7 Stages of Software Development Life Cycle

Implementation of software solutions is the need for all modern business industries. Most business owners want to make the workflow more efficient and the company more profitable. As any business area is not stable, it is always changing, and the software should be flexible, scalable, easy to use, and maintain.

Successful software solutions are possible only with clear goals that should be reached with software implementation and an accurate plan on how to make it a reality.

In this article, we will share everything you need to know about the 7 stages of the Software Development Life Cycle and the benefits of adopting it.

First of all, what is SDLC?

The Software Development Life Cycle ( SDLC) is a structured process that enables the production of high-quality, low-cost software, in the shortest possible production time. The goal of the SDLC is to produce superior software that meets and exceeds all customer expectations and demands. The SDLC defines and outlines a detailed plan with stages, or phases, that each encompasses its process and deliverables.

Adherence to the SDLC enhances development speed and minimizes project risks and costs associated with alternative methods of production.

Why SDLC is important?

Before the start of the development, the customer and the team of developers need to define the main tasks and structure them into a logical sequence. SDLC helps to make it easier and organized due to its simple stages that contain particular tasks.

The main benefits of considering all steps of SDLC are:

• Providing clarity for customers about the development flow.
• Tracking all tasks and deadlines.
• Accurate forecasts for delivery.
• Help to be within the framework of the budget.
• Strict following of all customers’ requirements.

7 Stages of the Software Development Life Cycle

The software development life cycle typically has 7 stages of software development. Here’s a brief breakdown of the various phases in the life cycle of the Software Development Process:

1. Planning.
2. Analysis.
3. Design and prototyping.
4. Software development.
5. Software testing.
6. Deployment.
7. Operations and maintenance.

Now let’s take a more detailed overview of the 7 stages:

1. Planning

Planning is the initial step of each SDLC that helps to reveal the main difficulties that will be resolved with software and create tasks to reach the goals. This stage also defines the ways of the development that will meet all business demands taking into account time, budget, number of specialists, etc.

2. Analysis

The analysis stage is one of the most important software development process steps. It is crucial to gather all information and business requirements from business owners to see the entire picture. In this stage, the software developers gather all the specific details required for a new system. This is also the stage where the prototype ideas are discussed.
In the analysis stage, the software engineers will:

• Define system requirements for prototypes.
• Find the alternatives for existing prototypes.
• Determine the user requirements.

3. Design and prototyping

Once analysis and requirements are understood, the design process takes place.
This phase of software development implies the creation of the concept for a solution. During this stage, customers can see the whole structure and a final prototype of their developments. It means that all documents should be gathered and all tasks should be assigned to the responsible developers. This is the last phase before the actual start of development.

4. Software development

Ideally, all the prior planning that you have done in the previous step of software-making steps should make the actual software-building process relatively easy. The software developers can follow the coding standards as defined by the organization and use tools like debuggers, interpreters, and compilers to finish the custom software development process.

This phase produces the software under development. These could be in “sprints”( Agile) or a single block effort ( Waterfall).

Also, you can read more about the 3 Main methodologies for app development.

At Clarika, we work agile with certified scrum methodology, feature-driven creations, and lean software development. The clarity brought by Agile and the focus on delivering small features sooner in the development cycle help simplify definition and delivery by incrementally solving complex problems.

5. Software testing

The testing stage gets the highest rank of responsibility and necessity after the planning phase. As the software solution is built, it has to be tested by QA engineers to reveal any bug or error during the usage of a solution. There are different types of testing and ways of performing this stage. Methods for testing can include code quality, unit testing (functional test), integration testing, performance testing, security testing, etc. After verification and validation of the software solution, it can be deployed or implemented.

6. Deployment

This is the final stage of the development, release, or integration of the ready solution. After finishing all stages successfully, the software moves to production which depends on the complexity of the development. The straightforward release is for a simple solution, staggered release means production in stages if the development is complex. And now the software product is ready to try by end-users.

7. Operations and maintenance

This stage is the end of the beginning. Though the SDLC doesn’t en here. Software must be monitored constantly to ensure proper operation. Bugs discovered in production must be reported and responded to, which often feeds work back into the process.
Production of the solution is not enough as it demands constant updates and improvements. It is connected with the feedback of users or needs for changes in the tech part of the solution. The maintenance phase helps to keep your solution ahead of the competitors, add new options, stay modern, and updated in time.

To sum up

The stages of the software development life cycle vary depending on the requirements of a particular company and business industry. SDLC can be changed or wide according to the needs of customers. It helps to dilute tasks and responsibilities for all required functions and perform them following the main plan. Nevertheless, each step should be taken into account and performed accurately for successfully launching the product.

Clarika’s team is ready to partner with you. We help you define your technology skill requirements and meet your needs. We also help you control costs by using blended experience levels, matching junior and senior resources that are focused exclusively on your project, and delivering outstanding results efficiently and at great value.
Let’s get started.

Originally published at https://clarikagroup.com on September 26, 2022.