What software development model focuses on improving the product and small steps each time through the?

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

What software development model focuses on improving the product and small steps each time through the?

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

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”.

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.

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.

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:

What software development model focuses on improving the product and small steps each time through the?

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

With 55% of technology companies increasing headcount this year and the majority of organisations embracing remote work, it’s no surprise that organisations are placing more importance on IT than ever. 

As an software development professional, it’s no longer just about programming: if you want to land your next role in IT, you need to demonstrate that you can design, develop, test and optimise software for a user’s needs.

That’s where SDLC methodologies come in.

SDLC stands for Software Development Life Cycle models, and these are a variety of processes of design, development and testing that are used in the industry today. While there’s no best or standout SDLC methodology, it’s essential to be across the most common models that can be applied to projects within a company.

Here are the top seven SDLC methodology types you should know about.

1. Lean methodology

Lean methodology is focused on eliminating waste, making decisions as late as possible, delivering outcomes as fast as possible and focusing on the big picture. Project teams working with the Lean model find opportunities to cut waste at every step of the SDLC process – in other words, skipping unimportant meetings and reducing documentation.

Lean methodology is cost-effective and empowers the entire team in the decision-making process. However, with limited meetings and documentation, communication needs to be sound for senior stakeholders to stay in the project loop.

2. Agile methodology

Agile is a combination of an incremental and iterative approach, where the product is released on an ongoing cycle then tested and improved at each iteration. Fast failure is encouraged in agile methodology: the theory is that if you fail fast and early, you can solve minor issues before they grow into major issues.

Agile is one of the most common methodologies out there today but it’s technically more of a framework than a distinct model. Within Agile, there are sub-models in place such as extreme programming (XP), Rapid Application Development (RAD), Kanban and Scrum methodology.

3. Waterfall methodology

The Waterfall methodology is one of the oldest surviving SDLC methodologies. It follows a straightforward approach: the project development team completes one phase at a time, and each phase uses information from the last one to move forward.

While this methodology does make the needs and outcomes clear, and gives each stage of the model a well-defined starting and ending point, there are downsides in Waterfall’s rigidity. In fact, some experts believe the Waterfall model was never meant to be a working SDLC methodology for developing software because of how fixed it is in nature. Because of this, SDLC Waterfall methods are best used for extremely predictable projects.

4. DevOps

DevOps is used by some of the biggest companies out there, such as Atlassian. A hybrid of Agile and Lean, DevOps evolved from the growing need for collaboration between operations and development teams throughout the SDLC process. In DevOps, both developers and operations teams work together to accelerate and innovate the deployment and creation of software. There are small but frequent updates and DevOps encourages continuous feedback, process improvement and the automation of previously manual processes.

DevOps methodology saves time and improves communication because both operations and development teams get to know about the potential obstructions at the same time. However, DevOps may open software to more security issues, as this approach generally favours speed over security.

5. Spiral

As one of the most flexible SDLC models out there, the Spiral model is used by the world’s leading software companies. Spiral enables project teams to build a highly customised product. Spiral methodology passes through four phases repeatedly until the project is finished: planning, risk analysis, engineering, and evaluation.

The biggest difference between Spiral and other methodologies is that it is focused on risk analysis, with each iteration it focuses on mitigating potential risks. The model also emphasises customer feedback, and as the prototype build is done in small increments, cost estimation becomes easier.

6. Iterative

The Iterative model is all about repetition. Instead of starting out with a comprehensive overview of the requirements, development teams build the software piece by piece and identify further requirements as they go along. As a result, each new phase in the Iterative model produces a newer, more-refined version of the software under development.

Iterative allows developers and testers to identify functional or design flaws early, and can easily adapt to the ever-changing needs of the client. Like Spiral, Iterative suits larger projects and requires more management and oversight to work well.

7. V-model

Similar to the waterfall methodology where testing is done at the end of a project, with the V-model, testing happens at every stage of development. The next stage of the V-model starts only when the previous stage is entirely finished.

As part of the V-Model, a software tester has to verify if the requirements of a specific development phase are met. They also have to validate that the system meets the needs of the user, customer or other stakeholders, which includes both verifications and validations.

Looking for your next software development role?

With a solid grasp of SDLC methodologies and strong technical knowledge, you’re well on your way to landing your dream role in IT. If you want to take the next step, our team of recruiters is on hand to help. 

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