The Software Development Life Cycle is useful in crafting high-quality software products. It is a systematic way to design software with high quality, low cost, and in the shortest period of time. The purpose of the SDLC framework is to produce software that meets customer requirements most effectively within a given cost and time. Almost all large and small-scale software organizations follow the process of SDLC.

Software development life cycle describes how software is planned, developed, and maintained. During the SDLC life cycle, each phase is characterized by its own set of processes and deliverables.

This blog will guide you about:

• Importance of SDLC
• Working of SDLC
• Pros and Cons of SDLC
• SDLC Models

So, let’s get started!

Importance of SDLC

The importance of the SDLC framework is mentioned below:

• Activities and deliverables are defined within a standardized framework.
• Scheduling, estimating, and planning are made easier with this framework.
• It simplifies the tracking and control of projects.
• It has become easier for stakeholders to see all the features of the development activities.
• The development process has increased execution speed.

Working of SDLC

The following phases are included in the SDLC framework:

• Planning
• Designing
• Implementation
• Testing
• Deployment
• Maintenance

Let’s check out each of the mentioned phases follows.

1. Planning

The first phase of the SDLC is requirements analysis. In the SDLC, it is an important and necessary stage. Senior team members and domain experts contribute to the process. This includes defining the product’s purpose, identifying the user personas, and putting together requirements. Throughout this phase, the team will talk about the opportunities and the project’s risks.

After the requirements analysis gets completed, the next step is to document and present the software requirements to stakeholders and receive their acceptance. During the project life cycle, all product requirements are captured in a Software Requirement Specification document called “SRS”.

2. Designing

As part of the next phase, all the information about the requirements, analysis, and design of the software project will be brought up. During this phase, the customer input and requirements are combined. The design phase covers the following aspects:

• Architecture: Provides information about programming languages and industry standards.
• User Interface: Indicates how customers will interact with the software.
• Platforms: Determines what platforms will execute the software.
• Programming: It involves programming language, solving problems, and completing tasks.
• Security: Provides details about the application’s security measures.

3. Implementation

Development and programming get started in this phase of SDLC. Writing code is the first step in implementing a design. During the development and implementation of the code, developers must follow the coding guidelines provided by their management. Code is developed and implemented using different programming tools, such as compilers, interpreters, and debuggers.

4. Testing

Code is tested against requirements after it has been generated to ensure that it meets the needs addressed during the first phase. Throughout this phase, testing is performed such as:

5. Deployment

The software can be deployed when it has been tested, and no bugs or errors have been reported. In some cases, the software may be released without any changes to the object segment, while in other cases, it may be released with improvements. The maintenance of the software begins after it has been deployed.

6. Maintenance

Using the developed systems, the client will eventually encounter real problems and require maintenance. As of now, maintenance refers to maintaining the product that has been developed.

Pros and Cons of SDLC

The pros and cons of SDLC are given below.

Pros

Using the SDLC model has many advantages for software development teams, including:

• Software development costs can be reduced.
• The organization can improve the quality of its software.
• A faster development timeline can be achieved.
• Give developers an understanding of what the product is and its purpose.
• The early phases of development should allow for input from all stakeholders.

Cons

Some of the cons of the Software Development Life Cycle are given below:

• The process demands high efforts but low flexibility.

• Departments are unable to be in touch and corporate productively as when SDLC is followed then it’s not possible to move forward to the next phase until the previous one is finished.

Now, let’s check out some of the extensions of the traditional SDLC model.

SDLC Models

Many software development life cycle models are designed throughout the software development stages, also known as “Software Development Process Models“. To ensure success in software development, each process model follows its own set of phases.

Some SDLC models are:

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

1. Waterfall Model

In software development, the Waterfall SDLC model is a standard model that is most commonly used. With each phase completed, the project progresses to the next. Waterfall models have the advantage of evaluating each phase for continuity and feasibility before moving forward. Before moving to the next step, all previous steps must be completed. That’s why progress is limited.

2. V-Model

V-Model has also been named the Verification or Validation Model. This model requires that each phase of SDLC must be fulfilled before going on to the next. Similar to a waterfall model, it follows a sequential design process. However, parallel to each stage of product development, testing will take place.

3. Iterative Model

As the development procedure begins, a subset of the software requirements is implemented and further enhanced iteratively up to the entire system is accomplished. The design is modified at each iteration, and functional capabilities are added. Essentially, this model involves iterating and incrementally developing a system over time.

4. Agile Model

Agile SDLC enables software products to be delivered rapidly while focusing on customer satisfaction and process adaptability. Small incremental builds are part of Agile methods, and there are iterations associated with these builds, which can be three to four iterations per project. Cross-functional teams are also involved in every iteration, working on a variety of tasks, including:

• Planning
• Requirements Gathering
• Designing
• Coding
• Unit Testing
• Acceptance Testing

Customers and important stakeholders are shown the working product at the end of each iteration.

Conclusion

The SDLC identifies how your software development process is going and where improvement is required. It focuses on analyzing and improving the process of creating software, like many other business processes. Integrating day-to-day coding with production management provides a scalable view of the project. In this blog, we have explained the SDLC framework in detail, along with its importance, working, pros and cons, and other SDLC models.