Software Development Life Cycle Stages And Models

Outstanding undertakings begin with an extraordinary breadth of vision. Software development life cycle (SDLC), like any other multidimensional system, involves extensive planning, foundation, and administration, especially if several processes must be juggled.

To ensure that the project runs well, you'll need a strict method that makes the entire engineer undertaking effective. It allows the software team to give exceptional outcomes on schedule. Thus, the software development cycle is crucial in achieving these goals.

The SDLC can identify and correct development flaws in their early stages, saving time and money. This method may also be used to devise a strategy for performing well on the first try.

As a result, every competent developer worth his salt should be familiar with the SDLC models and be able to select one based on the project environment and business requirements.

InvoZone has provided software development services since 2014, and we understand the significance of SDLC. Our seasoned staff, which currently numbers more than 500 engineers, has worked on several projects and is well-versed in various SDLC models.

So, if you've been asking, "What are the phases of a software project life cycle?" then you’ve come to the right place. We'll share some of our knowledge and give an in-depth overview of the SDLC steps, and three important SDLC approaches.

By the conclusion of this essay, you'll understand why this method is critical and which SDLC technologies are worthwhile to examine.

What is SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)?

The software development life cycle (SDLC) is also known as the software design and development life cycle, software production schedule, or software release plan. 

SDLC is more than just creating an executable program. It includes all the steps that go into developing software, from idea to implementation. Software developers use this to create reliable and appropriate programs for users’ needs and requirements.

The seven stages of SDLC are the planning stage, analysis stage, design stage, coding/programming phase, deployment, and maintenance, along with the testing phase following soon after at each step along the way.

These phases can be combined depending on the type of product being created. Some software may only need one or two phases before it’s ready for release.

7 Stages of SDLC

The following list provides you with an overview of software development life cycle steps.

Step I: Requirements Gathering 

First and foremost, the software development stages include requirements definition and prioritization. The resultant insights help developers decide the course of the project.

It also involves gathering stakeholder input about how future changes may affect their business processes. The software analysis phase will use the software requirements document as a guide.

Step II: Requirement Analysis

One of the most critical seven phases of SDLC is requirement gathering and analysis. In this stage, the team gathers and analyzes data to better understand the problem or opportunity that the project is trying to address.

This includes conducting research, analyzing user needs, and identifying potential solutions. The goal of this step is to gain a deep understanding of the problem and to identify the best approach for solving it.

Step III: Design 

In the design step, the project manager conducts a one-on-one meeting with the solutions architect and UX/UI designers. The meeting covers the architectural aspects of software products, such as how much processing power it needs, what type of interface to use (web-based or mobile), etc. 

In other words, the team creates a blueprint for the system or solution that will be developed. This includes designing the user interface, database structure, and overall architecture of the system. The design phase is critical because it helps to ensure that the system will be easy to use, scalable, and maintainable.

In addition, it helps to understand the limitations and possibilities of this project. Based on the developed outcomes, developers come up with a feasible solution in terms of features, technical feasibility, cost efficiency, and user experience quality expectations.

Step IV: Code Development

This is where programmers write code according to a specified design to create software products with the desired features that were defined before. The purpose is to bring those ideas into reality!

During this stage, you supply your programmers with the project plan, drawings, and any other documentation they require to proceed forward with the development at this time. Once they have these materials locked in their lockers, they can get to work.

This SDLC phase might be your bread and butter. However, analyze how the project travels between different team members (for example, front-end and back-end developers, web and mobile developers) in order to identify and fix any dependencies that may hold the team down.

Step V: Testing 

Have your programmers defined their codes? Then, it's time to put it through its ringer. The SDLC testing phase is concerned with quality assurance. At this point, your approach will be strongly influenced by whether you have a dedicated QA staff or other built-in testing mechanisms.

Test-driven development and automated testing have relieved developers of tedious endeavors during the lifecycle of software development steps. With this in mind, unit tests run in the background and detect component faults, whereas integration tests guarantee that all of your product's components operate together globally.

Nothing like a good old-fashioned pre-launch testing session, though. Bring together your QA team to test the product, record problems, and performance concerns, and generally push the code to its limits.

Then, give it back to the developers to make any necessary changes before retesting. Your phases of the lifecycle of software development must be extremely explicit about the requirements that must be met for deployment.

Step VI: Deployment

This step mainly focuses on deployment. In detail, it can involve installing the system on servers, configuring the environment, and training users on how to use the system. In the deployment phase, you officially launch the system or solution, and it becomes available to the intended audience.

Step VII: Post-Implementation Maintenance And Support

This final SDLC phase is notorious for its inconsistency. Some developers do not view maintenance as a stage in the SDLC process but rather as a continuing process. Others believe that maintenance should be included in SDLC planning because development does not finish when the product is released.

Whatever side you are on, it is critical to recognize that all software requires maintenance. You must plan for this as a team, which includes knowing:

• Who is in charge of product maintenance?
• When and how often is maintenance necessary?
• What does your organization's maintenance procedure look like?
• What should you do if a product has a bug or a problem?

Commonly Used Software Development Models

The most popular SDLC models used today are waterfall, agile and spiral methodologies. Let's have a quick look at them.

Waterfall Model

The waterfall is a software lifecycle model that progresses like a waterfall running down a cascading series of rocks. It's a linear-sequential life cycle model, which implies you must finish each step before moving on to the next. As the name suggests, it follows a logical progression of phases throughout the SDLC.

Advantages

Now, explore the following advantages: 

• A Clear Structure: One of the most significant advantages of the waterfall model is its clear and exact structure, which defines the function that you and your companions must play at each stage of the project. 
• Smooth Information Transfer: Because the waterfall model cannot advance to the next step unless the previous phase is finished, information is always accurately captured from one phase to the next. This guarantees that you can transfer information smoothly and neatly between stages.
• Extremely Stable: The waterfall model is incredibly tight and sturdy due to its design and structure. 

Disadvantages 

Prevent these disadvantages as much as possible: 

• Inflexibility: The waterfall software development model is less flexible in terms of software design changes. Once the project has moved to the next phase, it is difficult to go back and make changes to the previous phase.
• Doesn’t prioritize end-users: One of the key downsides of the waterfall approach is that it is not designed to include input from users and clients at any of its several phases.

Agile Software Development

The agile software design approach emphasizes improving the software development process. It necessitates iterative and incremental methods and adapting to changes as soon as they happen. 

It works more like a feedback loop where one stage feeds into another! There are many benefits to agile software development, but there are also disadvantages, too.

Advantages

Read the following advantages to make an informed decision: 

• Improved Quality: Using an agile technique, teams may divide projects into sprints and cooperate to produce high-quality outputs.
• Speed and Flexibility: The second advantage of embracing agile is the speed and flexibility provided by the Scrum methodology. Change is important to the growth of this activity. If the development team cannot meet initial objectives, you can instantly modify processes to suit the new requirements.

Disadvantages 

Beware of the following disadvantages: 

• Uncertainty: One downside is the uncertainty associated with agility. Development tasks are less predictable due to the nature of their methods, which makes budgeting difficult!
• Cost Associated With Change: This software development model often integrates new features with existing ones, characterized by technical debt or major changes in the project lifecycle.

Spiral Model

Barry Boehm describes the Spiral Method in his 1986 work "A Spiral Model of Software Development and Enhancement." The Spiral Model is essentially a meta-model that analyzes the project's individual risk profile before offering a technique. It combines elements of other prominent approaches of the day, such as Iterative and Waterfall. As a result, it opposes a one-size-fits-all approach to adopting process models.

Advantages 

Have a quick glance at the advantages of the Spiral Model: 

• Large and complex projects: Because the spiral model is iterative, it allows for the incremental development of a project, which can be particularly useful for large and complex projects that may be difficult to plan out in advance.
• Changing requirements: As the spiral model is iterative, it supports changes during its development. It is useful when project requirements are unclear or likely to change over time.
• High-risk projects: Because the spiral model is risk-driven, it allows the timely detection of risks.
• Technical uncertainty: The spiral model allows for the development of prototypes, which can be used to test and evaluate different design alternatives and explore new or unfamiliar technologies.

Disadvantages

Never be too late to consider these drawbacks and be cautious: 

• Expensive: Because the spiral model is iterative, it may require more resources than the waterfall model to complete a project, which can make it more expensive.
• Time-consuming: As the spiral model is iterative, it may take longer to complete a project than the waterfall model, which can be a disadvantage.

Which SDLC Methodology Should You Choose?

The answer entirely depends on what your goal is for a particular project.

Do you want a clear roadmap and have limited resources? If yes, waterfall software modeling might suit your needs because one stage feeds into another, where software design changes can be done more flexibly.

If you need software quality assurance requirements to be met quickly, then the agile software engineering life cycle might work best for your needs because it uses incremental and iterative techniques that last until the software is released.