Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Approach

1. Requirements Gathering Stage:
Working together with key players to understand and write down the necessary software requirements.
Examining the needs, expectations, and limitations involved in the project.
This helps to define the specific goals and boundaries of the project.
(Stakeholders or key players refer to individuals such as the client, business analyst, systems architect, and development team.)

2. Feasibility Analysis Stage:
Once the requirements are gathered,
Business Analyst Conducts a thorough examination of requirements to determine project feasibility and potential risks.
They will identify any technical, operational or budgetary challenges by consulting the stakeholders.
Finally, the business analyst compiles the findings into a Software Requirement Specification (SRS) and passes it to the software/system architects.

3. Design Stage:
In the design phase,
Creating a detailed plan that encompasses the software’s architecture, structure, and user interface.
The software/system architects define how different components will interact, ensuring a user-friendly design.
Two levels of design are involved: high-level design, which is akin to a blueprint of a “building,” and low-level design, which is akin to a blueprint of a “bedroom” within the “building.”
The design document is then created by the software/system architect and passed to the development team.

4. Development Stage:
Armed with the design document and SRS,
The development team begins writing and coding the software.
They work on adding all the necessary features and functions to make the software work as intended.
The software’s build will be carried forward to the Testing Team for testing stage.

5. Testing Stage:
Once the development phase is complete,
They Conduct comprehensive testing to verify the software’s functionality, performance, security, and usability based on the system requirement specifications (SRS).
Employing various testing techniques, both manual and automated to identify and resolve defects.
The Testing Team will either gives thumbs up to the software to transfer it to deployment stage or report the defects (bugs) in the software to Development team to fix it.

6. Deployment Stage:
After the software has passed the testing phase, it is ready to be deployed.
This means that the software will be released and made available in the market.
During deployment, the software is installed and set up in the specific target environment where it will be used.
The goal is to ensure a seamless transition and make sure the software runs smoothly in its target environment.

7. Maintenance Stage:
After deployment phase, comes the maintenance phase.
It is monitored in the production/Live environment and any reported defects (bugs) are promptly addressed.
Providing regular updates, implementing enhancements, and ensuring smooth operation.

Types of Maintenance:

• Corrective Maintenance: Fixing defects (bugs) reported by users.
• Adaptive Maintenance: Modifying the software to accommodate changes in user requirements or the environment.
• Preventive Maintenance: Proactively making improvements to prevent future defects.