Many techniques can both simplify and complicate a developer’s work. Of course, we are here to make it easier and better.
Today we will discuss the system development life cycle, which is vital for anyone interested in quality assurance.
Not all companies use the seven stages described below regarding the development process.
They are used only by reliable organizations like Lampa.dev, which offer excellent services and profitable cooperation.
7 Stages Of The System Development Life Cycle
In a nutshell, SDLC allows you to complete a task, evaluate its final result, and ensure that the outcome meets the client’s business objectives.
Let’s look at the stages you must go through to achieve success.
Planning Stage
This stage can undoubtedly be called the critical stage in the SLDC process, as the entire project’s success depends on it. It combines several stages:
- Collecting data from the client: receiving the order and requirements for its fulfillment.
- Analyzing the requirements, budget, and tools (including programming languages such as JavaScript and C++) that will be needed to perform the tasks.
- Searching for the optimal solution, taking into account the previous steps.
Not surprisingly, this stage is crucial because a mistake made at this stage can disrupt all business goals.
The SDLC planning phase involves all stakeholders, from the team leader to the engineers who will be working on the project.
System Analysis And Requirements Stage
If you do well in the previous step, you will have all the information you need for further work.
Now the task is to ensure that all team members have correctly understood what needs to be done and defined their roles in the work.
This will result from going through this stage: to ensure that each specialist understands their task, performs it as efficiently as possible, and follows the client’s requirements.
During one of the essential phases of the SDLC life cycle, such documents are eventually developed:
- A software requirement specification
- A Use Case document
- A Requirement Traceability Matrix
Not surprisingly, this stage requires a severe requirements analysis. To pass it well, you need to take this task seriously.
Design And Prototyping Stage
During the design phase, you can already visualize what the result is expected to be. This is a pre-production version in which you can still make changes.
By working together and doing their best, the experts together create a prototype, which includes:
- The system’s design
- Programming language
- Templates
- Platform to use
- Application security measures
The team combines all of this into a separate design document. This way, everyone can understand what the expected result should be.
Not surprisingly, this is one of the most critical phases of the system development life cycle.
Development Stage
At this stage, the creation of a new system or application takes place. It is worth moving to it only when all other steps have been passed and their outcome is at least satisfactory.
At this stage, developers write program code according to the previously defined needs.
After that, they compile this code, run tests, and debug it for the best possible error-free operation.
This job’s delivery time to the client may take longer than the others. The reason is that sometimes you need a lot of time for testing, deployment, and debugging.
When dealing with committed projects that have a due date, it’s crucial to keep this in mind.
Integration And Testing Stage
When we talk about steps in the system development life cycle, it is this stage that is critical from the end user’s perspective.
You should not assume that everything will work perfectly the first time, so we recommend allowing more time for this process.
You should check the following parameters:
- Software’s speed and scalability under different conditions
- User experience, usability
- Software compliance with the requirements set out at the outset
- Potential problems, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities
If the result is positive, beta testing is performed. It is this test that allows evaluation of the overall impression of the system.
Implementation Phase
It is at this stage that you have the opportunity to show the finished product to your customers. Now you can release a commercial product or implement it in the organization.
At this stage, developers often perform closed testing so that only certain users can access the product.
This stage can be called quality control because usability depends not only on the developers’ vision but also on the wishes of the people who will use the software.
This way, it is possible to find mistakes and weaknesses and correct them before the product is presented to the general public.
Maintenance Phase
It will be strange if the product reaches the end user without bugs. This is what developers deal with at the last stage of work.
They must be fixed for users to remain loyal to this application. At this stage, you can not only collect information but also correct errors.
There is also an opportunity to introduce new features, thanks to which the attention of end users to your product will significantly increase.
The final stage can take different lengths of time. It will depend on your client’s needs and how long they will sign the contract.
Exploring Basic SDLC Methodologies
We have already found seven critical steps to a successful outcome. However, the construction of the work will depend on the methodology you choose to implement the stages. Let’s talk about them in more detail.
The Waterfall Model
The optimal option for small projects. The idea is that after the successful completion of the previous phase, the team moves on to the next one as soon as possible.
This is one of the most straightforward methodologies because it is linear. Of the risks, the time taken to work can be extended.
The Spiral Model
This method allows for a great deal of flexibility. The project is constantly spiraling, going through each phase in several circles.
In this way, it is possible to ensure flexibility in developers’ work and thorough correction of errors. It is optimally suited for large projects.
The V-Model
It is a method in which testing takes place at every stage. This process is used to ensure that the number of bugs is minimized by the time the product is released to users.
However, it is also time-consuming, so this method should be used when time and budget allow.
The Iterative Model
This development approach kicks off with a modest set of prerequisites and progressively elevates each iteration until the software is primed for deployment.
While it lends itself well to risk management, the repetitive nature of these cycles may inadvertently provoke shifts in scope and a potential underestimation of resource needs.Â
The Big Bang Model
This method is used on tiny projects or when only a couple of specialists work on the task.
Its use means effectively skipping the first two stages, which means that the transition to coding takes place without developing a preliminary plan.
In this way, specialists do not have a clear roadmap, but this is how tremendous flexibility is achieved.
The Agile Model
This is one of the most popular methodologies and is used quite often. You must do small but continuous work if you decide to use it.
Of course, this increases the number of tests that you will need to run to make sure that there are no errors.
This option is used to find weaknesses and vulnerabilities at an early stage.
Tips For Successful System Development Life Cycle Implementation
You need to do a few additional things to make your work effective. Here are the main ones:
- Ask for Feedback : Of course, user and customer feedback is needed, and its importance should be emphasized. We also recommend collecting feedback from everyone who worked on the project to continue improving your processes.
- Emphasize Security : Introducing a product that harbors security vulnerabilities can severely hinder its operational efficiency and financial success. Hence, it’s imperative to guarantee the implementation of comprehensive safety measures to safeguard the organization and its user base.
- Careful Planning : It is through planning that tasks can be accomplished at all other stages. To make sure that everyone involved understands their roles, a separate document describing the process and an introduction can be made.
- Process Assessment : Be sure to evaluate the success of the project from your end. In this way, you will find the strengths and weaknesses of the team and improve their performance in the future.
Conclusion
The development life cycle ensures the project is carried out successfully and efficiently. Try it, and you will immediately appreciate the results.
