Understanding the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) is not a software engineer’s headache alone! Rather, if you are a client looking to own any kind of software product for your business, SDLC is your cup of tea too. You as a software-owner have a pivotal and active role to play in the development process and cycle. So, let’s understand SDLC in its simplest form ever by scrolling down.
Step #1 Research The Problem, Plan a Solution!
Enterprise pc software development is a crucial part of the life of a company. Identify the core areas in your business operations that require digital transformation. Research well the areas of work that a software tool may automate. Accordingly, prepare a report and share it with a trustworthy custom software development company.
They will guide you in choosing the right kind of software solution. The research part also includes researching on the existing software solutions that seem fit. For example, there are multiple HRMs, and sales automation and marketing software that pre-exist. Check their pricing, features and functions as well. It will help get a clear idea of what do you need.
A noteworthy point here is that as the same shoe doesn’t fit all, so does a software product. Therefore, the pre-existing software tools may or may not fit you. If they do, then great! Lest you should opt for custom software development for better results.
Step #2 Hunt for The Right Software Developers
Next, you need a reliable software development company for customised and personalised software tools. So, after finalising the software product type, its scale, and your budget, start hunting for software development companies. Follow these steps:
- Google search for custom software development companies.
- Check the websites of as many companies as possible and explore their services.
- Also, visit their About Us section and check their years of experience.
- Afterwards, whichever companies impress you, make a list of at least 15-20 of such companies.
- Then, take your time and check their social media pages. See what their followers say about them. Sometimes, you will also find client testimonials in the comment sections.
- Similarly, check for their reviews and ratings on Google and professional platforms like Ambition Box, Goodfirms and Clutch. This too will give a definite picture of their perform quality.
Then, whichever top 5-6 companies succeed in impressing you, connect with them via audio call, video conference or if possible, in person. Share your requirements and budget with each company and figure out which one appears more confident, just and skilful. Only after thorough research, take the final decision.
Step #3 Take an Active Role in Software Prototyping
As soon as you finalise the team of software developers, now its time to play an active role in the Software Development Life Cycle. The SDLC begins with research and then the prototyping phase follows.
As you have already researched the market, your internal business problems, and relevant software products. Now you need to develop an ideation for the final software product.
Stay with the staff of pc software engineers, front-end designers and graphic developing staff. At this stage, you have to give a clear idea of the resources of the business operations you would like to automate.
Also, you have to finalise the look and feel of the software product. So, discuss the colour theme, features, functions, animations, content and UI/UX design of the software. Make sure that the software design resonates with your business branding for a more personalised feel.
Step #4 Finalise the Design or Iterate if Necessary
After the step above, the graphic designing team will develop a Figma design of the final software product. A Figma Design or prototype is like a photograph or 2D model of the software product. It gives a vision or rather a clear idea about how the software will look after the end of development.
Figma style is the absolute most crucial step in the application development process. A Software development project without Figma design, especially in the case of custom software is like trying to find a path without a map! Therefore, be very alert during the Figma designing phase.
Check the design carefully and iterate if needed. If you need any changes, ask the designer team then and there. As soon as you finalise the software prototype, the development will begin.
Step #5 Take Regular Follow-Ups
In the software development life cycle, after the completion of prototyping, the development team begins the coding and programming of the software. However, as here we are discussing SDLC for the client side, remember that your role does not end after Figma finalisation.
However, out of courtesy, the software development company might ask you to sit back and relax. But, you have to take an active part still though. Ask the company to arrange weekly reporting meetings with the software developers.
If you leave the project management in the hands of the development team altogether, it might make them careless and may result in delays. On the contrary, taking weekly progress reports from them keeps the sense of responsibility and answerability alive. This way, you can have better control of your project.
Step #6 Participate in Beta Testing
Soon the phase will come when the coding, programming and front-end designing of the software will come to completion. Victorious though, completion of development is still not the end of your journey. Rather, checking whether the final software product passes the quality standards must be your next concern.
The aim of digital transformation is to simplify and speed up the business operations. This reduces the workload of the employees and lets them focus on other more important tasks such as problem-solving, analysing, and decision-making.
However, if the software is glitchy and malfunctioning, it rather increases the stress, frustration and workload on the one hand. On the other hand, it slows down the speed of operations.
To combat this issue, Expert software developers advise not to implement a software product hastily in the organization, department or target market. Rather, Beta Testing is the key.
Beta Testing is one of the pivotal Software Development Life Cycle phases. With Beta Testing phase, you can first implement the software at a much smaller (sample population) scale to test its functioning. Once, the performance seems satisfactory, start software implementation on the target audience. This technique surely reduces the chances of errors and saves business reputation.
If any glitches appear in the software during the Beta Testing phase, the owner may ask the software development team to rectify the same at the earliest and check for other relevant issues as well. This saves time and optimises the cost of software development.
Step #7 Get Ready for A Pompous Launch
Are you fully satisfied with the software quality and feel ready for the implementation phase? Go ahead and start it now. However, the implementation phase must have the scaffolding of ‘marketing’. Marketing techniques will depend upon the kind of software you are about to launch.
Let’s quickly understand the definition and major types of software for further clarity.
What is ‘software’ exactly?
Like the hardware of a computer includes every tangible to its user such as the screen, keypad, mouse, trackpad, CPU, speakers etc., the software part includes everything intangible.
Programs and applications that you use in any smart device such as a laptop, desktop, mobile phone, tablet, MacBook, iPad etc all come under the category of Software.
However, software is a much broader term that also covers mobile applications, desktop applications, and many more. Let us learn more types within the next section.
4 Major Types of Software Products
Primarily, you will find 6 kinds of software packages:
1. Operating Systems
Operating systems like Windows, Linux, MacOS, iOS and Android are Operating Systems, software types that serve as a running platform for other software programs like websites and apps. Simply put, computer software development focused on Operating Systems.
2. Mobile Apps
Mobile phone applications like Phonebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Gaming Apps are also a type of software. Therefore mobile app development also comes under the software development category. As a result, a professional mobile app development company will also share the project methodology with the client. Choose accordingly!
3. Desktop Apps
Programs that you use on your desktop or laptop like MS Word, Excel, Google Chrome, Paint etc.
4. Enterprise Software
Applications built and designed for enterprises for business process automation such as Human Resource Management Software, Accounting Software, Salesforce, Customer Relation Management Systems etc. come under the category of enterprise software.
5. Websites & Web Apps
Even websites and web applications come under the category of software products. Say, for example, E-commerce websites like Amazon that offer an app-like experience over a browser, Uber and any other kind of websites are also software.
6. Cross-Platform & Hybrid Apps
Applications and programs with a single codebase that you can use across different devices like iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, MacOS etc. are cross-platform and hybrid software applications.
Step #8 Stay Aware of Maintenance
Next comes software maintenance. As society is dynamic in nature and technology is ever-evolving, nothing is permanent. Resultantly, a software program once coded cannot remain the same.
Rather, it will require routine checkups, updates, upgrades, introduction of new features and sometimes also a revamp or minor redesign to stay competitive.
Software maintenance is compulsory for every kind of software product. You as the client will continue to have an active role in the software development lifecycle.
However, at this part, you will need to stay alert and as soon as the development team notifies you of the software update, the installation will be your part. Like you update your mobile software!
Advance-Level Tip: Have A Clear Understanding of SDLC Types
Let’s give you an advanced-level tip. If you wish to take an active and smart part in the SDLC, you must know the types of software development lifecycles. The software development process has different approaches.
Having knowledge of SDLC approaches will help the client choose the right one for his/her project at his/her convenience. So, have a look at the following approaches and discuss them with the software development team to choose the right one.
1. Waterfall
Waterfall methodology is the most common type among the development teams. In this approach, the team members follow a systematic and traditional software development process. In the Waterfall method, the developer for software codes t first.
Then, after making the complete software product, the testing phase arrives. It is a simple process like taking measurements and then making a dress for someone.
Afterwards, the product owner checks the fitting of the dress and then provides feedback. Then, the tailor makes the correction.
Similarly, in waterfall methodology, the software product owner would first explain the requirements, and then the development team would work on it. After its completion, the software will be tested and Feedback loops will start.
2. Agile
Agile pc software progress method is the newer and fresher approach to development. It focuses more on precision and perfection. In agile software development, the engineering team codes a software program in small portions one by one.
An agile teams break the software development phase into small portions like a puzzle game. Then, the team develops each puzzle piece with thorough testing. After each piece is made, they combine them into one perfect picture.
One of the biggest benefits of agile development is that feedback loops occur regularly unlike the case of the waterfall method when testing comes to an end. In agile methodology, the testing goes hand-in-hand with the development phase. So, if your software is large-scale software, then choose agile development.
3. V-Model
The model of software development is almost similar to agile methodology. However, the V-model is more useful in the case of large-scale software development. V-model dwells upon ultimate SDLC planning. In this case, the software developer would plan not only the development but also the testing phase.
Furthermore, the V-model is more rigid due to its linearity. It follows sequential development like the waterfall method. Therefore, testing goes parallel to development. Unlike, in agile development, flexibility rules. So, choose the V-Model of development if you are highly confident of the development team.
4. Spiral
Next comes the spiral method of software development. The spiral method is the more flexible and rough technique of software development. In the case of spiral software development, the software engineers develop software in repetitive cycles.
First, a rough version of the software product comes, and then new features are added one by one. The testing goes continuously like a never-ending spiral ring. Startups may opt for a spiral software development approach and collect continuous feedback from the users.
5. Iterative
As the name suggests, an iterative approach to software development emphasises continuous updates (iterations). Similar to the spiral software development approach, the iterative approach also requires the software developers to make a base software product and then keep on adding new features.
However, the spiral differs from the iterative approach as the former emphasises risk mitigation and the latter emphasises incremental development. So, an iterative approach to software development is suitable for those startups who would like to launch their app-based startup.
They may start with some limited features, and then add more advanced features at the later stages. On the contrary, in the case of spiral development, a rough version of the software comes to the market first, and then the engineers will refine it further. Hope you can spot and understand the difference.
6. DevOps
DevOps is the latest approach to the software development life cycle. As the name might be suggestive, in this case, the team of software developers and the operations team work closely in collaboration.
Both developers and the operations team will define the software requirements together and then will work on it. Say, for example, an E-commerce web app! Order management and delivery partners are two different types of operations teams. Now, the team members can put forward their expectations and requirements from the E-commerce web app.
Let’s say, the order management team might need real-time push notifications on order placement. Likewise, the delivery partners might need map integration for hassle-free pickup and delivery. Resultantly, the development team will be bound to deliver both kinds of features. This is how the DevOps method works!
The biggest advantage of the DevOps approach to software development is that the development team gets well-defined requirements for the project. As a result, a better product comes out in the market.
Final Thoughts
Knowing the different approaches in SDLC can help the software product owner analyse which approach is more suitable for his time, budget and requirements. Additionally, when it comes to software development life cycle phases, the owner must understand that he/she has a pivotal and active role throughout the development and testing phases. Leaving the project altogether in the hands of the company’s project manager might invite carelessness in the development phase and in the attitudes of the developers. Therefore, take an active role throughout the SDLC and get the most wanted results! Follow the roadmap explained above and get a better control as client over the software development process.
FAQs
1. What Is Software Development Kit?
Software Development Kit (SDK) is another type of software meant for software engineers. The team of software engineers require a platform where they can find all the tools relevant to software development and testing. For example, programming languages, code libraries, documentation, development frameworks etc. all are part of SDK. Some popular SDKs are Android SDK and iOS SDK.
2. What Is Bespoke Software Development? Is It Good For Me?
Bespoke pc software development is also known as custom computer software progress. When you as a wanna-be software product owner approach a software development company for a personalised and customised software product that resonates with your branding and ideation, it becomes bespoke or custom software development. Say, for example, you need a mobile app that looks just like your business website but performs advanced e-commerce features as well. In this case, you will need bespoke software development. Uber, Amazon, Deliveroo and TikTok all are examples of bespoke software development. Their owners had a unique idea that came to digital life with bespoke software development.
3. Agile Vs Waterfall Software Development, Which is Better?
Both agile as well as waterfall methodologies for software development have their own pros and cons. However, the suitability depends upon your budget, project scale, requirements, availability of duration and availability of resources. While agile software development offers more flexibility and scope for risk mitigation in the early phase, the waterfall method offers systematic and faster development. However, agile methodology may be time, effort and resource-consuming, waterfall methodology can be pocket-friendly, faster and less resource-consuming.
4. How Much Does It Cost To Create a Software in the UK?
Software development cost in the UK depends upon the software’s complexity. The higher the number of features, functions, customisations, API integration and animations, the higher the cost. However, on an estimate software development costs in the UK may range anywhere between £500 and £70,000. The choice of software development company also affects the cost indirectly. Higher the brand name, the higher the cost of development.