given coding guidelines and making decisions regarding different tools and best practices, all these sub-stages happen here in the software design phase. 

Development Phase

After the design, we have the development phase that must be considered. Everything happens right from implementing the predetermined ideas to coding; every feature or every idea is transformed into code. Now, of course, each and every phase mentioned here is extremely important, but development is the core of the entire project. If you succeed here, you can rest assured that the end product will be created in accordance with the pre-defined features and functionalities. A successful development phase is only said when the system is designed well, all the testing and integration happens into more significant components, when you have the best and perfect technical environment, and in the end, when the product is good to go for the test phase. 

So what is the development team responsible for? 

● A system design document

● A proper security plan as well as a disaster recovery plan

● System development doc

● Data retention plan

Also, while conducting the development phase, project managers must keep a hawk eye to identify initial risks, conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis regularly, track threats and execute response plans regularly.   

Test and Integration Phase

The next crucial phase in any software development life cycle is the testing phase. There was a time when testing was always considered an afterthought. Fortunately, the scenario seems to have pretty much changed. Today much like development and design, development and testing happen quite in tandem. However, testing must be conducted before the product is released. Today, while competing in the digital era, coding in a test-driven environment is pretty much in vogue. 

During this phase, all the QA and software testing teams gather and look for potential bugs and errors. If they find one, they get directly in touch with the developers to rectify current issues, and at the same time, they also tend to find the potential one. It’s like, test-making relevant changes and then re-test; all this goes on and on unless everything doesn’t seem to be refined and healthy. 

Deployment Phase

After testing comes to the deployment, don’t be too relaxed right now! You see, deploying a software product among your current and potential users might be difficult. After the software product is thoroughly tested, it is further processed and deployed among customers. Now not all projects can be deployed seamlessly; it highly depends on what is the size of the project. Here users are asked to use the software solution and provide relevant feedback. If any issues or bugs are found, the software goes through relevant phases for rectification and then releases again. As mentioned earlier, software development is an ongoing process. So even when you launch the software, it doesn’t mean you can sit worry-free. Your software is your baby; you must look after it for your entire life. 

Operationalization and Maintenance Phase

Last but certainly not least comes the maintenance phase. This stage is usually considered after the software reaches the market. Now starts the maintenance mode; simultaneously, they are bound to handle relevant issues reported by end-users. Moreover, developers are highly-responsible for implementing all the pertinent changes required even if the software is deployed. 

The software can never be perfect. No matter how much you test or keep rectifying, you will always find errors and bugs once it is launched. So yes, for that particular timing, you need a phase where things can work precisely even though the software is not with you. Now the maintenance stage requires quite a lot depending on your system; larger ones need high-end maintenance stages, which might not be the case for small software solutions. 

Now enough is said about the software development life cycle and its premium stages. Furthermore, I would like to emphasize top software development lifecycle models. These models are a rare combination of processes and methodologies that can be chosen wisely depending on your development project. Many software development lifecycle models are available such as RAD, Agile, Waterfall, Iterative, Spiral, Prototype, V and so forth. I want to focus on the best ones here. So let’s get started! 

Top SDLC Models

Waterfall ModelOne of the most recommended software development methodologies is the waterfall model. Though this one is pretty old, it is still effective and worth considering. Earlier in 1970, the model was released, and since then, there seems to be no turning back. The model comprises five phases: requirements, analysis, specification, designing and precise implementation. Much like any software development life cycle, the steps are always followed in one order. Of course, each phase counts here. 

For example, developers understand all the customer requirements in the requirement phase and make relevant documents. After that, during the design phase comes when professionals create a highly-levelled and detailed design. Once the design phase is accomplished comes the coding phase, and after that, the code is thoroughly tested and modified. Next is the testing phase, where the end product is tested repeatedly to develop a better outcome for the end users. And lastly, we have the maintenance phase, where the software is well-maintained and updated for the long run. 

Now when to use the SDLC model. Of course, not every time you can use the waterfall model. There are a couple of situations in which the waterfall model is preferable, such as. 

● If the requirements tend to remain the same

● If the project is short-termed

● If the situation is calm and poised

● You are bound to use specific tools and technologies

● When everything is well-prepared, and you have to go by the book 

The only issue is that the waterfall model comprises high-risk factors, which is why it is not advisable for long-term or complex software development projects. 

The Agile model

Next, we have the Agile Software Development Life cycle model. This one can be said to be a rare combination of iterative and incremental procedures. As we know, every project is different, so it has to be handled differently. The agile model is one such way that tends to divide the entire project into small chunks or tasks and then deliver the best outcome. What makes the Agile model a cut above? 

● Self-organization and motivation are important 

● Demo working software is what is needed here

● Customer collaboration is important 

● Responds pretty much quickly to changes 

Compared to other relevant approaches or models, Agile is pretty much realistic and highly promotes teamwork. Think of any feature or functionality you would like to have in your software; you can have it immediately! The agile model works best for both fixed and even constantly changing environments. There are no such rules or regulations here; things can be documented quickly. Not much planning is required here, and everything is pretty easy to manage. Also, the agile model gives amazing flexibility to developers.   

Iterative model

This model begins with merely implementing a small set of software development requirements. So in case if the project requirements are clear and concise or well-defined, market constraints, if you are willing to try some innovative tech or approach, and most important of all if you are eager to add some high-risk features and then all you have to do is consider the iterative model. 

Further below, I would like to mention certain benefits of working with the iterative model. 

● A wide range of features and functionalities can be created in a short time

● Early and precise results are obtained

● You can even plan for parallel development

● Progress can be measured precisely. 

● Seamless Testing and debugging

● Managing risks can be way easy 

● Better analysis of current and potential risks 

● The model highly favors a change in the environment

● Less time is used for conducting operations

● Highly recommendable for large and mission-critical projects

● And most important of all, it requires highly skilled 

When to use the Iterative Model? Iterative models are often recommended when all the requirements are clearly defined and easy to understand. The model is highly recommendable for large-size projects, and fewer changes are required.   

V-Model

The V-model is one kind of Software Development Life Cycle often known as the Verification and Validation model. V-model offers a static analysis technique (review) that happens without executing code. Here even dynamic analysis technique (functional, non-functional) is done. The V-model comprises a different bunch of phases. 

● Requirement Analysis

● System Design 

● Architectural Design 

● Module Design

● Unit Testing 

● Integration Testing 

● System Testing 

Some of the core benefits of the V-model include the following:

● This one is a pretty high-disciplined model 

● Works well for small projects where all requirements are taken into consideration

● Simple to understand and, of course, pretty much easy to use

● Quite Manageable; each phase here is seamless and tends to deliver the best possible outcomes.  

Of course, V-model comprises a wide range of controversies, such as this one of high risk and uncertainty; it is not recommended for complicated and object-oriented projects, and of course, not even for long and ongoing projects. If the app reaches the testing stage, then it becomes pretty challenging to go back and forth to rectify issues again and again. So when precisely must the V-model be taken into consideration? If the requirements are clearly stated and if you have a plethora of resources, tools and technologies at service. 

Conclusion

The software development life cycle offers a plethora of benefits. And maybe that’s why it is repeatedly recommended for IT development projects such as software, systems, etc. So I hope the following post can assist you well in your upcoming software development project. Moreover, I would like to recommend seeking assistance from some of the best software development companies across the globe that have appropriate knowledge and career experience in such areas.