Use the interactive tool to arrange the phases in the software development life cycle.

The six phases of the Agile life cycle

As mentioned, the Agile software development life cycle consists of six phases. Let’s examine each of these Agile phases in more detail.

1. Concept

First up is the concept phase. Here, a product owner will determine the scope of their project. If there are numerous projects, they will prioritize the most important ones. The product owner will discuss key requirements with a client and prepare documentation to outline them, including what features will be supported and the proposed end results. It is advisable to keep the requirements to a minimum as they can be added to in later stages. In the concept stage, the product owner will also estimate the time and cost of potential projects. This detailed analysis will help them to decide whether or not a project is feasible before commencing work.

2. Inception

Once the concept is outlined, it is time to build the software development team. A product owner will check their colleagues’ availability and pick the best people for the project while also providing them with the necessary tools and resources. They can then start the design process. The team will create a mock-up of the user interface and build the project architecture. The inception stage involves further input from stakeholders to fully flesh out the requirements on a diagram and determine the product functionality. Regular check-ins will help to ensure that all requirements are built into the design process.

3. Iteration

Next up is the iteration phase, also referred to as construction. It tends to be the longest phase as the bulk of the work is carried out here. The developers will work with UX designers to combine all product requirements and customer feedback, turning the design into code. The goal is to build the bare functionality of the product by the end of the first iteration or sprint. Additional features and tweaks can be added in later iterations. This stage is a cornerstone of Agile software development, enabling developers to create working software quickly and make improvements to satisfy the client.

4. Release

The product is almost ready for release. But first, the quality assurance team needs to perform some tests to ensure the software is fully functional. These Agile team members will test the system to ensure the code is clean — if potential bugs or defects are detected, the developers will address them swiftly. User training will also take place during this phase, which will require more documentation. When all of this is complete, the product’s final iteration can then be released into production.

5. Maintenance

The software will now be fully deployed and made available to customers. This action moves it into the maintenance phase. During this phase, the software development team will provide ongoing support to keep the system running smoothly and resolve any new bugs. They will also be on hand to offer additional training to users and ensure they know how to use the product. Over time, new iterations can take place to refresh the existing product with upgrades and additional features.

6. Retirement

There are two reasons why a product will enter the retirement phase: either it is being replaced with new software, or the system itself has become obsolete or incompatible with the organization over time. The software development team will first notify users that the software is being retired. If there is a replacement, the users will be migrated to the new system. Finally, the developers will carry out any remaining end-of-life activities and remove support for the existing software.

Each phase of the Agile life cycle contains numerous iterations to refine deliverables and deliver great results. Let’s take a look at how this iteration workflow works within each phase: 

Use the interactive tool to arrange the phases in the software development life cycle.
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Use the interactive tool to arrange the phases in the software development life cycle.

Ignorance of SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) complicates the project creation process. SDLC implies a specific methodology with a direct process of creating software solutions, every development stage of which is described in detail.

This article will depict the SDLC notion, its peculiarities, and challenges to overcome.

What is the Software Development Life Cycle?

SDLC is a method and order of development stages that are required to build the product efficiently and qualitatively. It may be applied for projects of various scales and is helpful to define the requirements and organize the workflow to meet them.

Here are seven main development phases. We’ll discuss each one in detail later.

  • Gathering requirements
  • Research and discovery
  • Design building
  • Development
  • Testing
  • Deployment
  • Maintenance

Such popular development methodologies as Kanban, Waterfall, Scrum, and Agile were founded on the basis of SDLC. Let’s find out wherein they differ from each other:

Waterfall

This methodology is quite strict and is perfect for projects with clarified requirements. The flow comprises completing each phase stage and proceeding to the next one only after fully finishing the previous one.

Kanban

Applying Kanban, specialists work only on the flowing tasks and proceed to the next ones after finishing. They can be easily managed, reprioritized, edited, removed, or added.

Agile

Agile software development offers gradual workflow, concentrating on stages like planning, design, development, testing, and releasing. The whole process is split into several short cycles, 2-3 weeks each. Clients can overview the final results of each finished cycle.

Scrum

This approach is excellent for developing complex projects (over 300 hours). The principle is fulfilling the tasks of the highest priority first.

Let’s compare these approaches by the following characteristics:

Aspect Waterfall Kanban Scrum Agile
Project scale Small Any scale Major Any scale
Time 100 hours 300+ hours
Requirements Defined Undefined
Cost-efficiency Yes
Applying Strict defined requirements and aims Flexibility in editing requirements Fast changes and task prioritization Complete results after every phase

The significance of SDLC

The software development life cycle defines the approach to the workflow to arrange it in the most efficient and productive way. Thus, each methodology offers a more individual fulfillment of each project to meet the client’s requirements.

Besides, you are able to plan the project building with SDLC.

SDLC may vary from vendor to vendor and approach. The prevailing number of companies has a common order of stages. Let’s consider them in detail:

Use the interactive tool to arrange the phases in the software development life cycle.

Step 1. Requirements defining

Aims:

  • Collect and clarify clients’ requirements
  • Understand the project scale
  • Calculate the rough estimate

This stage requires you to provide your software development with all the necessary details about your product. To enhance an existing project, you may gather customers’ feedback, reviews, pains, and needs.

Based on your request, you will receive a document with the minimal and maximal time, and cost for your product creation called a rough estimate. If you accept the offered conditions, you sign an agreement and start analyzing your requirements.

Step 2. Analysis

Aims:

  • Study the requirements
  • Assess risks and deadlines
  • Estimate a cost in detail

You cooperate with Business Analysts and provide other essential project peculiarities since complex and sophisticated products with a wide functionality comprise lots of ins. Every screen and feature has diverse implementation ways, which have to be clarified. Business Analysts help in determining the target audience, business goals, features, and monetization methods.

As a result, the team creates a specification that comprises user stories connected with wireframes. All features and functions are described there. Developers follow the specifications to make the final product meet your requests.

Use the interactive tool to arrange the phases in the software development life cycle.

UI/UX designers are also involved during this step. They create wireframes and prototypes that display the interactive layout of all the interface elements and platform operation.

Use the interactive tool to arrange the phases in the software development life cycle.

After finishing specifications, Quality Assurance engineers test the prototype. Then, software developers, UI/UX designers, and Project Manager proceed to a detailed project estimate creation.

Step 3. Design

Aims:

  • Build the interface concept
  • Develop the platform screens

The designers’ team develops a visual concept of the product by selecting a color palette and interface elements figuration following your requirements. You’ll receive a couple of design options to choose from.

After choosing the one variant, designers implement it on all the screens. It takes multiple development sprints. The following step is providing developers with these screens. Zeplin is a great instrument to do it.

Use the interactive tool to arrange the phases in the software development life cycle.

Step 4. Development

Aims:

  • Build an app architecture
  • Create software implementing all the features

This significant phase is the most time-consuming. All the discussed features are created by developers and built into the solution. The platform defines your team (iOS/Android/web developers) for both front-end and back-end parts.

The workflow is usually split into sprints for a more efficient organization. In Agile, sprint implies fulfilling the determined scope of work.

Sprints’ principle:

Every sprint takes two weeks and begins with arranging a meeting. The client sets the work volume that needs to be finished.

Use the interactive tool to arrange the phases in the software development life cycle.

Step 5. Testing

  • Check the software performance
  • Detect and get rid of bugs and failures

To achieve a smooth and seamless platform operation, QA engineers conduct various tests covering front-end and back-end parts to see how all the features work. Then, they send a report about the detected issues to builders. These specialists are indispensable participants since they check the product after every stage.

Here are come tests completed by the QA team:

  • Functional tests to verify the features’ operation according to the business logic meeting the requirements.
  • Negative tests to assess the software steadiness and failure endurance.
  • Smoke tests to demonstrate the correct implementation of primary business logic
  • Regression tests to observe the product processes mild workloads.

Use the interactive tool to arrange the phases in the software development life cycle.

Step 6. Deployment

  • Launch the product
  • Provide users with access to it

Releasing stage comprises posting a platform on the market. Applications are launched via Apple Store/ Google Play by the software development team. Each market has its own guidelines and requirements, which are verified during 2-3 days.

Web software is usually put on the production servers and checked if it works efficiently.

Step 7. Support

Aims:

  • Maintain the platform
  • Update the product

Software support is an indispensable part of your business success. To maintain and enhance your product efficiently, you should choose a vendor who offers long-term cooperation conditions.

The maintenance incorporates the following aspects:

  • Bug fixing
  • Performance enhancement
  • Code optimization
  • Newest OS versions support
  • Implementing extra features
  • Most recent versions of third-party services support

Main pitfalls to consider during SDLC

  • Neglecting the planning phase. Being laconic and attempting to save time can influence the final product since your requirements may be unclear. The more details you provide, the better. Thus, you decrease the possibility of delays and overpayments to correct the product.
  • Constant revisions. Regular changes crash the business logic. Moreover, it leads to increased expenditures and development time. SDLC has an accurate building plan, so every feature requires an additional sprint.

Wrapping up

Each project demands an individual approach and development methodology. To make the workflow efficient, productive, and fast, you should find an experienced development vendor providing top-notch software engineering services. The best way to do this is to check the company’s portfolio, rates, and reviews from previous clients to ensure the final product’s quality.

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What are the 5 phases of software development life cycle?

The SDLC process includes planning, designing, developing, testing and deploying with ongoing maintenance to create and manage applications efficiently.

What tools is used for SDLC phases?

SDLC tools available.
Confluence: Online tool used for capturing and sharing information..
Jira: Online Bug/Issue/Task/Project Tracking system..
Jira Agile: Add-on plugin for Jira which provides enhanced capability for agile based projects..
Git: Source Code Repository/Version Control system..

What are the 4 phases of SDLC system development lifecycle?

SDLC has defined its phases as, Requirement gathering, Designing, Coding, Testing, and Maintenance.

What is software development life cycle process explain IT in detail?

Definition. The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a structured process that enables the production of high-quality, low-cost software, in the shortest possible production time. The goal of the SDLC is to produce superior software that meets and exceeds all customer expectations and demands.