The field of web-development tools and technology has been experiencing constant change and evolution, enabling web developers to create more complex and advanced systems, that we couldn’t even think of developing a few years back. Nevertheless, if your development approach is not right, or you lack technical expertise or knowledge, then even the most advanced tools and technology cannot guarantee fruitful outcomes.
In this blog post, we will explain the Software Development Life Cycle, and how a company can determine the right SDLC model for the development of its software product.
When choosing an over-development framework, programming language, and libraries, your business needs have to be your utmost priority. Because every factor that you choose to solve your business problems will come along with a unique set of challenges and benefits. One more thing is to settle over a blueprint and action plan, that every member of your project team will follow throughout the development process of your software solutions. This should mainly include all the fundamental steps to be taken, and all the procedural guidelines and rules to be followed for the completion of the software solution. All these steps, guidelines, procedures, and rules are termed as Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) in the world of technology. Another important thing that one must never overlook is that the SDLC model must be picked in compliance with the specific product requirements and client demands to avoid any discrepancy.
Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) & Its Significance for Business
SDLC is defined as a well-thought set of activities that all the team members must abide by to complete the product development process of a new software solution or to update an existing one. Leading software development companies like Code Creators Inc. choose the SDLC model as per your distinctive business requirements, and then strictly follow it throughout the development process. Following SDLC ensures high product quality, cost-effectiveness, and workflow optimization.
There is a wide variety of SDLC models available in the market, and software development companies choose them concerning their technology stack and talent. To develop a general understanding of SDLC, Agile and Waterfall Approach are to name a few. Choosing the right SDLC model is crucial for project managers so that they could ensure high product quality while any extra development time. SDLC models are carefully designed and helpful in removing any kind of downsides while ensuring smooth execution and development of the project.
When SDLC is selected correctly, it simplifies the process for both managers and all the team members. It is also very important to develop a comprehensive understanding of SDLC to perform the activities with precision, to ensure meeting the timeline and quality of the deliverable. Also, they must understand their performance will be evaluated and assessed. When deciding on the SDLC approach, every single party involved must have a strong understanding of the plan and complete agreement over fundamental objectives.
As discussed above, there is a wide variety of SDLC frameworks available, and each of them differently responds to project specifics and types. Despite the fact, every SDLC consists of similar stages. The stage’s name may vary among companies, but the meaning and purpose are nearly the same.
Phases of Software Development Life Cycle
Stage 1: Problem Identification & Need Analysis
This is the first stage of SDLC, where input from all the parties involved such as developers, business analysts, vendors, customers, etc. is collected. At this stage, it primarily identifies the problems of the customers, while determining how the proposed software product will help overcome business problems. All the information collected during this stage can be easily used by the project team throughout the development process and it will also help in selecting a development approach that has the least possible risk involved.
Stage 2: Outlining & Documenting Software Product Requirements
This is the second stage, where the primary focus is on defining and documenting requirements in detail related to all the software products. It is equally important that all the product details are thoroughly explained to the stakeholders and approved by them. Documenting these details is very important because they serve as a blueprint or guideline throughout the development process. They also serve as reference documents that any team member can look up in case of any confusion.
Stage 3: Designing Document Specifications
The third stage is Designing, where all the document specifications are transformed to create the final design. This stage is mainly dependent on the data and requirements collected from the previous stage of the Software Development Life Cycle. Designing Document Specifications set up the whole architecture of the software product. It is advisable to check design document specifications with all the team members and project stakeholders to avoid possible issues like budget overruns, development time and design modularity, etc.
Stage 4: Product Development
This is the actual stage where the actual magic happens, and all the ideas and designs are transformed into reality. At this stage of SDLC, software developers practically start development by following the initial plan and specifications provided. The development process becomes easier and all the uncertain obstacles and delays are avoided, when the document specifications are precisely followed.
Stage 5: Software Testing
Once the development phase is complete, the software is thoroughly tested for any bugs and glitches. The testing phase must never be avoided. And remove the maximum number of bugs should be a primary target of every SDLC, and these bugs must be fixed before final production. Software testing is inevitable to ensure that the software products are developed in agreement with the provided specifications and design.
Stage 6: Deployment & Maintenance
This is the last stage of development which is all about developing the production environment, where users test the product in real settings. There are many software development companies that use a variety of tests and deployment settings before releasing the final product. This technique helps in assessing the overall behavior of the development of the solutions, and based on this assessment, further improvements can be made.
How to Choose the Right SDLC Model?
Choosing the right SDLC model is a very challenging task for both the organization as well as a software developer. However, what makes the whole situation more complex and challenging is that a lot of businesses fail to understand SDLC models and the value that they can add in response. Choosing the right SDLC model is a wholesome process that needs to be exercised within the organization, or professional software development companies can also be hired for professional software development. Below, we have shared some important steps that will help you find the right SDLC model for your software solution development.
1St Step – Collect Information about SDLC Models & Learn About Them
When it comes to primary usage, all the SDLC models are usually the same, however, to select the right model for your product development, you are required to know sufficiently about it. As we discussed earlier, SDLC is a tool that has the same purpose but varied contexts and hence they respond differently in different contexts. It is just like any other tool, so if you don’t know much about how to use it, you might end up with a mess, and wasted time, money, and resources.
2nd Step –Stakeholders’ Need Assessment
Need assessment for the stakeholders is very crucial for the success of any process. Hence, analyzing business concerns, priorities, technological constraints business domain, and technical capabilities must be analyzed to choose the right software development lifecycle model. This will guide the selection criteria for the next development phase.
3rd Step – Define Selection Criteria
For selection criteria, there is a wide variety available, from which you choose suitable SDLC, best suited to the business context and factor mentioned above;
- Will the chosen SDLC model be right for your team size and supported skills?
- Will a particular SDLC be technology relevant?
- Will it be efficient enough to meet the size and complexity of the software requirements?
- Will it be efficient to address your business and stakeholders’ concerns and priorities?
- Will it be suitable for the software type that you have chosen?
- Will it support software engineers technical abilities?
- Will it be right for involved project risk and ensure quality?
- Will it address the geographical arrangement of our team in case of remote work options?
4th Step- Decide & Select
Below is an example of some criteria that you can use. However, you can always add up new criteria that you find valid and relevant to your project.
5th Step – Optimize
You also have an option to optimize your SDLC model, during the implementation, if you think any changes could come your way, and you believe that these changes will not fit within your SDLC. You can always optimize your SDLC model as per your business requirements.
Final Words
SDLC is a very comprehensive domain that you can study. It requires professional expertise and understanding to determine which SDLC model will work best for you. It is important to choose a leading software development company that can guide you in developing the right software solution for your business and also in choosing the right SDLC for you.
