Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) And Its Various Stages
A software development life cycle model (SDLC) refers to the pictorial depiction of the software life cycle. A life cycle model is basically the portrayal of every activity that needs to be completed so that the software product can progress with its life cycle stages. It also gives a better understanding about the structure in which these methods are to be managed.
To put it another way, Software Development Life Cycle or SDLC involves the process of producing software in the most cost-effective method by also maintaining the highest quality within the shortest time frame possible. This well-structured flow of SDLC phases assists organizations in producing software that is high-quality and ready for production very quickly.
SDLC Cycle
SDLC Cycle depicts the different stages that are involved in developing a software. The software development life cycle framework involves the following steps:
The stages of SDLC are as follows:
Stage 1: Requirement analysis
Requirement Analysis is the most obligatory and critical stage in the SDLC.
Due to its importance, this is often performed by the senior members of the team after considering the insights provided by the domain experts and all the stakeholders involved. This stage also involves planning for any kind of risks that could popup in the future.
To gather all the required information from the client, a meeting is set up between the client and the project organizers to understand different aspects of the project like what is the end goal for the product, customer needs and who would be the user of the end product. Having a clear understanding of the product is very necessary before starting to work on a product.
Stage 2: Defining
After the completion of the requirement analysis stage, in the next stage called defining, software requirements are properly documented and later sent to all project stakeholders for approval
This is usually done by using the Software Requirement Specification document which has all the information regarding the product requirements that have to be completed during the project life cycle.
Stage 3: Designing
The next stage involves utilising all the information about the requirements, analysis, and using it to design the software project. This phase is generally the result of the last two phases, like requirement analysis and defining inputs gathered from the customer.
Stage 4: Developing
This is the stage where actual development starts, and the programming or logic behind the product is developed. The execution of design starts by first writing its code. Later, developers stick to the coding guidelines provided by their management while also utilising several programming tools like debuggers, interpreters, compilers, etc. which are used later to write and implement the code.
Stage 5: Testing
After the code has been written, in order to check if it is performing the task it has been developed for, it is first tested against the requirements addressed in the earlier stages.
This stage involves different types of tests that the code has to undergo, such as integration testing, system testing, unit testing, and acceptance testing.
Stage 6: Deployment
Once it is checked that the software code doesn’t have any errors or bugs, it gets approval and is certified for deployment
Depending on the assessment that has been made, the software could be released or some changes or enhancements could be suggested.
Once software deployment is completed, its maintenance starts.
Stage 7: Maintenance
Once the final product has been deployed and the client starts to use it, there is a possibility that some other issues start popping up along with requirements that need to be resolved regularly as the product is being used.
This step where care is given to products that have already been deployed is known as maintenance.