6 Stages for Software Development Procedure You Need to Know

What is Software Development?

Software development refers to the process followed by a trusted software development company, focused on the process of creating, designing, deploying, and supporting software.

We depend on software applications for multiple purposes, such as ordering groceries, video calls, scheduling tasks, playing games, and much more. Software development plays an integral role in making all of these possible. Different software development models are employed in the development of such software. Some of them are mentioned below -

• Spiral model
• V model
• Waterfall model
• Inсrеmеntаl model
• RAD model

The software development process comprises a well-defined structure for implementing the development cycle. During the process of development, the software goes through a different phase. The successive phases are called the Software Development Life Cycle( SDLC).

Read More: Top 10 Custom Software Development Companies in 2022

The 6 Stages of Software Application Development Life Cycle

Let us have a close look at the software development process followed by development teams for product development -

1. Gathering and Analysis of Requirements

• Before the beginning of the actual coding process for any software, the team of software development must gather the requirements right in the beginning.
• The paramount necessity at this juncture is to focus on the important requirements of the project. Once the significant questions surrounding the development are answered, a basic outline is prepared for the software developers to focus on.
• In the end, the necessary documentation is prepared for defining the specifications, plans, and guidelines for the subsequent levels of development.

2. Product Design

• Once the project requirements are well documented, the creation of product design can begin.
• The design process helps specify the hardware required for developing the product.
• The design process for software development also helps in developing the product architecture, showcasing the software modules needed to be developed and their relationships.
• The development leads at this stage also take the final decision on the choice of the development platform. A trusted enterprise software development company can work on platforms such as .NET, Java, Laravel, Ruby on Rails, Python, React Native, Django, and more.

3. Coding

• Once the designs are approved and well understood by all the stakeholders, the coding for software application development can finally begin.
• Apart from programming, the developers are also responsible for performing unit or module testing in this phase. It helps to detect potential problems as early as possible in the development phase.
• Few enterprises like outsourcing software development services. The reasons for outsourcing may differ for each organization. The reasons may vary from lack of resources or skills to a desire to focus on core capabilities.

4. Testing

• A decent enterprise software development company will never overlook the testing stage of the software development process. If there is any error in the code, it can lead to repetition of the coding process. This is an essential phase as it helps to identify potential bugs that might affect the product.
• The software developers can perform unit testing and proceed to Integration testing. Under integration testing, developers check the interaction between the individual modules and external systems.
• After the integration testing is done, the validation testing helps test the final software based on the requirements, UI/UX design, and end-user point of view.

5. Deployment Stage

• Once it is made sure that the software contains no more bugs, it can be deployed. After that, the final code is implemented in the product, and then it is finally deployed.
• Before the product is rolled out to potential clients, beta testing is conducted to check if it works fine on a large scale. If any more potential changes and bugs are identified, the concerned software development team is aware of them.
• Once final changes are completed, the deployment can commence with the help of the ‘Production’ server on which the software will run. A company can use its server or cloud servers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure.

6. Maintenance and Operations

• After all the required steps have been conducted, and the product has been deployed at the client’s location, the only remaining obligation of the software development services is to ensure that the software is kept operational and regular necessary maintenance is conducted.
• This phase includes updating the system with the latest OS patches and third-party updates.

The Benefit of Using Software Development Life Cycle Method

The main reason behind adopting SDLC is its control over the development process. It helps to deliver top-notch digital products that meet all the client’s needs. Following are the benefits of the SDLC -

• Common technical vocabulary
• Pre-defined channels for communication between stakeholders
• Transparency and visibility of all the processes
• The clarity in roles for designers, developers, project managers, and business analysts
• Reduction in the risk of going off-track
• Predictable results in the given time and cost

Read More: Customized Software: What is it, Types, and Examples

Conclusion

Software development is the procedure of designing and deploying software products per the client’s requirements or the market trend. The structure of the development life cycle is divided into 6 phases. Each custom software development service follows these phases to develop the software product.

The blog covered 6 crucial phases required to follow one after the other to complete the development.

Organizations that lack the proper experience, resources, and time to undertake in-house software solution development can choose outsourcing software development services to a custom software development enterprise. Such companies have the expertise and the talent to handle such projects in the given time and budget. This will enable you to focus on your core expertise.