Producing high-quality software is the most important task of any good software development company. However, software development is in no way an easy task as it involves a series of steps known as the Software Development Cycle.
Are you stepping into the expansive world of software development for the first time? Then it is crucial for you to understand the seven stages of the Software Development Cycle.
Stage 1: Project Planning
The first phase of any Software Development Cycle commences with planning. This is a project planning phase where the goals are determined after analyzing the requirements from the clients. The chief motive here is to evaluate the cost of the product and to define the exact needs of the new software. With this in mind, one must create a project plan at this stage.
Stage 2: Analysis
In the next stage, the requirements of the clients are analyzed to get as much information as for creating the product. In other words, here you will need to discuss in detail every minute specification of the product with the customer. Then, the development team will examine the requirements while keeping the design and code of the software in mind. Programming, operating systems, hardware, and security of the product are the other requirements that need analysis at this stage
Stage 3: Design
This is one of the most key steps in the Software Development Cycle. This stage belongs to the program developer. They will have to ensure that the design of the software is creative, clear, and meets the requirements of the consumers. Moreover, it is critical that the customer finds the product to be financially, practically, and technologically feasible. Designing the system model helps in fleshing out the hardware and system requirements. In addition to this, it also identifies the general system architecture.
Stage 4: Coding or Implementation:
Work begins on the coding of the software once the coding team receives the design documents. To achieve this, dividing the work into parts and allocating it to different developers is crucial. Here, it is key for the developer to construct the whole system by writing code. This is done by employing different programming languages. This is generally the longest stage in the Software Development Cycle.
Stage 5: Testing
Once the software has been built, it is sent for testing. The testing department tests the product carefully for its quality and performance. This is a critical part of software development – the team searches and fixes the bugs before sending it for re-tests. The testing continues until the team finds the software to be stable and bug-free.
Stage 6: Deployment
After the testing, it is crucial to prepare the software for deployment to the customers for beta testing. The beta testing is where the customers receive a version of the software after the first testing. If they need any bug fixes or product improvements, the beta testers report it to the engineering team immediately. The team would then fix the bugs and make the changes so that the software can move into the final deployment.
Stage 7: Maintenance:
The final stage of the Software Development Cycle is maintenance. Here, the customer begins using the developed system. This can be tricky as they are likely to find some issues with the software that would need constant addressing. Taking care of any bugs, glitches, or any issues is a major priority for the maintenance team. It is necessary to maintain and update the system so as to that the software can adapt to future requirements.
Any big software development company will use the different steps of the Software Development Cycle featured here. It is crucial to follow and understand each step in the Software Development Cycle for producing high-quality software.
