A Guide to the Software Development Life Cycle | Sonatype

What are the stages of the SDLC?

While it’s essential to remember that the stages might differ depending on the team, seven steps are the foundation of any software development life cycle.

1. Planning

2. Requirement analysis

3. Design

4. Implementation

5. Testing and debugging

6. Deployment

7. Maintenance

Planning

A project’s plan generally consists of:

• Goals

• Objectives

• Scope

• Necessary resources

• Potential risks

• Mitigation strategies

Based on this information, the development team can determine a timeline, a budget, and a list of key deliverables. This plan will serve as the foundation for the rest of the project and help the team stay focused and on track as they move through the later stages.

Requirement Analysis

In this phase, the project team works to understand the needs and requirements the software is being developed to satisfy. This might involve:

• Conducting user research.

• Gathering and documenting requirements.

• Developing a high-level design for the software.

These tasks are completed through discussions with shareholders, customers, and business analysts. The results will guide the detailed design phase.

Design

This is where the software’s architecture, user interface, and data model are designed. This phase also includes creating technical specifications and identifying the components and modules necessary for building the software.

Implementation

In this phase, the software developers build the software based on the design and technical specifications. It typically involves:

• Writing code.

• Creating and configuring the development environment.

• Integrating different components and modules into the overall system.

Testing and Debugging

The project team tests the software to ensure it meets the previously discovered needs and requirements and is free of bugs. This phase usually involves manual and automated testing of the software’s performance, security, and reliability.

Deployment

The team deploys the software to the production environment, where real users will use it. This typically involves creating and executing a deployment plan that outlines the steps and procedures for installing and configuring the software. This phase may involve installing the software on the user’s computers or devices or making it available through a web-based platform.

Maintenance

The team continues to support and maintain the software after deployment. This process might involve:

• Fixing any bugs or defects discovered.

• Adding new features or functionality.

• Providing technical support to users.

These steps are not always performed in a linear order, and individual steps might be iterated multiple times throughout the project. Different software development methodologies will have slightly different versions of the SDLC, with different names for each phase or even different steps entirely.