What is SDLC?

Software development life cycle (SDLC) is a methodology for designing and developing sophisticated software which fulfills the requirements of a company and its users. Companies at large scale use SDLC for developing software with high-quality assurance within a given time and cost.

The model has 6 significant steps with specific instructions making the process more systematic. This can be used to develop any kind of software from small-scale applications to large-scale enterprise systems.

Stages of SDLC model

The Software Development Life Cycle consists of six stages:

1. Requirement gathering

2. Analysis and Design

3. Implementation

4. Testing

5. Deployment

6. Maintenance

This model ensures the quality of software and the overall development process. Each step includes a specific task to be performed during the development of software.

1. Requirement gathering

Requirement gathering is the first and fundamental step of the Software Development Life Cycle. To gain a better understanding of a need, the developer team collects information, ideas, and requirements by taking inputs from all stakeholders.

They also analyze the current system, stakeholders' interests, end users' needs, and expected outcomes to ensure the development process meets everyone's objectives. Creating a project plan, defining the scope, setting goals, and identifying risks are essential steps in requirement gathering.

2. Analysis and Design

During the analysis phase, the team analyzes the requirements of a project collected in requirement gathering and identifies any potential problems or areas for improvement. After analyzing the requirements, the team generates Software Requirement Specification (SRS) document which includes all requirements to be designed and developed.

Design is a foundation phase of SDLC. It involves creating a blueprint of the software product. The team defines the final requirements and plans and creates detailed specifications. They create the best approach for software architecture, user interface design, database design, and other necessary components, and document them in Software Design Document. (also known as a software design specification or technical specification document)

3. Implementation

Implementation is a phase where actual development starts. In this phase, The team develops the software according to Software Design Document. Developers must follow the fundamentals and standard practices of coding to produce a working system that meets all functional requirements according to plan. They also need to debug when it is necessary for maintaining the quality of the software.

4. Testing

The testing phase begins after the implementation phase. Here, the team conducts various types of testing to ensure that the software product is functioning properly and meeting the required specifications. Bugs and other issues of the development stage are detected and fixed at this stage.

Testing includes unit testing, system testing, integration testing, functional testing, user acceptance testing, security testing and other types of tests as well. The software has to be tested thoroughly to ensure all the issues are identified and fixed before the deployment.

5. Deployment

Once a product is tested, developers deploy it from the developer environment to the production environment making it available to end users. This involves installing the software on one or more servers according to need. Sometimes, software gets deployed in stages for testing in a real environment. Once the software is deployed, developers start collecting feedback on its performance.

6. Maintenance

After deployment, maintenance of the software is needed. Maintenance is a very crucial stage of this cycle where maintainers monitor and fix the issues. New features can be introduced that was not originally planned, during maintenance. It ensures that the performance, speed, and robustness of the software remains the same with updated technology and meet users' requirement.

SDLC Models

Many SDLC models are designed to meet different development needs. Each model has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Developers need to choose one of the models to develop software considering the risk, efficiency improvement, customization and flexibility. Some of the most popular SDLC models include the Waterfall model, Iterative Model, Spiral Model, V-Model, Big Band Model, Agile Model and Prototype Model.

Models are shaped to achieve a particular outcome. For example, Waterfall Model is best suited for projects with clearly defined requirements and scope of work. On the other hand, the agile model is appropriate for projects that require flexibility and adaptability to changing requirements.

Conclusion

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a model that guides the development of top-notch software in a structured and systematic way. Its 6 stages make it easy to develop software more efficiently.

The development team ensures that every requirement is fulfilled. Thus the successful application of the SDLC model helps in building the desired software.