The best SDLC Model to deploy in Software Dev.

Introduction

IT Project Managers often times get confused of the best tools to help ensure satisfaction and successful implementation of software products. Well, this article provides a visible design, implementation and development steps needed for quick project delivery with a low cost budget.

Goal

The goal of each stages/phases in SDLC are:

• Provide a framework for developing quality system and software products.
• Specify the activities to be performed in the next phase.
• Ensure that system development requirements are well defined and subsequently satisfied.
• Delivering quality and cost efficient systems which meets Costumers wants and specifications.

Objective

The SDLC methodology will help to achieve this goals by:

• Establishing appropriate levels of management authority to provide timely direction, coordination, control, review, and approval of the system development project.
• Ensuring project management accountability.
• Documenting requirements and maintaining trace ability of those requirements throughout the development and implementation process.
• Ensuring that projects are developed within the current and planned information technology infrastructure.
• Identifying project risks early.

What is SDLC?

SDLC stands for Software Development Life Cycle and it is defined as a methodology that aims at software production with well-structured phases that help an organization with the highest quality and lowest cost in the shortest time possible. Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a process used by the software industry to design, develop and test high quality softwares. Every IT firm need to deploy one suitable software technique in building any software production at all times.

Phases of SDLC

The common Software Development Life Cycle are arranged in different phases of processes which include:
Phase1 -Requirement analysis and specification.
Phase2 -Design.
Phase3 -Implementation and integration.
Phase4 -Testing(quality assurance).
Phase5 -Operation and
Phase6 -maintenance.

Phase1: Requirement analysis

Requirement analysis is the first and fundamental stage in software development. It involves a lot of meetings. It is where documentation and researches are carried out and we find out what we are trying to build, what our client needs are and the purpose of building it. It involves interaction with the managers, consultants and people in charge. In this stage, all the planning that needs to be done are done and a feasibility(possibility) test is carried out to check if the product or software is profitable or worth venturing into in the first place.

Phase2: Design

The next phase is the design stage. During this phase, the software is designed to satisfy the functional requirements identified in the previous phase. It purely depends on how things was planned out to be or look like, the features to render, the architecture and environment/layout of the product to produce.

Phase3: Implementation and integration

Implementation and integration is after the layout has been done. It takes whatever that’s been designed and try to put them into coding. The software programmers come into play and codes are been written in whatever programming language that is necessary.

Phase4: Testing (quality assurance)

Testing is as important as the requirements stage. It is where things are ascertain and errors are corrected and functional requirements are met by the newly developed or modified software.

Phase5: Operation, deployment and maintenance

This is the last phase of SDLC. After which the software has deployed, there is a need to monitor for continue functioning and operation of the software. Maintenance does the trick. It makes sure software products keep to date and functionalities keep improving. It is the phase that enables the sustenance of a product out there.

Types of SDLC Models

There are different types of models that can be implemented when choosing the kind of software to build. They include:

• The Water-fall model
• The Agile model
• The Incremental model
• The Re-use oriented software dev. cycle
• The Prototyping model

Note: All the models go through the same phase in software production but have different approaches to each phase/stage. And we won’t be able to cover all the available models in details. Our main focus is the Agile Model SDLC.

EXPLANATION: SDLC Models

• The Water-fall model: is the most common SDLC model approach to be introduced. Waterfall software development is dependent on phases. Simple to understand because it explains the process of software development in a linear progressive format. That means it moves to the next phase/stage only when its current phase is over. It is usually only good for short term project.

• The incremental model: this kind of model achieve task by deploying finished versions of the whole entity one after the other until the task is completed. It is generally fast because of this method it uses and cost effective.

• The Prototyping model: prototyping is used when the client or customer don’t have the full idea of what they need. It is a way of cross-checking what the desire of the customer is. In prototyping model, prototypes or demo of the intended software is built so that the customer or client can check if it is what he/she wanted initially or Changes where need be. Client feedback is really of essence in this model type.

• The Agile model: Agile kind of software development model is a set of values, beliefs and principles that aims at focusing on the benefits and what users want and need. It is an approach to help organization respond quicker to changes with rules and methodology and not just blindly following a given plan set to constrain flexibility at work. Agile is best for long term projects because it is more focused on Customer satisfaction over processes and tools.

AGILE MANIFESTO (SET OF RULES)

1. Individuals and interactions over processes or tools: Agile modeling puts talking and discussion about the whole processes over just working and coding about it.

2. Working software over comprehensive documentation: the experience the users gets by using the product is more important than how detailed the planning or requirement stage may sound or was.

3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation: making sure the product is perfectly working first over worrying about what was said or signed initially in the requirement stage.

4. Responding to changes over following a plan: Agile kind of model want you to run the plan and not the plan running you.

Advantages Of Agile Model

• Increased Flexibility with a Fast Failure Mindset.
• Improved Team interaction and communication during work.
• Release of efficient softwares at a quicker time rate.
• Honesty and transparency.
• Late changes in requirements are welcomed.

Disadvantages Of Agile Model

• There is lack of emphasis on necessary designing and documentation.
• The project can easily get taken off track if the customer representative is not clear on what final outcome that they want.
• Only senior programmers are capable of taking the kind of decisions required during the development process. Hence it has no place for newbie programmers, unless combined with experienced resources.

Conclusion:

Many contradictions have been raised over the years of the best kind of model to deploy in SDLC. Well, all models are useful depending on what you want to achieve and how fast you want to go about it at the time. But for the purpose of this writing. I will say Agile SDLC is the best, because it has the customers needs and satisfaction at mind first before any other plan or agreement which is what every customer would want to go for. It surpasses all kind of models because good product at the end is more needful than set of rigid rules or plan.