Are you a business owner who has yet to learn which System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodology best suits your needs? Startups often have this kind of uncertainty. Numerous SDLC approaches are available, and it may take time to comprehend each one. It may be time-consuming and tedious, but it is vital to the success of your business. System Development Life Cycle is significant since it outlines the software development process that a startup should implement.
As a newcomer to the industry, selecting a methodology is risky. Established businesses may be able to use trial-and-error techniques, but most startups need results to afford to fund something. Startups require a mechanism that enables them to build software rapidly and profit as they continue to upgrade. So, Understanding the concept of SDLC will put you in a better position to select a Startup Software that suits your company’s needs. Before moving on to the next discussion, make sure you know the Startup Software pricing scheme calculation by downloading it.
What is System Development Life Cycle
The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a model used in project management that shows the steps of making an information system, from the first feasibility study to maintaining the finished application. SDLC is suitable for both technical systems and non-technical ones. Most of the time, a system is a piece of IT like hardware or software. Along with system and software engineers, development teams, and end users, project and program managers often participate in SDLC.
Every piece of hardware or software will go through a development process, which can be thought of as a multi-step, iterative process. SDLC defines the phases and steps that go into making a system. It does this by giving them a strict structure and framework. SDLC is also an acronym for Synchronous Data Link Control and Software development life cycle. The software development life cycle is a process that is very similar to the systems development life cycle, but it focuses only on the development life cycle of software.
Systems Development Life Cycle Models
Several methodologies have been made to help guide the SDLC processes, including the Waterfall model, which was the first SDLC method. Other SDLC models are Rapid Application Development (RAD), Joint Application Development (JAD), the fountain model, the spiral model, build and fix, synchronize and stabilize, and the spiral model. Agile Software Development is another model that is often used today.
Often, several models are put together to make a hybrid methodology. These models, like waterfall or agile, are also used to make software. Many model frameworks can be changed to fit into the development of software. In SDLC, documentation is important no matter what type of model is chosen for an application, and it is usually done at the same time as the development process. Some methods work better for certain kinds of projects, but in the end, the most important thing that may determine the success of a project may be how closely the plan was followed.
Advantages and Disadvantages
If you follow the phases and steps of the system development life cycle carefully and correctly, you can make a very good product. All of the steps in the system development life cycle are clear and cover everything that needs to be covered to make software that meets the needs of customers and stakeholders. During the system development life cycle, documentation helps give developers a clear idea of what they need to make and what the customer wants. For customers, documentation gives them an idea of what they are getting and lets them change things if needed. This lets you make a product that will beat your competitors and make your clients want to hire you for more projects.
Here are some advantages of the system development life cycle:
- Cost efficient
- Time efficient
- Helps a team work better together. It helps employees know what their jobs are and makes the workplace more open
- Minimal risk when the project is put into action
The advantages of the software development life cycle are:
- If the project needs to be better designed, it could take longer and cost more.
- If there are many bugs in the code, fixing them can sometimes take a long time and cause deadlines to be missed.
- Some methods are not flexible
- Testing at the end of development may slow down some development teams
Also read: Best Singapore ERP Software Recommendation for Startup
Systems Development Life Cycle Stages
Systems Development Life Cycle can have more than one step. There is no set number of steps that must be taken. Usually, there are seven or eight steps, but there can be anywhere from five to twelve. In general, an SDLC model’s stages are more detailed the more steps it has.
1. Planning stage
This phase of the SDLC involves product research. The planning stage includes market analysis and product feasibility calculations. In addition to considering the products’ technical aspects, a thorough technical study is conducted. In this step, you are analyzing the software development method. After determining this, you can increase the benefits and reduce the drawbacks.
In this stage, understanding your customer’s needs is crucial. Developers should get regular client feedback to clarify requirements. This feedback can include customer meetings, questionnaires, and surveys. In some cases, the client is still determining what they want. Therefore it is the team’s role to deliver the right information, take proper feedback, understand their demands, and propose a solution. Customer approval is key at this stage.
2. Analysis stage
This analysis stage of the system development life cycle involves making a software requirements specification (SRS) document. This document has all the information about the customer’s product that the developers are making. This document lists everything that a software application needs to do. This is made public before the software application is made.
The business analyst and product manager work together to make this document. After the software requirements specification document is done, it is shared with the customer and everyone with a stake in the project. After the stakeholders and customers have seen this document, the developers will wait for their decision. The decision-making process is limited by many things, like how long the development process takes or how much money it costs.
3. Design stage
This stage in the system development life cycle involves making the Specification Design Document (SDD). The product architects are the ones who need to make this document. All of the software application features that the team will build are listed in this document. This document also shows how much money each feature of the software application will cost and how long it will take to build that feature into the software.
The customer and everyone with a stake in the project must also agree on the design document software. In some cases, this document needs to be changed because of the needs of the stakeholders. Therefore, getting the approval of the stakeholders and customers is very important.
4. Development stage
This is the longest phase of system development. In this stage, the software is developed, and the team develops the software and functionalities outlined in the design document. This development stage is when developers make several key decisions. Choose a programming language for software development.
Every step in this stage should be done properly, and communication should be good between the team and the engineers. The quality assurance team ensures that developed products meet customer requirements. So, strong communication between the developers and quality assurance team will result in a product that meets client requirements, and they will like using it.
5. Testing stage
This stage of the system development life cycle is about testing the finished product. The quality assurance team does most of the work in this step. The QA testers on the quality assurance team go through all the lines of code written by the developers and look for mistakes or errors. If there are mistakes in the code or the finished product, they are sent back to the team of developers, who have to fix them. The updated code is resent to quality assurance for another round of testing to catch any remaining bugs. This process is repeated until all of the code is error-free.
6. Integration stage
At this stage, the product is ready to be shipped to customers, and deployment of the software to the manufacturing environment is underway. However, many businesses like to distribute the product in many delivery contexts, such as a testing or staging area. As a result, everyone involved can test the product in a risk-free environment before it hits the market. Thus, you can ensure that the product is ready for release by eliminating any remaining issues.
7. Maintenance stage
This is the last stage in the process of making a system. This procedure is connected with the maintenance of the finished program. After the product is put on the market, its performance and popularity are examined. As with any product, it is important to keep an eye on how things are progressing, such as whether or not users find the program intuitive and whether or not it meets their needs. To improve the software, you have to observe the feedback from users.
Conclusion
In conclusion, system development life cycles are useful for every IT or industry project team. If you want to get the most out of your SDLC, follow the above advice to determine which approach you want to utilize. If you have a situation at your company and you think a customized Startup Software may be what you need, let us know so that we can make a schedule for you to try a free demo of Smart Startup Suite. Download the pricing scheme calculation of Startup Software to estimate the funds that must be prepared.
