Software Development Life Cycle is the foundation of all software development methodologies that include different activities like estimated budget, requirement gathering, documentation writing, design and development, testing, deployment and maintenance. It comprises of seven different phases:
- Planning
- Analysis
- Design
- Development
- Testing
- Deployment
- Support and Maintenance
Planning In the planning stage, a team of developers determines project goals and a high-level plan is created for the intended project. It is the most fundamental phase that primarily involves three activities:
- Feasibility Assessment
- Project Plan Creation
- System Identification for Development
Analysis In this phase, the software development team and client analyse the end-user business requirements and converts project goals into a system that the organisation wants to build. Analysis phase consists of the following three activities:
- Implementing a Detailed Analysis
- Collecting Business Requirements
- Designing Process Diagrams
Design Desired features and functionalities of a software application are described in the design phase. This stage of SDLC includes business rules, screen layouts, pseudo-code and other documentation defining the components of the software. The design phase usually comprises the following activities:
- IT Infrastructure Designing
- System Model Designs
- Technical Designs
- User Interfaces
- Marvel Prototype
Development In the development phase, all the previous phases are converted into the actual working system. Developers develop the code and backend of a software application. Development phase involves two primary activities:
- IT Infrastructure Development
- Code and Database Development
Testing In the testing phase of SDLC, all the code pieces are integrated and hosted in the testing environment. Testers check the system for bugs, defects and errors to test the system’s functionalities. Testing phase involves:
- Test Cases Creation
- Test Cases Execution
Deployment In this phase, the system is brought to the real-life environment where the user starts operating the system. The deployment phase involves placing all data and components in the production environment. This stage of SDLC is also referred to as delivery. Support and Maintenance In the Support and Maintenance phase, corrections, changes and enhancements can be made to ensure that the system will work after the updates and meet the business goals. It is essential to maintain and upgrade the software from time to time so that it runs seamlessly in the future. It involves the following activities:
- Supporting the system users
- Maintenance of the system
- System upgrades