Software Development life Cycle - Part 1
Benedict Anthony
October 14th 2024Introduction
High-quality software is designed, developed, and tested using an organized process called the Software development life cycle (SDLC). The software development life cycle, or SDLC, is a technique that lays out every phase of the software development process. Creating software that is both high-quality and maintainable while satisfying user needs is the aim of the SDLC life cycle model. In software engineering models, the software development life cycle (SDLC) describes the plan for each step so that each may carry out its work effectively and deliver software that satisfies user requirements at a reasonable cost and in a reasonable amount of time.
What is the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)?
Within a software corporation, the SDLC is a procedure used to produce software. The SDLC is made up of a detailed strategy that outlines how to create, update, maintain, and improve a particular piece of software. The life cycle outlines a technique for enhancing both the overall development process and software quality.
Stages of the Software Development Life Cycle
The SDLC outlines the task or tasks that a software engineer or developer must do at each level. It guarantees that the finished product will be able to satisfy the client and stay within the allocated budget. Therefore, having prior knowledge of this software development process is essential for a software developer. These six steps make up the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), which has the following stages:
Stage-1: Planning and Requirement Analysis
As in software development, planning is an essential stage in everything. The organization's developers also do requirement analysis at this same period. Customer feedback and sales department/market surveys are used to get this. The foundation of a simple project is made up of the data from this research. The outcome of planning is the project's quality. Thus, the fundamental project is designed at this stage using all of the information that is available.
Stage-2: Defining Requirements
All of the specifications for the target software are defined at this point. Stakeholders such as market analysts and customers approve these needs. Using SRS (Software Requirement Specification) satisfies this. This document serves as a kind of checklist for everything that needs to be established and defined over the course of the project.
Stage-3: Designing Architecture
Software designers can use SRS as a guide to create the optimal software architecture. As a result, the Design Document Specification (DDS) contains several designs for the product architecture based on the requirements specified in the SRS. Stakeholders and market analysts evaluate this DDS. The design that makes the most sense and is most practicable is selected for development after all relevant considerations are considered.
Stage-4: Developing Product
The product's essential development begins at this point. Developers utilize a special programming code in accordance with the DDS design for this. It is crucial that coders adhere to the guidelines established by the association. At this point, standard programming tools like interpreters, compilers, debuggers, etc. are also used. Certain widely used languages, such as Python, Java, C/C++, etc., are used in accordance with software regulations.
Stage-5: Product Testing and Integration
Software must be tested after it has been developed to make sure it operates as intended. Nevertheless, not much testing is done during the SDLC. As a result, all potential problems are currently being monitored, addressed, and retested. This guarantees that the product satisfies SRS quality standards. Software documentation is a crucial component of the software development life cycle, along with training and support. An effective document serves as a tool and a repository for the knowledge needed to understand software functionalities, processes, and maintenance. Information about how to operate the product is also included in the documentation. Training is an effort to raise an employee's capacity for learning—typically by altering his mindset and advancing his knowledge and abilities—in an effort to enhance present or future worker performance.
Stage-6: Deployment and Maintenance of Products
The final product is tested thoroughly before being phased out in accordance with the organization's plan. It is then put to the test in an actual industrial setting. Making sure it operates smoothly is crucial. The company distributes the product in its entirety if it does well. Once the organization has gathered positive feedback, it either distributes it unaltered or with additional enhancements to make it even more advantageous for the clients. Still, this is insufficient on its own. Thus, in addition to the deployment, the product's oversight.