Software Development Life Cycle

Software Development Life Cycle SDLC is a process used by the software industry to design,
develop and test high-quality software. The SDLC strives to produce high quality software that
meets or exceeds the customer's expectations, which is completed within time and according to the
estimate of costs.
 SDLC is the acronym of Software Development Life Cycle.
 It is also called as Software Development Process.
 SDLC is a framework defining tasks performed at each step in the software development
process.
 ISO/IEC 12207 is an international standard for software life-cycle processes. It aims to be
the standard that defines all the tasks required for developing and maintaining software.

What is SDLC?

SDLC is a process that is followed for a software project within a software organization. It consists
of a detailed plan that describes how specific software can be developed, maintained, replaced and
adapted or improved. The life cycle defines a methodology for improving the quality of software
and the overall development process.
The following figure is a graphical representation of the various stages of a typical SDLC.

A typical Software Development Life Cycle consists of the following stages –

Stage 1: Planning and Requirement Analysis

Requirement analysis is the most important and fundamental phase in SDLC. It is performed by
the senior members of the team with input from the customer, sales department, market research
and domain experts in the industry. This information is then used to plan the basic project
approach and to conduct a feasibility study for the product in the economic, operational and
technical fields.
Planning the quality assurance requirements and identifying the risks associated with the project
also occurs in the planning phase. The result of the technical feasibility study is to define the
different technical approaches that can be followed to successfully implement the project with
minimal risks.

Stage 2: Defining Requirements

Once the requirement analysis is done the next step is to clearly define and document the product
requirements and get them approved from the customer or the market analysts. This is done
through an SRS Software Requirement Specification document which consists of all the product
requirements to be designed and developed during the project life cycle.

Stage 3: Designing the Product Architecture

SRS is the reference for product architects to come out with the best architecture for the product to
be developed. Based on the requirements specified in SRS, usually more than one design approach
for the product architecture is proposed and documented in a DDS - Design Document
Specification.
This DDS is reviewed by all the important stakeholders and based on various parameters as risk
assessment, product robustness, design modularity, budget and time constraints, the best design
approach is selected for the product.
A design approach clearly defines all the architectural modules of the product along with its
communication and data flow representation with the external and third party modules if any. The
internal design of all the modules of the proposed architecture should be clearly defined with the
minutest of the details in DDS.

Stage 4: Building or Developing the Product

In this stage of SDLC the actual development starts and the product is built. The programming
code is generated as per DDS during this stage. If the design is performed in a detailed and
organized manner, code generation can be accomplished without much hassle.
Developers must follow the coding guidelines defined by their organization and programming
tools like compilers, interpreters, debuggers, etc. are used to generate the code. Different high level
programming languages such as C, C++, Pascal, Java and PHP are used for coding. The
programming language is chosen with respect to the type of software being developed.

Stage 5: Testing the Product

This stage is usually a subset of all the stages as in the modern SDLC models, the testing activities
are mostly involved in all the stages of SDLC. However, this stage refers to the testing only stage of
the product where product defects are reported, tracked, fixed and retested, until the product
reaches the quality standards defined in the SRS.
Stage 6: Deployment in the Market and Maintenance

Once the product is tested and ready to be deployed it is released formally in the appropriate
market. Sometimes product deployment happens in stages as per the business strategy of that
organization. The product may first be released in a limited segment and tested in the real business
environment UAT−User Acceptance Testing.
Then based on the feedback, the product may be released as it is or with suggested enhancements
in the targeting market segment. After the product is released in the market, its maintenance is
done for the existing customer base.

SDLC Models

There are various software development life cycle models defined and designed which are followed
during the software development process. These models are also referred as Software
Development Process Models". Each process model follows a Series of steps unique to its type to
ensure success in the process of software development.
Following are the most important and popular SDLC models followed in the industry &miuns;
 Waterfall Model
 Iterative Model
 Spiral Model
 V-Model
 Big Bang Model
Other related methodologies are Agile Model, RAD Model, Rapid Application Development and
Prototyping Models.
SDLC - WATERFALL MODEL

The Waterfall Model was the first Process Model to be introduced. It is also referred to as
a linear-sequential life cycle model. It is very simple to understand and use. In a waterfall
model, each phase must be completed before the next phase can begin and there is no overlapping
in the phases.
The Waterfall model is the earliest SDLC approach that was used for software development.
The waterfall Model illustrates the software development process in a linear sequential flow. This
means that any phase in the development process begins only if the previous phase is complete. In
this waterfall model, the phases do not overlap.

Waterfall Model - Design

Waterfall approach was first SDLC Model to be used widely in Software Engineering to ensure
success of the project. In "The Waterfall" approach, the whole process of software development is
divided into separate phases. In this Waterfall model, typically, the outcome of one phase acts as
the input for the next phase sequentially.
The following illustration is a representation of the different phases of the Waterfall Model.
The sequential phases in Waterfall model are −

 Requirement Gathering and analysis − All possible requirements of the system to be

developed are captured in this phase and documented in a requirement specification
document.
 System Design − the requirement specifications from first phase are studied in this phase
and the system design is prepared. This system design helps in specifying hardware and
system requirements and helps in defining the overall system architecture.
 Implementation − with inputs from the system design, the system is first developed in
small programs called units, which are integrated in the next phase. Each unit is developed
and tested for its functionality, which is referred to as Unit Testing.
 Integration and Testing − All the units developed in the implementation phase are
integrated into a system after testing of each unit. Post integration the entire system is
tested for any faults and failures.
 Deployment of system − Once the functional and non-functional testing is done; the
product is deployed in the customer environment or released into the market.
 Maintenance − There are some issues which come up in the client environment. To fix
those issues, patches are released. Also to enhance the product some better versions are
released. Maintenance is done to deliver these changes in the customer environment.

All these phases are cascaded to each other in which progress is seen as flowing steadily
downwards like waterfall through the phases. The next phase is started only after the defined set of
goals are achieved for previous phase and it is signed off, so the name "Waterfall Model". In this
model, phases do not overlap.

Waterfall Model - Application

Every software developed is different and requires a suitable SDLC approach to be followed based
on the internal and external factors. Some situations where the use of Waterfall model is most
appropriate are −
 Requirements are very well documented, clear and fixed.
 Product definition is stable.
 Technology is understood and is not dynamic.
 There are no ambiguous requirements.
 Ample resources with required expertise are available to support the product.
 The project is short.

Waterfall Model - Advantages

The advantages of waterfall development are that it allows for departmentalization and control. A
schedule can be set with deadlines for each stage of development and a product can proceed
through the development process model phases one by one.
Development moves from concept, through design, implementation, testing, installation,
troubleshooting, and ends up at operation and maintenance. Each phase of development proceeds
in strict order.
Some of the major advantages of the Waterfall Model are as follows −
 Simple and easy to understand and use
 Easy to manage due to the rigidity of the model. Each phase has specific deliverables and a
review process.
 Phases are processed and completed one at a time.
 Works well for smaller projects where requirements are very well understood.
 Clearly defined stages.
 Well understood milestones.
 Easy to arrange tasks.
 Process and results are well documented.

Waterfall Model - Disadvantages

The disadvantage of waterfall development is that it does not allow much reflection or revision.
Once an application is in the testing stage, it is very difficult to go back and change something that
was not well-documented or thought upon in the concept stage.
The major disadvantages of the Waterfall Model are as follows −
 No working software is produced until late during the life cycle.
 High amounts of risk and uncertainty.
 Not a good model for complex and object-oriented projects.
 Poor model for long and ongoing projects.
 Not suitable for the projects where requirements are at a moderate to high risk of changing.
So, risk and uncertainty is high with this process model.
 It is difficult to measure progress within stages.
 Cannot accommodate changing requirements.
 Adjusting scope during the life cycle can end a project.
 Integration is done as a "big-bang. At the very end, which doesn't allow identifying any
technological or business bottleneck or challenges early.