Software Development Process – Definitive Step-By-Step Guide

Introduction

Software development is a process of building software or applications employing one or more programming languages. Every software development project follows a definite step-by-step plan to move from one stage to another and release high-quality software. But what are these steps? And how does the process work?

Our guide to the step by step software development process answers your most pressing questions so that you can make the most out of your software development life cycle, ensuring you don’t miss out on any step as you proceed from an idea to a rollout. 

Software Development Process – An Overview

The software development life cycle is a project management model that facilitates producing high-quality, low-cost software in the shortest possible production time. 

It defines the different essential stages to bring a project from its initial idea or start to deployment and later maintenance. The SDLC aims to produce excellent and reliable software that meets and exceeds all customer expectations and needs.

Also read Effective Software Development Strategy (Time and Budget Friendly)

Most Common software process models for software development:

In software development, different approaches are employed in the process development of software, known as Software Development Models. These models consist of a definite step to ensure the completion of software application development.

Agile model 

The agile model is a relatively popular methodology, especially in the software development industry.

The main idea behind this approach is to break a software development process into smaller parts. They are recognized as iterations. The agile model helps in creating gradual changes at each iteration.

The agile methodology prioritizes fast and ongoing release cycles, utilizing small but incremental changes between releases. This results in more iterations and many more tests compared to other models.

Simply put, this model helps teams to address small issues as they arise rather than missing them until later, more complex stages of a project.

The key benefits of the Agile approach are:

• Fast delivery of working components or functionalities
• Active collaboration
• Transparency
• Quick issue detection
• Quick adaption to the changing circumstances
• Never-ending product improvement

If you are considering adopting Agile methodologies, bear in mind its downsides, as:

• Insufficient documentation
• Careful planning can be put aside for the sake of immediate response, adaptation, and improvement.

Waterfall model

The waterfall model is the oldest and most popular of all SDLC processes. It’s linear and specific and requires development teams to complete one phase of the project before moving on to the next.

Each stage has a different project plan and carries information from the previous stage to avoid similar issues (if discovered). However, it is vulnerable to premature delays and can lead to great challenges for development teams later.

Let’s have a quick overview of the critical benefits of the Waterfall approach:

• A simple and plain series of steps
• The overall goal is determined much earlier
• Straightforward delivery of information at each stage
• Measuring the project’s progress is hassle-free since its scope is clear from the beginning.

However, we should not forget about the challenges of the Waterfall methodology. These are:

• You will get an end-solution only at the end of the software development process. 
• Time-consuming
• Lack of cost-efficiency.
• Lack of flexibility.
• Testing is conducted closer to the project’s end.
• The method leaves no room for sudden changes.

V model

The V-model, also known as the verification and validation model, is quite similar to the waterfall model. A testing phase is incorporated into each development stage to catch potential bugs and defects.

It’s incredibly disciplined and requires a rigorous timeline. But in theory, it illuminates the shortcomings of the main waterfall model by preventing larger bugs from spiraling out of control.

The advantages of this model are as follows:

• It is plain and simple.
• Focus on validation and verification helps create a high-quality product.
• With this model, you can track the progress of your project more accurately.
• Due to the V-shaped model’s rigidity, you can easily manage your project.

The disadvantages of this model include

• No early prototypes 
• No flexibility.
• High risk.

Spiral model

Spiral models are flexible in nature. Projects pass through four main stages repeatedly in a metaphorically spiral motion.

It’s advantageous for bigger projects since development teams can produce customized products and incorporate any received feedback relatively prematurely in the life cycle. 

The key benefit of the Spiral model can be seen in improved risk management. At the beginning of each iteration, the software development team considers the potential risks and defines comprehensive solutions to reduce them or fix a potential bottleneck.

Let’s dig into the main pros of the Spiral model:

• More capacity for business requirements
• Allows extensive usage of prototypes
• More specific focus on requirements
• Improved risk management.

The drawbacks of this methodology are as follows:

• Management is more complex.
• There are no pre-defined deadlines for the project’s end.
• The project may go via the spiral indefinitely.

Incremental model

The project is split into repeated software development stages. With each new iteration, the project team clearly understands the product.

It works the subsequent way. The software development team and the customer determine which feature to build and implement. Each iteration should go through the precise software development stages—requirement analysis, designing, coding, and testing. 

The carefully formulated software development plan is not that crucial in iterations.

Let’s discuss a few advantages of the incremental and iterative approaches:

• Early delivery of the primary features.
• Quick initial product release.
• The quick capacity of the evolving requirements.
• Working performance of the product at the end of each increment.

The disadvantages of the model are as follows:

• The total cost of a ready product can be high.
• Adequate iteration planning is required.

RAD model

RAD (Rapid Application Development) allows you to build functional modules and prototypes. Further, they are implemented together to form a finished software product that can be delivered quickly. 

Since detailed pre-planning is not critical, the development team will integrate the needed changes in the software development process much more quickly.

So what benefits can you derive from the RAD approach? 

• Changing requirements is not an issue.
• You can easily measure the progress of a project.
• Iteration time is quick, provided that the software development team has suitable tools.
• The reusability of software elements is increased.
• RAD enhances productivity.
• Integration at the initial stage addresses many integration issues.

The disadvantages of the RAD model include:

• Highly skilled designers or developers are required.
• Excellent modeling skills are a must.
• The approach applies to projects that can be modularized.
• Complex management.

Big Bang Process

The Big Bang model is incredibly flexible and doesn’t follow a rigorous process or procedure. It even leaves detailed planning behind. It’s mostly used to develop broad ideas when the customer or client isn’t sure what they want. Developers simply start the project with money and resources.

Their output may be closer or farther from what the client eventually realizes they desire. It’s mostly used for smaller projects and experimental life cycles designed to inform other projects in the same company.

So what benefits can you derive from Big Bang Model?

• Simple model & Easy to Implement.
•  Requires less planning.
•  Requires less resources.
• Cost-effective.
• Suitable for small projects.

The disadvantages of the Bing Bang model include

• A highly risky model for developing a big or complex project.
• Inexpensive model
• Uncertainty in nature

Scrum Process

Though Agile and Scrum are often confused, the difference between these two terms is more than meets the eye. Agile is a broad concept. It is something like philosophy or orientation. Scrum, in its turn, is a specific methodology that defines how your project will be managed.

Speaking about sprints, they are short phrases that usually last two weeks. Each sprint starts with planning, where the software development team identifies which small part of the project scope should be completed during this time.

The tasks for each sprint are taken from a backlog. It is created by the product owner to prioritize tasks for the project.

Since Scrum can be seen as a subset of Agile, their benefits are pretty similar:

• Increased productivity
• Reduced costs
• Improved user satisfaction
• Fast release
• Great flexibility when it comes to changes.

However, like any other project management methodology, Scrum is not perfect and has the following downsides:

• It can be hard to adopt Scrum in big teams.
• The efficient Scrum adoption requires experienced software development professionals.
• A high level of commitment is a must.