From a non-technical viewpoint, people effectively consider it as a set of repetitive processes. However, from a technical viewpoint software cycle is a process of developing software in which each stage plays an important role in the operation.
In the IT Universe, companies are eagerly adopting the best possible practices for the development of their software. As there are several reasons for a company to adopt a software development life cycle (SDLC) because it supports project managers with tools to ensure successful implementation to develop superior software with smooth functioning.
According to the official report of Skyquett.com, the global customer success software market was valued at $ 978.22 million in 2021 year. It is projected to grow to $6,994 million by the year 2030. It is forecasted that it will grow at a CAGR of 24.43% in the period 2023 to 2030.
Now, in this blog, there will be a detailed discussion about the software development life cycle (SDLC), its stages, benefits, best practices and many more.
How the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) works?
The SDLC provides a systematic management approach with specific deliverables at every stage of operations. Its working is based on the 7 stages of the software development life cycle in an effective way.
Currently, the modern approach of SDLC is effectively based upon on the top-notch methods to develop the software. These modern SDLC tools include the following key aspects in their core working:
A. Agile
This Agile software development life cycle is an iterative and flexible approach that emphasizes collaboration, flexibility and customer satisfaction. It incorporates the process to deliver software in small increments and allows for faster feedback loops with greater collaboration between the development team and stakeholders.
B. DevOps
This DevOps software development life cycle model focuses on the in-depth collaboration between the development and operations teams. The working of this model involves continuous integration, testing and deployment of software. It will be going to allow for faster delivery of new features and greater agility in responding to changing requirements.
C. Lean Method
The Lean SDLC model is a methodology that focuses on the elimination of waste and maximizing value. The lean method involves the functions such as: identifying and removing non-value-adding activities and processes. The major benefit of removing non-value-adding activities is that it leads to super faster delivery of high-quality software.
Its working models are transparent enough to increase visibility for all stakeholders involved in the process. Many clients can see the work in different sprints of JIRA (it is an issue-tracking software). It also helps in monitoring the software testing process.
So, many times client demands the current status of their project and they want the data in real-time. In such cases, the use of different project management tools empowers them to check the data in real-time about the working progress of their software or any mobile application project.
Read More: Test Automation For Improved Efficiency & Reliability
Software Development Life Cycle Phases
The phases of SDLC guide about the development of software applications from the initial planning stages to the ongoing maintenance stage. It incorporates a series of stages with specific goals and objectives.
Here, it is important to understand that it takes the combined efforts of SDLC teams, analysts, developers, QA staff members and stakeholders to complete the software cycle.
Phase 1: Planning
In the planning stage, the project team is responsible for defining the goals and objectives of the software project. The software requirements are identified, and a detailed product roadmap is prepared in this phase.
In this phase, making a detailed roadmap in advance supports in identifying the problem and scope of any existing systems. So, developing effective planning helps the teams to catch problems or challenges in advance.
Phase 2: Defining Requirements
In this stage, all the requirements are gathered by the project team. We believe that in this phase, developers should be clear about the below-mentioned aspects:
- Define prototype system requirements.
- Evaluate key alternatives for existing prototypes.
- Need to perform research & analysis for engaging with the needs of end-users.
Phase 3: Designing the Software
Designing team needs to make sure that all the elements, buttons or texts should be placed in such a manner that it should maximize user interaction. Designers need to showcase their creativity by adding different flowcharts, diagrams and other visual elements.
They need to make sure that all the elements should be able to fascinate users and should be powered with easy navigation.
Phase 4: Developing the Project
When the team completes the previous stage (designing), the developers’ role begins. They need to start writing codes and adding APIs to make sure that the entire project is fulfilling the user intent.
Developers also need to fill the project management tools with specific time logs to justify their work. As, many outsourcing companies charge payments from clients on hourly bases. So, preparing hourly logs into project management tools helps the company to send proper bills to clients.
Although, the development stage is not only about filling JIRA logs but also involves the following functions – such as: writing code, testing the code, fixing bugs and many more.
The following tools are required in this stage such as:
| Tools Types | Examples |
| Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) | Visual Studio, Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA |
| Version Control Systems (VCS) | Git, Subversion, Mercurial |
| Project Management Software | Jira, Trello, Asana |
| Collaboration Tools | Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom |
| Testing and Debugging Tools | Selenium, JUnit, Visual Studio Debugger |
| Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD) Tools | Jenkins, Travis CI, CircleCI |
Phase 5: Testing
In this phase, the developers incorporate various testing and debugging tools that need to be used for identifying and fixing errors in the software. Now, many companies already shifted from manual testing to automated testing.
It is a fact that the testing phase is a critical component of software development because software is tested to ensure that it meets the requirements and specifications outlined in the design phase.
Each tester incorporates a different set of technologies during this phase. For example: identify any defects or bugs in the software and then report these defects to the development team for correction.
Functional testing, performance testing, security testing and more. As, the ultimate goal of the testing phase is to ensure that the software is fully functional, reliable and meets the needs of the end users. It is important to thoroughly test software to ensure that it is ready for deployment and use in the real world.
Phase 6: Deployment
In this stage, the software is ready-to-go toward end users. In this stage, the development team makes sure to cover all the technical aspects such as: technical support system, product development, governance, quality assurance, site management and many more.
Here, it is important to consider that the product manager should check whether the final solution is showcasing any signs of bugs or it is ready for final deployment?
Although it is always considered that the product manager should create a deployment plan first and then the product team should review it. So, there is a requirement to schedule time for each activity related to the product.
Phase 7: Maintenance
This is the post-deployment stage and it is believed that to keep your software technically functioning well it is necessary to invest funds into the maintenance stage.
It is the responsibility of the information technology department to invest funds into the maintenance of the software. For a better understanding of software maintenance and support, we have created an ideal process of maintenance:
- Identifying the problem.
- Analyzing measures to incorporate for fixing the problem.
- Designing the updates to ensure coding need to be completed.
- Testing the updates.
- Implementing the updated coding into the production activity.
6 SDLC Methodologies / Models
Each SDLC process needs to be governed by a specific set of methodologies. For the structured approach for SDLC, it is important to decide which method should be used for handling all the important aspects of the project.
Now, we are outlining 6 specific methodologies for SDLC. Each of these approaches varies in some ways from each other. However, one thing is common among these methodologies i.e. it supports teams in delivering high-quality software in a cost-effective manner.
Methodology 1: Waterfall Model
Software experts and testers consider the waterfall model as the oldest methodology to handle software functions. It is a highly straightforward approach because:
When one phase is completed – then – the process moves to another phase.
Methodology 2: Iterative Model
The iterative model uses a process called “evolutionary acquisition” or “incremental build” approach. As, the entire requirement is divided into multiple builds in the incremental model.
In simple words, the iterative model breaks down each process into smaller parts or iterations, which are repeated until the final product is completed. Here, it is important to understand that each iteration involves specific steps of functionalities with high-risk features.
The primary reason behind the use of this model is that it becomes easy to incorporate corrective measures during the early stages of development through the iterative model. Although, at the start of each iteration high-risk part is completed first.
Methodology 3: V-Model
Continuous Product Development can effectively utilize this model to produce rigorous results. The next phase starts after the completion of the previous phase – for each development activity & there is a testing activity.
The V-Model is a software development life cycle (SDLC) model that provides a systematic and visual representation of the software process. As it is based on the idea that the V shape represents the progression of the software process from requirement gathering to maintenance.
Methodology 4: Spiral Model
In the spiral model, the project repeat different set of septs with modest goals in wider spirals (called as rounds). The team performs a detailed risk analysis with each round to ensure proper functioning of the results in the spiral model.
The spiral model divides into four important quadrants, such as:
- 1st Quadrants: Identification of alternative solutions.
- 2nd Quadrants: Resolve risks.
- 3rd Quadrants: Developing the next version of the product.
- 4th Quadrants: Review and planning for the next phase.
Methodology 5: Agile Model
Once, the client approved each sprint then the development team starts working on the further project. Many companies use this methodology from software planning to software testing.
Methodology 6: Big Bang Model
The big band model comprises focusing all the possible resources in software development and coding with little or no planning.
This model typically requires only 1 or 2 developers in an effective way.
Read More: Understanding Software Maintenance and Support: What it is and Why it Matters?
Benefits of SDLC
Without any doubt, there are countless advantages of having this structure for a design project. These benefits are as follows:
- It makes it clear the project goal or problem.
- The team designs the projects with clarity of operations.
- If any project manager leaves the project in-between then new members can pick the project where they left off.
- With proper implementation of SDLC, one can monitor the entire project sprint and complete it within the allotted budget.
- The team can complete each sprint, and clients can review and check the project. This ensures that all the project should be completely bug-free.
Best Practices for SDLC
Every project managers want to make sure that his/her team members should be able to optimum utilization of resources. The team should adapt all relevant practices related to continuous product development and software cycle in the best possible manner. Thus, we have outlined 5 best practices that should be part of your SDLC project:
1: Maintaining data hygiene.
2: Standarizing of your coding process.
3: Managing code quality.
4: Optimize Developer Workflow.
5: Increasing planning accuracy.
The Final Words
This blog concludes that there are 7 foremost phases of the software development life cycle, and each phase requires a specific set of approaches. Although to improve the journey of these phrases there are different sets of models – such as: the waterfall model, iterative model, V-model, spiral model, etc.
To get quality software with all the functionalities and user-friendly designs – you need to connect with our project managers. At Amplework, we incorporate top-notch technologies with the latest project methodology for developing tech solutions.
