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SDLC Interview Question

The Waterfall Model was the first process model introduced for software development. It is a linear sequential model where each phase must be completed before the next begins. The key phases are requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. The Waterfall Model works well for projects with clear, stable requirements and without ambiguity. It allows for structure and control through deadlines and departmentalization. However, it lacks flexibility to adapt to changes.

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281 views

SDLC Interview Question

The Waterfall Model was the first process model introduced for software development. It is a linear sequential model where each phase must be completed before the next begins. The key phases are requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. The Waterfall Model works well for projects with clear, stable requirements and without ambiguity. It allows for structure and control through deadlines and departmentalization. However, it lacks flexibility to adapt to changes.

Uploaded by

Akshay Mahto
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SDLC

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a process used by the software industry to design, develop
and test high quality softwares. The SDLC aims to produce a high-quality software that meets or
exceeds customer expectations, reaches completion within times and cost estimates.
 SDLC is the acronym of Software Development Life Cycle.
 It is also called as Software Development Process.
 SDLC is a framework defining tasks performed at each step in the software development
process.
 ISO/IEC 12207 is an international standard for software life-cycle processes. It aims to be the
standard that defines all the tasks required for developing and maintaining software.

What is SDLC?
SDLC is a process followed for a software project, within a software organization. It consists of a detailed
plan describing how to develop, maintain, replace and alter or enhance specific software. The life cycle
defines a methodology for improving the quality of software and the overall development process.
The following figure is a graphical representation of the various stages of a typical SDLC.

A typical Software Development Life Cycle consists of the following stages −

Stage 1: Planning and Requirement Analysis


Requirement analysis is the most important and fundamental stage in SDLC. It is performed by the
senior members of the team with inputs from the customer, the sales department, market surveys and
domain experts in the industry. This information is then used to plan the basic project approach and to
conduct product feasibility study in the economical, operational and technical areas.
Planning for the quality assurance requirements and identification of the risks associated with the project
is also done in the planning stage. The outcome of the technical feasibility study is to define the various
technical approaches that can be followed to implement the project successfully with minimum risks.

Stage 2: Defining Requirements

Once the requirement analysis is done the next step is to clearly define and document the product
requirements and get them approved from the customer or the market analysts. This is done through
an SRS (Software Requirement Specification) document which consists of all the product
requirements to be designed and developed during the project life cycle.

Stage 3: Designing the Product Architecture

SRS is the reference for product architects to come out with the best architecture for the product to be
developed. Based on the requirements specified in SRS, usually more than one design approach for the
product architecture is proposed and documented in a DDS - Design Document Specification.
This DDS is reviewed by all the important stakeholders and based on various parameters as risk
assessment, product robustness, design modularity, budget and time constraints, the best design
approach is selected for the product.
A design approach clearly defines all the architectural modules of the product along with its
communication and data flow representation with the external and third party modules (if any). The
internal design of all the modules of the proposed architecture should be clearly defined with the
minutest of the details in DDS.

Stage 4: Building or Developing the Product

In this stage of SDLC the actual development starts and the product is built. The programming code is
generated as per DDS during this stage. If the design is performed in a detailed and organized manner,
code generation can be accomplished without much hassle.
Developers must follow the coding guidelines defined by their organization and programming tools like
compilers, interpreters, debuggers, etc. are used to generate the code. Different high level programming
languages such as C, C++, Pascal, Java and PHP are used for coding. The programming language is
chosen with respect to the type of software being developed.

Stage 5: Testing the Product

This stage is usually a subset of all the stages as in the modern SDLC models, the testing activities are
mostly involved in all the stages of SDLC. However, this stage refers to the testing only stage of the
product where product defects are reported, tracked, fixed and retested, until the product reaches the
quality standards defined in the SRS.

Stage 6: Deployment in the Market and Maintenance

Once the product is tested and ready to be deployed it is released formally in the appropriate market.
Sometimes product deployment happens in stages as per the business strategy of that organization. The
product may first be released in a limited segment and tested in the real business environment (UAT-
User acceptance testing).
Then based on the feedback, the product may be released as it is or with suggested enhancements in
the targeting market segment. After the product is released in the market, its maintenance is done for the
existing customer base.

SDLC Models
There are various software development life cycle models defined and designed which are followed
during the software development process. These models are also referred as Software Development
Process Models". Each process model follows a Series of steps unique to its type to ensure success in
the process of software development.
Following are the most important and popular SDLC models followed in the industry −

 Waterfall Model
 Iterative Model
 Spiral Model
 V-Model
 Big Bang Model
Other related methodologies are Agile Model, RAD Model, Rapid Application Development and
Prototyping Models.

The Waterfall Model was the first Process Model to be introduced. It is also referred to as a  linear-
sequential life cycle model. It is very simple to understand and use. In a waterfall model, each phase
must be completed before the next phase can begin and there is no overlapping in the phases.
The Waterfall model is the earliest SDLC approach that was used for software development.
The waterfall Model illustrates the software development process in a linear sequential flow. This means
that any phase in the development process begins only if the previous phase is complete. In this
waterfall model, the phases do not overlap.

Waterfall Model - Design


Waterfall approach was first SDLC Model to be used widely in Software Engineering to ensure success
of the project. In "The Waterfall" approach, the whole process of software development is divided into
separate phases. In this Waterfall model, typically, the outcome of one phase acts as the input for the
next phase sequentially.
The following illustration is a representation of the different phases of the Waterfall Model.
The sequential phases in Waterfall model are −
 Requirement Gathering and analysis − All possible requirements of the system to be
developed are captured in this phase and documented in a requirement specification document.
 System Design − The requirement specifications from first phase are studied in this phase and
the system design is prepared. This system design helps in specifying hardware and system
requirements and helps in defining the overall system architecture.
 Implementation − With inputs from the system design, the system is first developed in small
programs called units, which are integrated in the next phase. Each unit is developed and tested
for its functionality, which is referred to as Unit Testing.
 Integration and Testing − All the units developed in the implementation phase are integrated
into a system after testing of each unit. Post integration the entire system is tested for any faults
and failures.
 Deployment of system − Once the functional and non-functional testing is done; the product is
deployed in the customer environment or released into the market.
 Maintenance − There are some issues which come up in the client environment. To fix those
issues, patches are released. Also to enhance the product some better versions are released.
Maintenance is done to deliver these changes in the customer environment.
All these phases are cascaded to each other in which progress is seen as flowing steadily downwards
(like a waterfall) through the phases. The next phase is started only after the defined set of goals are
achieved for previous phase and it is signed off, so the name "Waterfall Model". In this model, phases do
not overlap.

Waterfall Model - Application


Every software developed is different and requires a suitable SDLC approach to be followed based on
the internal and external factors. Some situations where the use of Waterfall model is most appropriate
are −
 Requirements are very well documented, clear and fixed.
 Product definition is stable.
 Technology is understood and is not dynamic.
 There are no ambiguous requirements.
 Ample resources with required expertise are available to support the product.
 The project is short.

Waterfall Model - Advantages


The advantages of waterfall development are that it allows for departmentalization and control. A
schedule can be set with deadlines for each stage of development and a product can proceed through
the development process model phases one by one.
Development moves from concept, through design, implementation, testing, installation, troubleshooting,
and ends up at operation and maintenance. Each phase of development proceeds in strict order.
Some of the major advantages of the Waterfall Model are as follows −
 Simple and easy to understand and use
 Easy to manage due to the rigidity of the model. Each phase has specific deliverables and a
review process.
 Phases are processed and completed one at a time.
 Works well for smaller projects where requirements are very well understood.
 Clearly defined stages.
 Well understood milestones.
 Easy to arrange tasks.
 Process and results are well documented.

Waterfall Model - Disadvantages


The disadvantage of waterfall development is that it does not allow much reflection or revision. Once an
application is in the testing stage, it is very difficult to go back and change something that was not well-
documented or thought upon in the concept stage.
The major disadvantages of the Waterfall Model are as follows −
 No working software is produced until late during the life cycle.
 High amounts of risk and uncertainty.
 Not a good model for complex and object-oriented projects.
 Poor model for long and ongoing projects.
 Not suitable for the projects where requirements are at a moderate to high risk of changing. So,
risk and uncertainty is high with this process model.
 It is difficult to measure progress within stages.
 Cannot accommodate changing requirements.
 Adjusting scope during the life cycle can end a project.
 Integration is done as a "big-bang. at the very end, which doesn't allow identifying any
technological or business bottleneck or challenges early.

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