The Ultimate Guide to Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) | Phases, Models & Best Practices

Learn about SDLC phases, popular models like Agile, Waterfall, and DevOps, and best practices for successful software development.

The Ultimate Guide to Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) | Phases, Models & Best Practices

Understand Software Development Lifecycle

A collection of best business practise frameworks for creating software applications is called the software development life cycle. It is a framework, often known as the SDLC, that aids in preserving consistency throughout the software development process. It makes it possible for teams to develop high-quality software quickly and effectively, from design through deployment, maintenance included.

Overview 

The stages of work involved in creating software applications are referred to as the software development life cycle. To deliver their software services quickly and effectively, contributors to the software must comprehend, manage, and optimise each phase, which corresponds to a job or responsibility. 

These phases of labour consist of - Gathering requirements, designing and developing software, testing and integrating it, deploying it, operationalizing it, and maintaining it.

Phases of Software Development Lifecycle

There are normally five to seven steps in the SDLC. Depending on their demands, some teams merge, divide, or even remove specific ones. Some of the main phases are mentioned below:-

1. Gathering and Analysing Requirements

Project managers and other stakeholders gather and evaluate the business requirements for the product during the initial phase of the software development life cycle. Inquiries such as who will use the system, how it will be used, and what the data inputs and outputs will be are part of this process. These queries assist in elucidating the specifications, whose validity and inclusion into the project are evaluated. The project's final product, a Requirement Specification Document, serves as a roadmap for the following stage.

2. Design

The technical specifics of a project are decided upon and defined throughout the design process. For instance, the design phase could involve developing screen designs, mockups, process diagrams, and operating systems depending on the project's nature.The architecture, computer program, platforms, and interface styles are also decided upon during this stage. In essence, this phase takes the product concept and details how it will be realised.

3. Development

The project team ought to have everything necessary to build the item once the requirements have been established and design papers have been finished. During this phase, all of the preceding stages' effort is used to realise the product. The drafting of the code follows, and it is reviewed before being sent to a Qa for a test.

4. Testing

The testing phase ensures that the computer functionality complies with the specifications and stops serious flaws from being deployed to end users in a live environment. During this stage, both manual and automatic testing are conducted. Unit, integrated, speed, and functional testing are often conducted by the testing team.

5. Deployment

Pushing the code into the production environment is a component of the deployment phase. Customers can begin utilising the new or upgraded functionality after the code has been deployed. The consumer and marketing departments ought to have the knowledge necessary at this time to assist clients and make a public announcement about the launch.

6. Maintenance

This final stage of the life cycle of software development sometimes known as "monitoring," is continuing. The programme needs ongoing maintenance once it is developed and fully functional. Some software programmes may also require updates, bug repairs, and improvements in order to be incorporated into fresh settings or with fresh systems.

Methodology

The fundamental ideas of the SDLC are easily transferable to various working methods. The overarching goals and the rate at which teams can go through the life cycle of software development are where agile and waterfall differ most significantly from one another.

With waterfall, teams concentrate on creating a finished product, therefore a cycle lasts significantly longer. To cut down on cycle time, teams using agile divide the process down into a number of quick iterative builds. SDLC stages remain essential to waterfall even though agile's goal is to let teams work more quickly since they provide a framework for organisation and direction.

Best Practises

Many examples can be taken as the best practices for developing software practices.

1. Waterfall Model

The waterfall model, created in 1956, is arguably one of the oldest representations of the software delivery process. The operations involved in providing software are depicted in this model as a series of linear sequential phases.

2. Incremental & Iterative Approach

Organisations like the United States Department of Defense issued directives like the MIL-STD-498 urging "Iterative and Incremental Development" in response to the perceived flaws with the waterfall paradigm. This gave rise to the phrase that would refer to both incremental development and iterative design techniques.

Stages & Best Practices

Following recommended procedures and/or SDLC stages ensures the process runs smoothly, effectively, and productively.

1. List the Current Issues

What issues are there right now? Obtaining feedback from all stakeholders throughout this phase of the SDLC includes customers, salesmen, experts in the field, and programmers.

2. Plan 

The team estimates the cost and resources needed to implement the studied requirements during this stage of the SDLC. Additionally, it describes the hazards involved and offers auxiliary methods to mitigate such risks.

3. Design 

The software specifications are converted into a design strategy known as the Design Specification to begin this phase of the SDLC.

4. Build

The true development begins at this point. It's crucial that each developer follows the predetermined plan. Additionally, make absolutely sure you have appropriate rules on the practices and code style in place.

Future of Software Development 

When SDLC is done correctly, the greatest level of supervisory control and documentation is possible. The purpose of what and what developers should build are clear. All sides recognise the objective up front and have a specific plan for how to get there. Everyone is aware of the expenses and resources needed.

A number of issues can make an SDLC implementation more of a hindrance than a benefit for development. A poor knowledge of the requirement specification at the onset might result from failing to consider the demands of customers, users, and stakeholders. Only if the strategy is meticulously followed will the advantages of SDLC be realised.

Conclusion 

Thus, it is clear that delivering top-notch software is in the interests of domain knowledge, designers, system administrators, technicians, and leaders alike. Also, We would advise you to become more familiar with the Kubernetes ecosystem if you want to learn more about technology as a significant value.

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