Exercise #16

 

What are SDLC Methodologies?

SDLC Methodologies are processes and practices used by software development teams in order to successfully navigate the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

We’re not just here to provide you with an exhaustive list of obscure SDLC methodologies. Instead, we’re going to set the record straight on SDLC Methodologies. On the web, you’ll find articles that will define and explain a long list of SDLC Methodologies and give a brief summary of each so you can “choose” which is best for your project. It seems simple and harmless enough, but this is not how SDLC methodologies are used in the professional software development world.

Most legacy SDLC methodologies aren’t even taught in University or bootcamp classrooms. Instead, today’s classes teach Agile frameworks like Scrum and Kanban. Despite this, SDLC methodologies have indeed evolved greatly over time, to the point where once-ubiquitous methodologies like Waterfall have become obsolete and irrelevant other than serving as the history that helps us understand the birth of Agile.

Today, the dominant SDLC methodology used by professional software organizations is Agile along with the many Agile frameworks like Scrum and Kanban that extend its principles beyond software development.
To understand the story of SDLC Methodologies, it is best to look at them chronologically. And while there are a number of methodologies that have been tried, all of them except the Agile family has fallen out of use today. You could even say we live in a Post-Agile world.

Benefits of the SDLC:

It’s very difficult to carry out a complex, team effort such as software development without some kind of plan. Each software development methodology (several will be detailed below) is a plan framework for how to develop software. There is much debate about which method is best overall, which is best suited to a particular type of software, and how to measure success in software development. One thing, however, is certain: any plan is better than no plan.

Without some kind of structured plan, software development teams tend to devolve into a “herd of cats.” Developers don’t know what they’re supposed to create. Project managers have no idea how much progress is made towards completion of a project. Without a plan, the business doesn’t even have a way to decide whether the final product meets their requirements.

A formally defined method for software development in the form of the SDLC achieves a number of benefits:

• A common vocabulary for each step
  
• Defined communication channels between development teams and stakeholders
  
• Clear roles and responsibilities among developers, designers, business analysts, and project managers
  
• Clearly-defined inputs and outputs from one step to the next
  
• A deterministic “definition of done” that can be used to confirm whether a step is truly complete

WHAT ARE THE SDLC STAGES?

SDLC stands for ‘software development life cycle’ – a process that many engineers and embedded systems businesses will be very familiar with. The purpose of the process is to streamline the steps that need to be taken to develop a new piece of software to help businesses and developers work as efficiently as possible whilst still producing high-quality work.

Following the different stages in SDLC is also the best way to measure, track and improve your software development process. A systematic approach means that it is easier to analyze which areas need improvement and measure how changes to your process affect overall productivity and software quality.

You might be new to software development, refreshing your memory or just want to better understand how this approach to developing software saves money, improves efficiency and increased quality. No matter your background, here’s our guide to the SDLC stages.

What tasks/activities of software development lifecycle:

SDLC (software development lifecycle) is the process that a software project follows and which consists of a detailed plan describing how to develop, maintain, replace, change or improve specific software. The lifecycle defines a methodology for improving software quality and the overall development process.

But what is SDLC in software practice? Basically, it is the implementation of go-to business practices for crafting tech solutions. As a result, teams produce high-quality software that meets or exceeds customer expectations. The SDLC also allows companies to perform a fine-grain analysis of each step, thus boosting efficiency and minimizing costs throughout the whole engineering process.

The SDLC is usually broken down into six steps: Analysis, Planning, Architecture Design, Development, Testing, and Maintenance.