What is Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)?

SDLC is a process for developing software that makes certain it is quality and correctness. The SDLC process is designed to develop high-quality software that fulfills customer requirements. The system development should be finished within the time plan and budget constraints.

SDLC is a step-by-step procedure that outlines how to plan, construct, and maintain software. Each phase of the SDLC life cycle includes its own set of methods and deliverables, which feed into the next.

The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is also identified as the Application Development Life Cycle (ADLC).

The following are some of the most important reasons why SDLC is important while designing a software system.

• It works as a foundation for project planning, scheduling, and cost.
• Provides a framework for a group of activities and deliverables that are all the same.
• It's a system for keeping track of and monitoring projects.:
• Increases the visibility of the project schedule to all development process stakeholders.
• The quickness of development has been increased and improved.
• Client relationships have improved.

Types of Phases in SDLC

There are several phases in the lifecycle of software which is given below

1. Requirement Gathering Phase
2. Analysis Phase
3. Design Phase
4. Development Phase
5. Testing Phase
6. Deployment & Maintenance Phase

1. Requirement Gathering Phase

This is the first and most important step in the software development life cycle. Gathering needs from consumers or clients is the first step. Business Analysts are often in charge of this function in most firms.

A Business Analyst engages with customers and clients, schedules daily meetings, documents needs in Business Requirement Specifications (or Simple Business Specifications), and passes the final document to the development team.

Business analysts are responsible for ensuring that every detail is recorded and documented, as well as ensuring that everyone understands the client's requirements.

2. Analysis Phase

After the requirements have been gathered, the following step is to examine them and have them accepted by the customer/clients. This is accomplished through the Software Requirement Specification (SRS), which contains all of the requirements that were gathered and generated throughout the Requirements Gathering phase.

Project Managers, Business Analysts, and Consultants are primarily responsible for this phase.

3. Design Phase

Following the Analysis Phase, the next step is to design the most accurate, resilient, efficient, and cost-effective architecture for the product to be developed. Typically, multiple designs are offered during this phase.

The best one is chosen based on a variety of factors such as robustness, durability, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, and more. Design Document Specification, or DDS, is used to document the various design architectures.

There are two design approaches at this phase:

Low-Level Design

Senior Developers are in charge of this task, which involves defining the role of each module of the product architecture that has to be produced.

High-Level Design

Architects/Senior Architects are in charge of this task, which entails designing various feasible architectures for the product that needs to be built.

4. Development Phase

The actual implementation of programming languages and other frameworks for the development of the product takes place in this phase. All developers are active in this phase. Developers are expected to adhere to set coding standards and norms, as well as to complete project modules within the project's defined timeframe.

In the Software Development Life Cycle, this phase is also the longest and one of the most important. A Source Code Document is used to document this phase (SCD).

5. Testing Phase

After the development phase is over, the developed program must be tested. The generated program is forwarded to the testing team, who extensively tests the product and looks for faults. If a defect is discovered, the testing team documents it and sends it back to the development team for correction.

The company's Software Testers and Quality Analysts are in charge of this function. The testing team must ensure that each component of the software is free of errors and functions properly.

6. Deployment & Maintenance Phase

The first version of the program is deployed and handed to the customer for use when the testing phase is completed. When a big group of end-users begins to use the built program, there is the possibility of bug fixing that was not found during the testing process, as there is a chance that a few boundary instances may have been missed.

Upgrades to newer versions of the program, as well as the newest security patches and technologies, are also possible. Finally, there is potential for the software to be improved by adding new capabilities to the present software.

Models of the SDLC in Use

There are a variety of SDLC models that are designed to be used in the software development process.

The following are the most important and well-known:

• V-Model
• Waterfall Model
• Iterative Model
• Spiral Model
• Agile Model

we will discuss these models in future posts.