Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

The software development life cycle (SDLC) is a conceptual model used in project management that describes the stages involved in an information system development project, from an initial feasibility study through maintenance of the completed application.

Many SDLC methodologies are developed to guide the processes involved, including the waterfall model, rapid application development, the fountain model, the spiral model, build and fix, synchronize-and-stabilize, Exterme Programming, Agile Software Development etc. The list goes on for ever

The main stages in the SDLC are

1. Requirement Analysis
2. Design
3. Coding & Debugging
4. Systems Testing
5. Deployment / Implementation
   
6. Maintenance

Some of them might be clubbed together if required depending on the projects. Success of a project is to succeed in each of these phases.

Each phase requires some input and gives out a deliverable. A deliverable here need not necessarily be the one that goes to the end customer, but some tangibles that are produced on completion of that particular phase. For example, requirements document, test cases, design document etc.

In coming articles we shall look at each phase of the lifecycle and their stakeholders