What is Software Development Life Cycle – SDLC Phases & Models

The development team of any company or project must pick a life cycle model and adhere to it. Moreover, the creation of a software product cannot be systematic without a precise life cycle model. Thus, there is an agreement among team members on when and what to do when producing a software product. If not, it means disorder and project failure. Here, the software development life cycle comes into the picture.

Following the SDLC can lower your project risks and speed up development. Learn more about SDLC, its types, processes, and models in the blog below.

SDLC Definition

SDLC stands for “Software Development Life Cycle”. This process is adopted for software development within any software organization. The SDLC consists of an extensive plan that describes how to create, maintain, upgrade, and replace software. The life cycle also outlines ways to improve both the software’s quality and the development process.

Therefore, a life cycle model shows all the tasks done on a software product from the start till the end. Further, the necessary development activities may be split into phases depending on the SDLC life cycle model. Thus, all the crucial activities are present in all life cycle models. However, carry out the actions in various orders depending on the life cycle model. You can also perform more than one activity at any stage of the life cycle.

SDLC Phases

The Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) consists of a series of well-defined phases or stages. It is implemented during the development and management of software projects.

Phase 1: Planning and Requirement Analysis

Proper planning is an essential stage in everything. The company’s developers also carry out the requirement analysis at this level. Moreover, customer feedback and market and sales department surveys work as input for the analysis. This investigation helps build the core of a project. Thus, this stage of the software life cycle improves the project’s quality. Finally, the team designs the basic project at this stage using all the available information.

Phase 2: Defining Objectives

All the final software requirements are set out at this stage. Customers, market analysts, and other stakeholders all must agree with these requirements. Thus, SRS (Software Requirement Specification) serves to satisfy this. This type of document outlines everything that must be set up and built during the project.

Phase 3: Designing Architecture

Software architects can use SRS as a guide for creating the ideal software architecture. So, the Design Document Specification (DDS) contains various designs for the product architecture. DDS also depends on the SRS criteria. This phase of the software development life cycle is crucial as market analysts and stakeholders also use this DDS. They choose the most practical and logical design for development after considering all possible aspects.

Phase 4: Developing a Product

The product’s main development begins at this stage. Developers use a particular programming language that fits with the DDS design. Therefore, the coders must follow the guidelines set up by the association. Additionally, they use traditional tools like compilers, interpreters, and debuggers. The use of languages, like C/C++, Python, or Java is mandatory by software regulations.

Phase 5: Integrating and Testing Products

Software testing in an SDLC process after product development to check functionality. However, a little testing is also there at each stage of the SDLC. Thus, all potential issues get identified, rectified, and retested. This verifies that the product meets the SRS quality standards.

Phase 6: Deployment (or Implementation)

Once the software has passed all testing phases, it’s deployed to a production environment. This may involve setting up servers, databases, and other infrastructure required for the software to run.

Phase 7: Product Deployment and Maintenance

The final product releases as per the organization’s strategy and thorough testing. It then goes through a genuine industrial setting. This is because it is necessary to ensure the product’s efficiency. After receiving helpful feedback, the corporation publishes the product as it is. However, it can also release the product with supplemental enhancements to make it more useful.

Software Development Life Cycle SDLC Models

There are several types of SDLC models, and each has its approach to the software development process. Here are some of the most commonly used SDLC models:

1. Waterfall Model

• The waterfall model is one of the oldest still-existing SDLC methods.
• Each phase (SDLC phase) builds on the knowledge gained from the previous one.
• It follows a linear and sequential approach to software development.
• Each phase must be completed before moving on to the next.

2. Iterative Model

• In the Iterative model, the project is divided into smaller cycles or iterations.
• Each iteration includes all phases of the SDLC process but focuses on a specific subset of features.
• With each new step, the Iterative model generates a newer, better version of the software.
• It’s useful when requirements are not completely known upfront.

3. Spiral Model

• The Spiral model combines elements of both the Waterfall and iterative approaches.
• It includes planning, risk assessment, and development cycles.
• Progress is made in iterations, with each spiral representing a phase of the project.

4. Incremental Model

• The Incremental model divides the project into smaller, manageable parts or increments.
• Each increment is developed and delivered separately.
• It’s suitable for large projects where delivering a complete system at once is impractical.

5. Agile Methodology

• It combines an incremental and iterative strategy.
• Agile allows for flexibility, changes in requirements, and close collaboration with stakeholders.
• In the agile technique, quick failure is encouraged. The idea is that if you fail early, you may fix problems before they become larger ones.

6. Big Bang Model

• The Big Bang model is an informal and less structured approach to software development.
• Development starts without a clear plan, and changes are made as needed.
• It’s typically used for small projects or prototypes.

7. DevOps Model

• Automation and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) are key components.
• It promotes continuous feedback, process improvement, and the automation of manual operations.
• Updates are short and regular in such types of SDLC models.

Some Software Development Life Cycle Best Practices

1. Update security risk documentation to fight newer threats. This will ensure that the program is safe against new attacks. Such threats can be more complex than previous threats.
2. It is also crucial to efficiently track potential vulnerabilities. Note them during code reviews, software composition analyses, and penetration testing.
3. One of the most effective software development cycle best practices is standardization. It encourages continual improvement when integrating security. It also gives a clear path for developing code.
4. Despite all your preventive measures and procedures, security issues will arise. So, developing a mitigation strategy and putting it into action is crucial. Once you learn about a security breach, engage an expert team to deal with it.
5. Implementing software security from the beginning is one of the most effective tactics. Thus, this approach sets a standard for safety throughout the SDLC by integrating security into the code itself.

Conclusion

Software development life cycle refers to design, development, and testing procedures in the market. There isn’t a single best or outstanding SDLC method. But, it is important to be familiar with the most popular models. You can use any of these models on projects because every company has a different software testing or SDLC process. In this blog, you can go through various SDLC stages and models.

Frequently Asked Questions

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