Before contacting a custom software development company, it is advisable to do a little market research. For example, it’s a good idea to understand the concept of software development life cycle. This will allow you to more fully participate in the development and get the most appropriate finished product. In this article, you will learn what is SDLC?
What is The Software Development Life Cycle?
Let’s start by explaining what is SDLC model. The Software Development Life Cycle is a series of six main phases that any software goes through. In essence, this “cycle”, in my opinion, most closely resembles the waterfall model of software development.
Stages & Best Practices
- The first phase is system planning. This is perhaps one of the most crucial steps in creating a successful system. After analyzing the planning of the system, one of 3 decisions will be made: develop a new system, improve the existing one, or it is better not to touch anything at all while it is working.
- The second phase is system analysis. This is the step when the requirements of the end user of the system are documented: what are his expectations and how it is possible to fulfill them. In addition, an economic analysis is made for the project, which shows how feasible the project is from an economic point of view, how profitable it is, etc.
- The third phase is system design. Before proceeding with the direct development of the program, you need to know what should be the result, to have some kind of visual representation. Then, after the “sketches”, a detailed design is made taking into account all functional and technical requirements, both logical and physical.
- The fourth phase is development, implementation and deployment. When the team already has a presentation about the final product, all the requirements and capabilities, it starts the fourth phase. It is at this phase that the code is finally written and the hardware is adjusted for the software product, so that everything would work in accordance with the requirements.
- The fifth phase is Operation and Integration. This is where the assembly of various components and subsystems takes place into one coherent system. We then feed the system various inputs and analyze the output, behavior, and functioning. Testing is becoming increasingly important for customer satisfaction, and it does not require knowledge of coding, hardware configuration, or design. Testing can be performed by real users or a dedicated team of employees, or it can be systematic and automated in order to make sure that the actual results of the system are consistent with the intended and desired.
- The sixth phase (finally) is maintaining the existing system, which includes replacing old equipment (if any), evaluating performance, migrating to new standards & technologies, etc.
Identify the Current Problems
A step-by-step development approach allows you to identify problems at the root. Testing is introduced at each stage. This means that fixing any inaccuracies is faster and cheaper. Also, during development, you can even change the concept of the project, if such a need is identified. Modern agile development methodologies break the entire process into very short phases. This allows each step to be coordinated with the customer. You can also add and subtract functions according to their market popularity in the region. Development mobility is good because:
- Saves time;
- Saves financial resources of the company;
- Allows you to make a quality product.
This approach allows you to work not only with new projects, but also improve the finished ones.
