Software development stages pdf

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Translate PDF. This chapter presents an overview of the SDLC, alternate lifecycle models, and associated references. The following chapter describes the internal processes that are common across all stages of the SDLC, and the third chapter describes the inputs, outputs, and processes of each stage. Finally, the conclusion describes the four core concepts that form the basis of this SDLC. During each stage, additional information is gathered or developed, combined with the inputs, and used to produce the stage deliverables.

Rather, ideas for new capabilities or features that are out-of-scope are preserved for later consideration. After the project is completed, the Primary Developer Representative PDR and Primary End-User Representative PER , in concert with other customer and development team personnel develop a list of recommendations for enhancement of the current software.

Although some of the prototypes may appear to be very substantial, they're generally similar to a movie set: everything looks good from the front but there's nothing in the back. When a prototype is generated, the developer produces the minimum amount of code necessary to clarify the requirements or design elements under consideration.

No effort is made to comply with coding standards, provide robust error management, or integrate with other database tables or modules. As a result, it is generally more expensive to retrofit a prototype with the necessary elements to produce a production module then it is to develop the module from scratch using the final system design document.

For these reasons, prototypes are never intended for business use, and are generally crippled in one way or another to prevent them from being mistakenly used as production modules by end-users. In this case, the development effort is usually suspended until the changes can be reconciled with the current design, and the new results are passed down the waterfall until the project reaches the point where it was suspended. The PER and PDR may, at their discretion, allow the development effort to continue while previous stage deliverables are updated in cases where the impacts are minimal and strictly limited in scope.

In this case, the changes must be carefully tracked to make sure all their impacts are appropriately handled. After an evaluation period, the cycle is initiated again, adding new functionality and releasing the next prototype.

This process continues, with the prototype becoming larger and larger with each iteration. This is a sound practice for systems where the entire problem is well defined from the start, such as modeling and simulating software. Business-oriented database projects do not enjoy this advantage. Most of the functions in a database solution are essentially independent of one another, although they may make use of common data.

As a result, the prototype suffers from the same flaws as the prototyping lifecycle described below. For this reason, the software development team has decided against the use of the spiral lifecycle for database projects. The theory is that end users can produce better feedback when examining a live system, as opposed to working strictly with documentation.

RAD-based development cycles have resulted in a lower level of rejection when the application is placed into production, but this success most often comes at the expense of a dramatic overruns in project costs and schedule. The RAD approach was made possible with significant advances in software development environments to allow rapid generation and change of screens and other user interface features. The end user is allowed to work with the screens online, as if in a production environment.

This leaves little to the imagination, and a significant number of errors are caught using this process. The down side to RAD is the propensity of the end user to force scope creep into the development effort. Since it seems so easy for the developer to produce the basic screen, it must be just as easy to add a widget or two.

In most RAD lifecycle failures, the end users and developers were caught in an unending cycle of enhancements, with the users asking for more and more and the developers trying to satisfy them.

The participants lost sight of the goal of producing a basic, useful system in favor of the siren song of glittering perfection. The prototypes developed are specifically focused on a subset of the application, and do not provide an integrated interface.

The prototypes are used to validate requirements and design elements, and the development of additional requirements or the addition of user interface options not readily supported by the development environment is actively discouraged. The standards were reviewed and tailored to fit the specific requirements of small database projects.

These processes establish a pattern of communication and documentation intended to familiarize all participants with the current situation, and thus minimize risk to the current project plan. This generic stage description is provided to avoid repetitive descriptions of these internal processes in each of the following software lifecycle stage descriptions. The purpose of the kickoff meeting is to review the output of the previous stage, go over any additional inputs required by that particular stage, examine the anticipated activities and required outputs of the current stage, review the current project schedule, and review any open issues.

The PDR is responsible for preparing the agenda and materials to be presented at this meeting. All project participants are invited to attend the kickoff meeting for each stage. Participants work together to gather additional information and refine stage inputs into draft deliverables. Activities of this stage may include interviews, meetings, the generation of prototypes, and electronic correspondence.

All of these communications are deemed informal, and are not recorded as minutes, documents of record, controlled software, or official memoranda. The intent here is to encourage, rather than inhibit the communication process. This process concludes when the majority of participants agree that the work is substantially complete and it is time to generate draft deliverables for formal review and comment.

Each deliverable was introduced during the kickoff process, and is intended to satisfy one or more outputs for the current stage. Each draft deliverable is given a version number and placed under configuration management control. As participants review the draft deliverables, they are responsible for reporting errors found and concerns they may have to the PDR via electronic mail.

The PDR in turn consolidates these reports into a series of issues associated with a specific version of a deliverable. The person in charge of developing the deliverable works to resolve these issues, then releases another version of the deliverable for review. This process iterates until all issues are resolved for each deliverable.

The intent here is to encourage review and feedback. At the discretion of the PDR and PER, certain issues may be reserved for resolution in later stages of the development lifecycle.

These issues are disassociated from the specific deliverable, and tagged as "open issues. Once all issues against a deliverable have been resolved or moved to open status, the final release draft of the deliverable is prepared and submitted to the PDR. When final drafts of all required stage outputs have been received, the PDR reviews the final suite of deliverables, reviews the amount of labor expended against this stage of the project, and uses this information to update the project plan.

The project plan update includes a detailed list of tasks, their schedule and estimated level of effort for the next stage. Out stages are maintained at a high level in the project plan, and are included primarily for informational purposes; direct experience has shown that it is very difficult to accurately plan detailed tasks and activities for out stages in a software development lifecycle.

The updated project plan and schedule is a standard deliverable for each stage of the project. The PDR then circulates the updated project plan and schedule for review and comment, and iterates these documents until all issues have been resolved or moved to open status.

Once the project plan and schedule has been finalized, all final deliverables for the current stage are made available to all project participants, and the PDR initiates the next process.

In a small software development project, the deliverables for each stage are generally small enough that it is not cost effective to review them for compliance with quality assurance standards before the deliverables have been fully developed. As a result, only one in-stage assessment is scheduled for each stage. These reviewers formally review each deliverable to make judgments as to the quality and validity of the work product, as well as its compliance with the standards defined for deliverables of that class.

Deliverable class standards are defined in the software quality assurance section of the project plan. However, you should have an idea of the process so you know the stages of software development as you move through them throughout the project.

This way, you can manage expectations including your own and spot the red flags of each stage immediately. While every project is unique, the development process is always the same for every client we work with.

Every custom software project at RTS Labs is a partnership between our development team and our client. A common misconception among business owners is that the most important stage of software development involves the design and the code. Yes, good design and solid code are both extremely important. In our minds, the analysis stage is the most crucial step in software development.

The RTS Labs teams focus on this stage a lot, so we can get it right the first time. Beyond building something that is beautifully designed, user-friendly, and bug free, you need a tool that will actually produce a return on your investment.

During this crucial software development stage, we spend time learning your business processes, pain points, challenges, technical ecosystem and goals. Once that information is gathered, we validate goals and present you with a scope of work.

In the design phase, you and the development team determine what your software needs, how it will look, and what the timeline for development is going to be. This work will set up a nice foundation for the stages of software development that you have yet to work through. During this phase, development tasks will be broken down so the project can be built in pieces. Going piece by piece allows for time to review and hold feedback sessions to make sure that development is on the right track.

The way the process works at RTS Labs is we start small and build iteratively. The communication channels that have worked best with our clients over the years are progress meetings, tracking tools, and phone calls. Additional reading: More about the basics of the iterative model In-depth details, history, and best practices of the iterative model from an agile perspective.

In the early days of RTS Labs, working with clients taught us that software development goes better and you get a stronger product when you test and develop iteratively so that problems are found during the build. In this stage, we bring in a group of users to test the product and give us feedback. User testing is important because it helps uncover issues that may not be obvious to our developers.

First, your employees need to be taught how to use it and support it. Next, the new software is released to all users internal users, customers, partners, whomever your users may be. You need a plan for maintaining that software to ensure your data is properly governed, user training is completed as needed, and the software remains updated. Talk with your technology partner about creating a maintenance plan to ensure your software stays secure and up to date.

As a client, you should be involved in the entire process. In no scenario should you have a couple of initial meetings and then never speak to your developer again.