Software Development

Requirement Analysis

In this step, the customer is asked to provide the requirements of the project. This may include what the software product is supposed to do or other related info. For example, if a customer wants a social application, one of the requirements of the application will be the ability to send and receive messages to other people. If the product is a media player, then the customer will enlist play, add, and open options in requirements. Such requirements may also include the hardware or resources needed to complete the project. For example, if a team is working on a project or application that is supposed to work online, they will need a web domain to connect to the application to make it able to transfer data online. Once all necessary information from the user is received, it is put down formally in a document called Business Requirement Specifications (BRS). This document provides a complete business operations overview and customer requirements.

Formulation

Once the System specifications requirements are documented, a thorough plan is made to achieve the target. This plan includes the choice of technology or platforms that best match product requirements, as well as all the equipment or devices necessary. People with suitable skill sets are selected, and a team is formed along with the hierarchy and responsibilities of each member. The cost of the required resources is calculated to determine whether this plan is financially feasible. Once the plan’s main points are complete, a detailed timeline comes into play, with milestones that define the time frame for completion. A project timeline is usually planned to keep a check and balance of team performance and pace. It helps in maintaining a good rate and achieving all goals in time. All project risks are also part of the planning stage. Planning experts usually use a set of different development approaches to specify and choose all methods that will work well for a specific project.

Design / Product Architecture

Once the process is planned, and all the requirements are documented, system design is developed. The system architecture includes both the software- and hardware designs, and it must cover all customer requirements. In architecture design, developers specify what programming language is best for the individual task, the overall work and algorithm of the program, the choice of different industry practices, and the use of libraries or templates. For example, if the developer is using Raspberry Pi as a processing unit for an application, Python language is a great choice. If Arduino is involved, developers will prefer C or Assembly language. Data structures depend on the application’s function. For example, if an online shopping app needs a cart management program, it will use the “list data” structure. But if this takes place on a browser, and the user must navigate from the current, next, or previous pages – the “Push-Pop” data structure will be used. For example, if you design a message application, there should be a button for contact selection, send a message, and a keyboard to type the message. The design will define the action of each of these buttons.

Implementation / Building / Developing

During this step, software engineers write the actual program for the application’s required functionality. Based on project size, either a single developer or a team writes a program for the application. In the case of multiple developers, different tasks within an application are identified and each programmer is assigned one. Developing the tasks separately allows for more compatibility with programs of other tasks. Developers mainly know how the application works. So, they provide an outline for a user guide, product working, specifications, and troubleshooting process. This helps with the making of a complete user manual for the application. This may include answers to frequently asked questions. FAQs help the user understand application functions in a better way. During coding, developers encounter bugs and errors. These sometimes consume a lot of time as lengthy code usually makes mistakes hard to find. Different debugging tools are used to assist developers in finding glitches or errors. If the design is prepared in a detailed and organized manner the code development process is completed with less effort and sooner.

Testing & Integration

This is one of the critical stages in software development. Once the application is entirely developed, it is tested, and the performance of the application is evaluated. Errors and issues in the products are indicated, tracked, solved, and tested again. This is an iterative process where the application is tested repeatedly by Quality Assurance Engineers until all issues are eradicated. Testing sometimes requires a specific environment. For example, sometimes a virtual environment is created to test the application, before deployment. Testing is done to ensure that each function of the application works properly. During the test phase, apart from the app’s functionality, its performance is also checked for lags in processing. This step reduces the chances of errors or glitches that the final users may encounter. As a result, higher user satisfaction is achieved, and more people are encouraged to use the application. In many SDLC models, testing is not a separate stage but a subset of all stages because testing is part of all stages. We encounter a lot of applications that either don’t work correctly, some of their functions don’t work as described, or there are glitches or bugs.

These things happen with applications that are not appropriately tested after their development and release. Poorly tested applications create unsatisfied customers, who would quickly move to a different company and products.

Maintenance

Once the application is deployed and made available for use in the market, the development cycle is ended - or start over. Operation and maintenance experts are responsible for the applications’ proper operation and handle user complaints related to bugs and problems. This phase is not only related to fixing errors, but it also includes upgrading the application requirements to meet the new market demands. This phase’s role is to keep the application up to date and enhance it to ensure that it attracts users and retains them. For example, an online store application with a lot of different payment methods; if a new payment method is introduced, it could end up being the preferred choice by many. Hence, the application owner would like to add that method to the store’s application as well, providing, ease to the people using that service. Moreover, the user may demand the addition of new features that will be handled by the maintenance team. If the updating task is not very large, it will be handled by the maintenance and operation team. But if the new app version looks like a completely new project, a new SDLC model will be created and followed.

Central to this phase is the creation of a high-level 'strategic story.' This narrative is designed to be impactful, engaging, and memorable, serving as a cornerstone for your strategic direction