Software Development – Step by step guide for 2023 and beyond

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Phases

A standard Software Development Life Cycle consists of 7 SDLC phases.

 

 

Let us understand each phase of SDLC in detail.

 

1. Planning

Planning is the most important and fundamental stage of SDLC. The most senior team members perform it with the help and inputs of customers, the sales and marketing department, and domain experts of the industry. This information is used to conduct feasibility studies in economic, legal, operational, technical, and schedule areas. 

Planning related to Quality Assurance (QA) and risk identification of the project is also done in this phase. This phase aims to determine the approach to be followed to implement the project with minimum risks. 

Effective planning consists of a good project planning process and the Latest as well as effective planning software. To better understand the planning phase, let’s take a look at the software development project planning process.

 

Project Planning Process

The project planning process consists of 8 main steps. By following these project planning steps, you can clarify your needs, work out your approach and develop an action plan to move forward. These steps are :

1. Outline the Business Case

2. Define Project Scope

3. Set Goals and Objectives

4. Outline Deliverables

5. Create a Project Schedule

6. Assign the task to your team

7. Assess Risk

8. Report your progress

 

Learn more about → Project planning

 

Project Planning Software

Project Planning Software is a tool to facilitate project management processes such as schedule development, team management, resource allocation, cost estimation, and risk monitoring.

Some of the best project planning tools and software are :

 

2. Requirement Gathering and Analysis

This is the second phase of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This phase clearly illustrates the entire project’s scope with the related issues, risks, and opportunities.

 

Requirement Gathering

Requirement Gathering is a process of researching and documenting the project requirements. Requirement gathering plays a vital role in the overall success of the project. 

 

Requirement Gathering Process

The requirement-gathering process consists of five major steps. These steps are:

1. Assigning Roles

2. Interview Stakeholders

3. Gathering & Documentation

4. List Expectations and Requirements

5. Monitor the Process and Feedback

 

Requirement Gathering Tools

Requirement Gathering Tools are simply the resources you can use to complete the requirement-gathering process faster and easier. 

Here are the top requirements-gathering tools :

 

Requirement Analysis

Requirement Analysis or Requirement Engineering defines user expectations for developing new software or modifying the existing one.

 

Requirement Analysis Activities

Requirement Analysis includes four types of activities. These activities are :

• ELICITING REQUIREMENTS:

  It is the task of communicating with the customers and users to determine their actual requirements.

• ANALYZING REQUIREMENT: Verifying the requirements are unclear, ambiguous, contradictory, or incomplete, and then resolving the occurring issues.
• REQUIREMENT MODELING: Requirements are documented in different forms like natural language documents, use case diagrams, process specifications, or user stories.
• REVIEW AND RETROSPECTIVE: Team members review iterations and finalize improvements to move forward.

 

Requirement Analysis Techniques

Requirement Analysis Techniques can be classified under two categories. These categories are :

 

BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS:

Business Requirements relate to a business objective, goals, and vision. They provide the scope of business needs and problems that should be addressed. 

Techniques for identifying business requirements :

• BPMN – Gap Analysis

• ArchiMate – Gap Analysis

• BPMN – As-is and To-be Analysis

• Business Motivation Model

• Customer Journey Mapping

 

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS:

Software requirements break down the steps that are needed to meet the business requirements. While business requirements state the ‘Why’ of a project, software requirements focus on the ‘What.’

Techniques for identifying software requirements :

• Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)

• Use Case Diagrams

• User Stories

At the end of this phase, a complete SRS document is made,  consisting of overall project requirements.

 

Learn more about → Requirement Analysis

 

3. Designing and Prototyping

This SDLC phase starts by turning the Software Requirement Specifications (SRS) document into a design plan called design specification.

This phase is crucial and involves stakeholders’ input into this document.  Then, an overall system architecture is defined, which serves as an input for the next SDLC phase.

Lets us take a deeper look at software design in the SDLC life cycle.

 

Read more about → SDLC Design Phase

 

 

What is Software Design?

Software design is a process to transform user requirements, i.e., an SRS document into a suitable form, which helps the software developer in software coding and implementation. It is the first phase of SDLC, which moves from the problem domain to the solution domain. 

 

Software Design Process

The Software Design process can be divided into three levels of design phases:

 

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN:

Architecture Design is the highest level of the abstract version of the system. It also identifies the system as many components interacting with each other. At this level, the designers get a better idea of the proposed solution domain.

 

PRELIMINARY OR HIGH-LEVEL DESIGN:

Here, the problem is decomposed into a set of modules. The control relationship and the interface among the various modules are identified in this phase of SDLC. Structure charts and diagrams are used as representation techniques.

 

DETAILED DESIGN:

Detail design is taken into consideration after High-level design is completed. In detailed design, each module is examined to design the data structures and algorithms. This phase is more detailed about the module and its implementation.

 

Principles of Good Software Design

A remarkable user experience and customer satisfaction and loyalty are obtained as end results when the following software design principles are applied.

The principle of good software design are:

MODULARITY: Dividing a large software project into smaller modules or portions is known as Modularity.

COUPLING: Coupling is referred to as interdependence between software modules and how closely they are connected.

ABSTRACTION: Abstraction is hiding irrelevant information and shows only essential details to the user.

ANTICIPATION OF CHANGE: Building a software design that can accommodate and adjust according to changes.

SIMPLICITY: Good software design aims to simplify code, make it easy to use, and minimize setbacks.

SUFFICIENCY AND COMPLETENESS: A good software design ensures the software’s sufficiency and completeness and ensures that the software is adequate and fully built. 

 

What is Prototyping?

Prototyping or software prototyping is creating an incomplete version of a software product or application being developed. We can say it is a working model of software with limited functionality. 

 

Learn more about → Prototyping

 

 

Types of Software Prototyping

There are different types of prototyping used in the software development industry. The following are the major types of prototypes preferred by software developers in the software development process.

 

• Throwaway / Rapid Prototyping:

  Throwaway Prototyping is also called Rapid or Close Ended Prototyping. Minimum requirements analysis and fewer efforts are required in this type of prototyping. As soon as requirements are understood, this prototype is discarded, and the original software is developed with a better understanding of user requirements.

 

• Evolutionary Prototyping:

  Evolutionary Prototyping, also known as Breadboard Prototyping, is based on creating an actual functional prototype with minimum functionalities at the beginning of the software development process. When using Evolutionary Prototyping, only the well-understood requirements are added to the prototype.

 

• Incremental Prototyping:

  Incremental Prototyping refers to building multiple functional prototypes of various subsystems. Then, all the available prototypes are integrated to form a complete system. This method is beneficial to reduce the feedback time between the user and the software development team. 

• Extreme Prototyping:

  Extreme Prototyping is used in Web Development, and it consists of three sequential phases. In the first phase, a basic prototype with all the existing pages is presented in HTML format. Then in the second phase, data processing is simulated using a prototype service layer. And in the third phase, the services are implemented and integrated with the final prototype. 

 

Advantages of Prototyping

There are many advantages of using a prototype in software development. Some of the important ones are noted below.

 

• Reduced Time & Costs:

  When changes are detected later in the software development, it costs much to implement them. The early determination of what the user wants through prototyping can result in faster and less expensive software.

 

• Improved and Increased Users Involvement:

  The prototype allows the user to interact and provide feedback on it. The user knows and understands the problem domain better than the software developer or software development team. Prototype solves the misunderstanding through user involvement. Also, it helps the final product be developed to give more satisfaction to the user.

 

• Improve Product Quality:

  With the prototype, users can anticipate the needed changes and potential project hurdles, and potential end-result disasters. Strong prototyping can ensure improved product quality for years to come.

 

Disadvantages of Prototyping

No project development is perfect. Perhaps, using or misusing prototyping also has its disadvantages. The major ones are as follows:

 

• Insufficient Analysis:

  Focusing on a limited prototype can distract a software developer from properly analyzing the software project.  It can lead to poorly engineered final products or incomplete specifications. This also causes end software products to be very hard to manage.

 

• User Confusion:

  Often, users, by mistakes or confusion, consider the prototype as a finished product. Also, they expect the prototype to function accurately as the end product, whereas that is not the intent of the software developer.

 

• Developer Misunderstanding of Users Objectives:

  For a successful software development project, it is important to have a software developer and user be on the same page and share the same project objectives. If the user requires all the features of a prototype to be included in the final software product, this can create team and mission conflicts.

 

• Excessive Development Time:

  The key property of a prototype is that it is supposed to be done quickly. If software developers lose sight of this fact, it can lead to complexities. In such cases, the user can be stuck in debate and hold up the software development team underlying the software development project.

 

• Expenses of Implementing Prototyping:

  The startup cost of building a dedicated development team focused on prototyping may be expensive. Besides, many software development companies have their software development methodologies in place, and changing them can mean retraining and retooling their software developers. This may add to the extra costs.

 

• Developer Attachment to prototype:

  Software developers can also become attached to the prototype as they have spent time and effort on it. This may create development issues like converting a limited prototype into a final software product.

 

4. Software Development / Coding

Once the design phase is over, the next phase in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is coding. This is the actual phase where software development is done. This SDLC phase is also known as implementation. 

In this phase, software developers start to build the entire software product or application by writing code. Multiple programming languages are used to write code in the software development process. 

In the coding and implementation phase, tasks are divided into smaller units or modules and assigned to developers. Few developers might write a small project, while a large project may need a complete software development team. Coding is the most extended phase of the Software Development Life Cycle.  

Basically, the software development/coding phase is subdivided into two areas, Front End and Backend.

 

Read more about →  SDLC Development Phase

 

 

Front End Development

Front End Development, also known as client-side development, is developing HTML, CSS, and Javascript for a website or Web Application that users can see and interact with directly. The web designer and web developer creating the user interface are called front-end developers.

The challenges associated with front-end development are that the tools and frameworks used to create a front-end application, website, or web application change constantly. So, front-end developers need to be aware of how the field is developing. 

Here are some of the best Front End Frameworks for 2023 for Web Development.

 

Learn more about → Front End Development

 

Front End Frameworks

Front End Frameworks are the pioneer blocks of the software development process. But there are various options to choose from when it comes to building web applications that rank higher on UI and UX. Here is the curated list of Top Front End Frameworks for web development in 2023.

 

• React:

  Being one of the simplest frameworks to learn, React was developed at Facebook to fix code maintainability issues. Reactjs is basically an open-source front-end javascript framework for building user Interfaces or UI components.

  React Official Website.

 

• Angular:

  Officially launched in the year 2016, Angular JS was developed by Google to bridge the gap between technology and conventional concepts. If you want to build mobile or web apps, Angular is the perfect framework for you. Besides, this front-end framework is also used to develop multi-page and progressive web apps. Due to this reason, companies like BMW, Blender, Xbox, Forbes, and others deploy applications with Angular.

  AngularJS Official Website.

 

• Vuejs:

  VueJS is a very simple and straightforward Front End Framework. VueJS is versatile and can do multitask. It can handle Web Applications, Mobile apps as well as Progressive Web Applications. Companies like Alibaba, 9gag, Xiaomi, and Reuters are some well-known users of this framework.

 

• jQuery: jQuery was introduced in 2006 and is one of the oldest front-end frameworks. is easy and simple to use. It also minimizes the need for writing lengthy JavaScript codes. The recent update in this framework enables front-end developers to build native mobile applications.

 

• Flutter:

  Flutter is a cross-platform and open-source UI software development kit created by Google. Compatibility, reload speed, and top-notch performance are the advantages of Flutter . Google Ads, Birch Finance, Cryptograph, Hookie, and Alibaba are well-known applications powered by Flutter.

 

Backend Development

Backend Development refers to server-side development, which primarily focuses on how the website works. Backend Development usually consists of three parts: a server, an application, and a database. Codes are written by backend developers that communicate with the server, database, and browser. Backend developers are also called programmers or web developers.

 

Learn more about → Backend Development

 

Backend Frameworks

Backend Frameworks are essential to application development across the globe. Finding the right backend framework is crucial for software developers to obtain optimal performance and scalability.

Here is the curated list of Top Backend Frameworks for 2023. 

 

• Django:

  Django is a leading open-source backend framework based on the python programming language. It is highly suitable for the development of feature-rich and sophisticated software products and applications. Django is considered to be one of the best backend development frameworks.

 

• Laravel:

  Laravel is an open-source PHP web-based framework for developing web applications that follow

  Model View Controller (MVC)

  architecture. Lavarel is rated as one of the best backend frameworks for software development. Laravel has

  MIT License

  and also has an open-source code repository on GitHub.

 

• Ruby on Rails:

  Ruby on Rails, also known as Rails, is a Ruby-based server-side framework. It is one of the best frameworks for web development. Ruby on Rails uses standards like XML and JSON for parsing and CSS, HTML and JavaScript for interfacing.

 

• ExpressJS:

  Express.js, also known as Express, is a Node, js-based open-source web application framework. It is widely used for building APIs and Web Applications. ExpressJS is a MEAN stack back-end component along with MongoDB database and AngularJS front-end framework.

 

• CakePHP:

  CakePHP is an open-source web framework. It is written in PHP and follows MVC architecture. CakePHP is licensed under MIT.

 

 

5. Testing

Once the software development/coding is completed, it is deployed in the testing environment. This phase is known as Testing or Software Testing. In this phase, developed software is tested in detail by the software testing team and the defects found are assigned to software developers to be fixed. This process is repeated until the software is bug-free, stable, and works according to set standards. 

Software testing teams or software testers follow different approaches to the testing process. Read more about the Software Testing approach in detail.

 

Testing Approaches

A testing approach is the test strategy to be implemented in a project. The testing Approach defines how testing should be carried out. There are different testing approaches, but the most common ones are as follows: 

 

BLACK BOX TESTING:

Black Box Testing is a software testing method where software applications’ functionalities are tested without knowing the internal code structure, internal paths, and implementation details. Black Box testing is also known as behavioral testing. Here the software testers are only aware of what the software is supposed to do, not how it does it. 

Black Box testing is further divided into three types. These types are:

• Functional Testing

• Non-Functional Testing

• Regression Testing

 

Learn more about → Black Box Testing

 

WHITE BOX TESTING:

White Box Testing is a software testing method in which the design, coding, and internal structures of software are tested. White Box testing is done to verify the flow of software and improve its design, security, and performance. White box testing is also known as Transparent box testing, Clear box testing, Open box testing, Glass box testing, and Codebase testing. 

There are various types and subtypes of White Box testing. But, the most common and well-known type is Unit Testing.

 

Learn more about → White Box Testing

 

GREY BOX TESTING:

Grey Box Testing or Gray Box testing is a software testing method to test software applications or software products with partial knowledge of the application’s internal structure. So it can be said that Grey Box testing is a combination of Black Box testing and White Box testing.

 

Learn more about → Grey Box Testing

 

Apart from these testing approaches, Software Testing can be divided into many different types. Let’s take a look at some of the well-known types of testing.

 

Types of Testing

Here are some Important types of testing used by software development companies for Quality Assurance (QA) in the software development process.

 

Unit Testing: It is a testing method that focuses on the smallest units of a software design. A single or a group of interrelated units are tested in unit testing. Software developers usually do it by giving inputs and observing their output. 

 

Learn more about →  Unite Testing

 

Integration Testing: The objective of integration testing is to take unit-tested components and build a program structure according to design. In integration testing, a group of components is combined for testing.

Integration testing is further divided into four types :

• Top-down

• Bottom-up

• Sandwich

• Big-Bang

 

Learn more about → Integration Testing

 

Regression Testing: The addition of new modules leads to changes in programming. Regression Testing makes sure that software product or application works properly even after the addition of new modules. 

Smoke Testing: Smoke Testing is a software testing process that determines whether the build software is stable or not. Smoke Testing is a confirmation for the QA team to proceed with further testing.

Alpha Testing: It is a type of validation testing. It is a type of acceptance testing that is done before delivering the software product or application to the customer. The QA team mainly does alpha Testing.

Read more about →  Alpha Testing

 

Beta Testing: Beta testing is performed from the customer’s end. This testing version is released in a real-time testing environment for limited users to test.

System Testing: In this testing method, the software is tested in such a way that it works fine for different operating systems. System Testing is a type of Black Box testing. Here the focus is given on inputs and desired outputs without considering the internal structure.

Stress Testing: Stress Testing is a software testing activity done to determine the robustness of software by testing beyond the limits of the standard operating environment.

 

Read more about →  Stress Testing

 

Performance Testing: Performance Testing is done to test the run-time performance of the software. It is used to test the speed, accuracy, and effectiveness of the software system or application. It is also called Load Testing.

Read more about →  Performance Testing

 

Object-Oriented Testing: Object-Oriented Testing is a combination of multiple testing methods used to test object-oriented software. It is used chiefly for test plans and for executing the project.

 

Learn more about → Types of Software Testing

 

Software Testing Life Cycle

Software Testing Life Cycle is a sequence of specific activities conducted during the testing process to meet the goals of qualitative software. STLC involves validation as well as verification activities. STLC is a fundamental part of the SDLC process.

STLC consists of a total of six major Software Testing Life Cycle phases.

 

Requirement Analysis: Requirement Analysis is also known as the Requirement Testing phase. Here, testing teams study requirements from a testing point of view. At the same time, the QA team interacts with the stakeholders to understand requirements in detail.

Test Planning: Test Planning in STLC is a phase where a senior QA Manager plans the test strategy. Here the resources, test environment, test schedule, and test limitations are determined.

Test Case Development: In the Test Case Development phase, the testing team noted the details of the test cases. The testing team also prepared the test data in this phase.

Test Environment Setup: Test Environment Setup is a phase where the hardware and software criteria are decided in which a software product or application is to be tested. It is an important aspect of STLC.

Test Execution: In the test execution phase, the testing team starts executing test cases based on test case development and test environment setup.

Test Cycle Closure: Test Cycle Closure is the completion of STLC. Here the testing process is analyzed.

 

Learn more about → STLC – Software Testing Life Cycle

 

6. Deployment

Once the testing phase is completed, the software application or product is deployed in a production environment or UAT (User Acceptance Testing), depending upon the customer’s requirements. Sometimes the deployment happens in stages as per the business strategy of a software development company. 

 

Software Deployment Process

Every software development company has its own process for software deployment. But overall, software deployment can be determined in three phases: preparation, testing, and deployment.

 

Preparation: In the preparation stage, software developers gather all the code, functions, libraries, files, and resources needed for the software application to function. Together these items are packaged as a single software release.

Testing: Before the software can be pushed to a live environment, it is tested well through automated testing.

Deployment: Once the software is fully tested, it is pushed to a live environment. Software developers may run a set of scripts to update relevant databases before the software goes live. The final step is to check for errors and bugs on the live server.

 

Best Software Deployment Practices

To have effective and accurate results of software deployment in the SDLC process, here are some best practices to be followed.

• Have a deployment checklist

• Choose a suitable deployment method

• Automate your deployment process

• Adopt continuous delivery

• Use a continuous integration

 

Learn more about → Software Deployment

 

7. Maintenance and Update

After the deployment of software into the production environment, maintenance and updates of the product are done. If issues come up and needs fixing or enhancements, they are taken care of by the software developers.

 

Read more about →  Software Maintenance

 

 

Need for Software Maintenance

Software maintenance must be performed to:

• Correct bugs

• Improve the design

• Implement enhancements

• Accommodate different programs

• Migrate legacy software

 

Types of Software Maintenance

Maintenance can be divided into the following types:

 

Corrective Maintenance: Corrective Maintenance in software is done to rectify the bugs or improve performance.

Adaptive Maintenance: Adaptive Maintenance in an application or software is done when a customer wants it to run on a new platform or operating system with new hardware or software.

Perfective Maintenance: This type of maintenance is done when customers need to add new features and functionalities to their software.

Preventive Maintenance: Preventive Maintenance is done to prevent software from future problems.

 

Software Update

Software Update is a way for a software developer to make changes and fine-tune the software to make it the best it can be. Software Updates have frequent small improvements instead of any major changes. Software Updates sometimes run automatically as a background process and sometimes come in a downloadable form. Software Update is necessary for a product or application to be running successfully. 

Software Updates are needed to:

• Protect you against security risks

• Fix bugs and improve functionality 

• Get new features