From Caterpillar to Butterfly - The 6-step Software Development Life Cycle
Software Development is synonymous with the life cycle of a caterpillar. Over time, with the correct nutrients and incubator, it can develop into a beautiful butterfly. In the tech industry, the software development life cycle (SDLC) is the cocoon that transforms developments into functional products.????
Why is SDLC used?
Many businesses today use software to make them more attractive to end-users. One way to do this is by using Software Development Life Cycle. The six phases revolve around planning, analyzing, designing, implementing, testing and integrating, and maintaining the software.?
SDLC can be used by businesses to improve their efficiency. This is achieved by either creating a new system from scratch or removing redundancies to strengthen the existing system to accommodate present and future needs.?
Credit: Big Water Consulting
Figure 1: In software engineering, the Software Development Lifecycle Model is a process for planning, creating, testing, and deploying an information system.??
Step one: The planning phase
At this point in the project, leaders build a scope for the software by determining what goals should be met by the new software and what redundancies should need to be removed. They do this by speaking to stakeholders in the company such as customers, sales staff, and consulting market surveys and experts within that industry.?
They note the expected costs, the guaranteed level of quality assurance, and the boundaries to keep the project going at the anticipated rate.
Step two: Defining the parameters?
Here the final goals of the product requirements are recorded and finalized with approval from market analysts and customers through a software requirement specification document (SRSD).?
Step three: Designing the prototype
The design of the software is finalized at this stage. First, the user interface, programming software, and security details are compiled onto a design document specification (DDS). Later, this will then be shown to the stakeholders, as mentioned earlier, and necessary feedback is given.
Step four: Creating the software
In this stage, the coding and building of the software are done using the details mentioned in the SRSD and DDS steps. In addition, the coding language is selected according to the type of software developed.
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Step five: Testing and deploying the software
The software is then tested for bugs to see if it meets the parameters set in the SRSD.? Different levels of testing are done, such as Unit test, Integration test, Load test, and User acceptance test. Once user testing is completed, the product is changed accordingly.
Lastly, the product is officially introduced to the market. If any malware is found, the required fixes are selected and implemented into the product.
Step six: Maintenance of the software
Finally, the errors will be handled. Companies usually implement a dedicated service to aid customers on time. If necessary, developers change software elements for end users as their goals change. Application monitoring tools are used to identify these possible changes.??
Final thoughts
Overall, SDLC plays an important role in satisfying different goals in the development process. However, it only covers the basic steps in developing software. To find out more, we include further readings at the end of this article.
Do you find your project being stagnated in the caterpillar phase? Rofi Labs ensures agility is implemented into our development process to make your business "fly" like the butterfly you envisioned.?
The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into manageable tasks and then starting on the first one - Mark Twain.
For further readings:
Author:
Thakshila Jayasundara - LinkedIn
Content Creator at Rofi Labs
Great work Thakshila Jayasundara. Indeed this was an easy and interesting read.