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The Software Development

Life Cycle (SDLC): 7 Phases
and 5 Models

By Hannah Clark

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Q U I C K S U M M A RY

Building so!ware is a huge job, which is

why digital product teams rely on the
so!ware development life cycle (SDLC).
Here's what you need to know.

Building software is a huge job, which is

why digital product teams rely on the
software development life cycle (SDLC).
The SDLC usually takes the form of one
of 5 different methodologies and follows
7 main development stages. Knowing
what needs to be done in the SDLC
process can help product managers
guide the entire project to completion. It
also helps PMs understand the
milestones and communicate progress to
stakeholders. Let’s jump in!

What is the SDLC?

The software development life cycle is a
process that development teams use to
create awesome software that's top-notch
in terms of quality, cost-effectiveness,
and time efficiency. The main goal is to
minimize risks and make sure the
software meets the customer's
expectations both during and after
production.

This process is about creating a detailed

plan to guide the development of the
product and then breaking down the
development process into smaller
modules that can be assigned,
completed, and measured to make the
whole thing more manageable.

Benefits of SDLC for the

Product Team
Managing changing requirements,
staying on top of new technology, and
working collaboratively can be
challenging for the product team. That's
where the SDLC comes in handy. The
SDLC provides a framework for the
product team to manage the
development process systematically, with
clear goals and deliverables at every
stage. By using SDLC, the product team
can ensure that all stakeholders agree on
software development goals and
requirements upfront and have a plan to
achieve them.

Here are some specific benefits of using

SDLC for the product team:

Increased visibility of the

development process for all
stakeholders involved

More efficient estimation, planning,

and scheduling

Improved risk management and cost

estimation

A systematic approach to delivering

software that meets customer
expectations and improves
satisfaction

The 7 Phases of the

Software
Development Life
Cycle
The SDLC process will look a little
different for every team and product.
However, these are the stages that most
SDLC frameworks have in common:

The software development life cycle can be an iterative

process.

1. Planning & Analysis

The first phase of the SDLC is the
project planning stage where you are
gathering business requirements from
your client or stakeholders. This phase is
when you evaluate the feasibility of
creating the product, revenue potential,
the cost of production, the needs of the
end-users, etc.

To properly decide what to make, what

not to make, and what to make first, you
can use a feature prioritization
framework that takes into account the
value of the software/update, the cost,
the time it takes to build, and other
factors.

Once it is decided that the software

project is in line with business and
stakeholder goals, feasible to create, and
addresses user needs, then you can move
on to the next phase.

2. Define Requirements
This phase is critical for converting the
information gathered during the
planning and analysis phase into clear
requirements for the development
team. This process guides the
development of several important
documents: a software requirement
specification (SRS), a Use Case
document, and a Requirement
Traceability Matrix document.

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3. Design
The design phase is where you put pen
to paper—so to speak. The original plan
and vision are elaborated into a software
design document (SDD) that includes the
system design, programming language,
templates, platform to use, and
application security measures. This is
also where you can flowchart how the
software responds to user actions.

In most cases, the design phase will

include the development of a prototype
model. Creating a pre-production
version of the product can give the team
the opportunity to visualize what the
product will look like and make changes
without having to go through the hassle
of rewriting code.

4. Development
The actual development phase is where
the development team members divide
the project into software modules and
turn the software requirement into code
that makes the product.

This SDLC phase can take quite a lot of

time and specialized development tools.
It’s important to have a set timeline and
milestones so the software developers
understand the expectations and you can
keep track of the progress in this stage.

In some cases, the development stage

can also merge with the testing stage
where certain tests are run to ensure
there are no critical bugs.

Keep in mind, different types of product

development software will have
different specialties so you’ll want to pick
the one that suits you best.

5. Testing
Before getting the software product out
the door to the production environment,
it’s important to have your quality
assurance team perform validation
testing to make sure it is functioning
properly and does what it’s meant to do.
The testing process can also help hash
out any major user experience issues and
security issues.

In some cases, software testing can be

done in a simulated environment. Other
simpler tests can also be automated.

The types of testing to do in this phase:

Performance testing: Assesses the

software's speed and scalability under
different conditions

Functional testing: Verifies that the

software meets the requirements

Security testing: Identifies potential

vulnerabilities and weaknesses

Unit-testing: Tests individual units or

components of the software

Usability testing: Evaluates the

software's user interface and overall
user experience

Acceptance testing: Also termed end-

user testing, beta testing, application
testing, or field testing, this is the final
testing stage to test if the software
product delivers on what it promises

6. Deployment
During the deployment phase, your final
product is delivered to your intended
user. You can automate this process and
schedule your deployment depending on
the type. For example, if you are only
deploying a feature update, you can do
so with a small number of users (canary
release). If you are creating brand-new
software, you can learn more about the
different stages of the software release
life cycle (SRLC).

7. Maintenance
The maintenance phase is the final stage
of the SDLC if you’re following the
waterfall structure of the software
development process. However, the
industry is moving towards a more agile
software development approach where
maintenance is only a stage for further
improvement.

In the maintenance stage, users may find

bugs and errors that were missed in the
earlier testing phase. These bugs need to
be fixed for better user experience and
retention. In some cases, these can lead
to going back to the first step of the
software development life cycle.

The SDLC phases can also restart for any

new features you may want to add in
your next release/update.

Common SDLC
Models
In software development, there are
various frameworks, or “models,” of the
Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC),
which arrange the development process
in different ways. These models help
organizations implement SDLC in an
organized way. Here are some of the
most commonly used software life cycle
models.

1. Agile Model
This model arranges the SDLC phases
into several development cycles, with the
team delivering small, incremental
software changes in each cycle. The Agile
methodology is highly efficient, and
rapid development cycles help teams
identify issues early on, but overreliance
on customer feedback could lead to
excessive scope changes or project
termination. It's best for software
development projects that require
flexibility and the ability to adapt to
change over time.

2. Waterfall Model
This model arranges all the phases
sequentially, with each new phase
depending on the outcome of the
previous one. It provides structure to
project management, but there is little
room for changes once a phase is
complete, so it's best for small, well-
defined projects.

3. Iterative Model
With this model, the team begins
development with a small set of
requirements and iteratively enhances
versions until the software is ready for
production. It's easy to manage risks, but
repeated cycles could lead to scope
change and underestimation of
resources. This model is best for projects
that require high flexibility in their
requirements and have the resources to
handle multiple iterations.

4. Spiral Model
This model combines the iterative
model's repeated cycles with the
waterfall model's linear flow to prioritize
risk analysis. It's best for complex
projects with frequent changes but can
be expensive for smaller projects.

5. Big Bang Model

The Big Bang Model is a unique
approach where developers jump right
into coding without much planning. This
means that requirements are
implemented as they come, without any
kind of clear roadmap. If changes are
needed, it can require a complete
revamp of the software.

While this model isn't great for larger

projects, it’s best for academic or
practice projects, or smaller projects
with only one or two developers.
Essentially, it's a model that works well
when requirements aren't well
understood and there's no set release
date in sight.

SDLC vs Other Lifecycle

Management Methodologies
As you may know, SDLC is not the only
lifecycle management process in the
glossary of product management terms.
Here are some similar terms and what
distinguishes them from the SDLC:

SDLC vs. ALM (Application

lifecycle management)
ALM is a term that describes the creation
and maintenance of software
applications, from ideation to design,
development, testing, production,
support, and eventual retirement. Sound
a lot like SDLC? They might appear
similar on paper, but some key
differences include:

SDLC focuses on the development

phase of an application, while ALM
takes a more comprehensive
approach, covering the entire lifecycle
of the application.

Multiple ALM tools, processes, and

teams need to work together to
manage different stages of the
application, including development.

There may be multiple SDLCs within

an application's lifecycle that fall
under the larger ALM framework.

SDLC vs. systems development

lifecycle
Sometimes, people use the term SDLC
to refer to the systems development
lifecycle, which is the process of
planning and creating an IT system. This
system typically consists of multiple
hardware and software components that
work together to perform complex
functions.

So, what’s the difference?

SDLC only covers the development

and testing of software components

Systems development is a broader

process that encompasses the setup
and management of hardware,
software, people, and processes
needed for a complete system.

While SDLC focuses on the software

product only, systems development
can include tasks like organizational
training and change management that
aren't necessarily part of software
development.

SDLC vs STLC (Software Testing

Lifecycle)
You might have also heard about the
software testing lifecycle (STLC). The
STLC refers to the set of activities that
ensure software quality by detecting bugs
and defects before the product release. It
has phases similar to the SDLC but with
different objectives and deliverables.

There are several key differences

between SDLC and STLC, such as:

SDLC is focused on software

development, while STLC is focused
on software testing.

SDLC aims to build a software

product that meets the user
requirements, while STLC aims to
ensure that the software is bug-free
and reliable.

SDLC consists of various phases, such

as planning, design, coding, testing,
and deployment, while STLC has
different phases, such as test planning,
test case development, test execution,
and test closure.

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SDLC vs DevOps
Another buzzword in the software
development industry is DevOps.
DevOps is a set of practices that
combines software development (Dev)
and IT operations (Ops) to enable faster
and more frequent software delivery. It
involves collaboration, automation, and
monitoring throughout the software
development lifecycle.

Here are the distinctions between SDLC

and DevOps:

SDLC is a methodology for managing

software development, while DevOps
is a cultural shift that promotes
collaboration between development
and operations teams.

SDLC focuses on delivering software

that meets the user requirements,
while DevOps focuses on delivering
software that meets the business
objectives.

SDLC involves different phases, such

as planning, design, coding, testing,
and deployment, while DevOps
involves continuous integration,
continuous delivery, and continuous
monitoring.

SDLC vs PDLC (Product

development lifecycle)
The product development lifecycle
(PDLC) is a comprehensive process that
covers the entire lifecycle of a product,
from ideation to retirement. It includes
product planning, market research,
product design, development, testing,
launch, marketing, and support.

Here are some key differences between

SDLC and PDLC:

SDLC is focused on software

development, while PDLC is focused
on product development.

SDLC consists of various phases, such

as planning, design, coding, testing,
and deployment, while PDLC
includes additional phases, such as
market research, product planning,
and marketing.