Streamlining Business Success – The Key Phases of the Software Development Process

The software development process is complex and intricate and involves various stages. As a business owner, it’s essential that you have a good understanding of – and approach to – software development to ensure success for your company. In fact, only 31% of software projects are successful, which highlights just how important it is for you and your team to follow a clear-cut software development process. 

To help keep you from being a part of the 69% of projects that don’t succeed, we’re going to walk you through the software development process, some goals and objectives to keep in mind, the methodologies used, and the steps involved in software development. With a deeper understanding of the system and phases involved, you can feel confident before starting your next software project. So, let’s get started!

What is the Software Development Process?

The software development process encompasses all of the activities and procedures that are followed in order for developers to design, develop, and maintain software applications. By following a structured approach, organizations can create high-quality software products while keeping risks and delays at bay. The software development process steps include planning, requirement analysis, system design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. 

The Importance of Software Development Processes 

For a software project to be successful, the software development processes are crucial because they provide a plan for project management. When developers are able to follow a precise process, they help ensure a quality product for the company. Software development processes provide a framework for managing the entire software development life cycle, from conception to deployment and beyond. With planning and strategies in place, organizations can manage project scope, predict and manage risks, ensure timely delivery, and enhance collaboration and communication among team members. 

The Difference Between Software Development Processes and Software Development Life Cycles 

The terms software development process and software development life cycle (SDLC) might be used interchangeably, but they aren’t the same. For example, the software development process includes all of the activities and phases that are necessary to develop software. Stages of the agile software development life cycle relate to the distinct phases through which a software project advances. In other words, SDLC is a well-defined framework within the broader software development process and serves as a structured guide for effectively managing the development of software solutions.

What are the Goals and Objectives of a Software Development Process? 

There are numerous goals and objectives of the software development process. Let’s take a closer look at what those are:
 

Ensuring Product Quality 

Of course, a quality product is one of the main goals of any software development project. One of the best ways of ensuring this is achieved is by following a systematic approach so that your organization (and developers you work with) can stay on top of any issues or defects that arise early on. To do this, be sure the software is thoroughly tested throughout the process and that quality assurance measures are in place. 

Managing Project Scope and Preventing Scope Creep 

Another important goal of the development process is to manage project scope and prevent scope creep. Scope creep occurs when project requirements undergo significant expansion or change throughout the process. For example, project boundaries tend to extend beyond what was initially planned which can lead to increased costs, delays, and inefficiencies. But, with a clear project scope and realistic expectations you can help minimize these risks to keep the project on track. 

Predicting and Managing Risks 

Risk management is vital to software development. Some of the most popular risks associated with global software development can typically be grouped into time, costs, and resources (or a combination of these). 

But, by coming up with strategies to mitigate threats like these through conducting risk assessments, and implementing monitoring, evaluating and management plans early on, you’ll be able to identify potential risks and uncertainties throughout the development process. 

Ensuring Timely Delivery 

Timely delivery is another key aspect of software development. In order to make sure your project is launched on time; you’ll want to follow a structured approach that outlines project timelines and milestones to confirm along the way that the work is on track. This includes effective project planning, resource allocation, and monitoring of project progress. 

While a structured approach is key, the need for effective project management, team expertise, and being able to balance scope, cost, and time constraints is just as important to ensure timely delivery of a software project. 

Enhancing Collaboration and Communication Among Team Members 

With effective collaboration and communication, teams can be extremely successful in delivering high-quality software products. To maintain clear communication and collaboration, you should provide clear roles and responsibilities from the get-go to help foster a healthy work environment.

Software Development Methodologies 

There are various software development methodologies that you can choose from. Based on the scope of your project and its requirements, developers will choose between the more popular models like Agile, Waterfall, Scrum, or Lean. In fact, Agile has become such a widely used model that, according to a survey conducted in early 2018, an overwhelming majority of respondents (91%) indicated that they had embraced an agile software development process. 

Each of the software development methodologies has its own advantages and disadvantages, so we advise you to work closely with developers to carefully evaluate your needs to choose the one that makes the most sense for your project.

Standard Software Development Process Steps as Framed by the SDLC 

Now, let’s take a closer look at the software development process steps developers typically follow to ensure a systematic and organized approach to building and maintaining applications. The routine phases include: 

Planning 

The planning phase involves:

• Recognizing the need for a new application or system and identifying the problem that it would solve. 
• Conducting a feasibility study to determine project viability and gathering requirements after interviewing stakeholders.
• Creating a detailed requirement specification document that outlines the system’s objectives, functionalities, and constraints. 

System Design 

The system design phase involves:

• Developing a high-level design of the system and determining the specific software and hardware components needed.
  
• Breaking down the architectural design into modules and defining how they interact.
  
• Creating design patterns, pseudo-codes, flowcharts, and data models. 

Implementation (or Coding) 

The implementation phase focuses on:

• Setting up the development environment, including tools and technologies. 
• Writing code based on the detailed design.
• Reviewing the code to ensure optimization and that it obeys coding standards. 

Testing 

Testing is a vital step in the software development process and includes:

• Unit testing of individual parts or components of the software.
• Integration testing of the interactions between integrated units, system testing, which tests the software as a whole system.
• User acceptance testing (UAT), which ensures that the software meets user requirements and expectations.
  
• Fixing bugs after defects and issues arise during testing. 

Deployment 

The deployment phase involves:

• Preparing the environment where the software will run, including servers, databases, and configurations.
  
• Launching the software for users. This can be done in stages, such as beta releases, or by using blue-green or canary deployment strategies. 

Maintenance and Post-Deployment 

After deployment, the software then needs continuous maintenance, which includes:

• Regular updates, bug fixes, and patches.
  
• Adaptive maintenance involves making changes based on shifts in the environment.
  
• Perfective maintenance focuses on enhancements to improve performance or maintainability.
• Preventive maintenance involves updates to prevent future issues or refactor code.
• Iterative feedback and evolution are essential, which involves monitoring software performance and usage, gathering user feedback, analyzing it, and making improvements based on feedback and monitoring data. 

Evaluating and Improving Processes 

For optimal success, your project should continue to be evaluated and improved on. You can do this by:

• Regularly assessing processes and identifying areas for improvement. 
• Evaluating process metrics using feedback loops, and postmortem reviews.
• Gathering data and feedback by pinpointing bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas that require improvement.
• Implementing continuous improvement strategies by implementing best practices, using new technologies, and fostering a culture of innovation. 

Final Thoughts 

Following the software development process is important if you want to build a successful application. By adhering to a structured approach and best practices, you can streamline your development process and ensure a quality product reaches the market. But, to stay competitive don’t forget to continuously improve and evaluate your product to ensure your stakeholders have an outstanding product. By doing these things, you’ll be able to unlock your company’s full potential and achieve great success.

If you’re embarking on a new project or seeking to refine your development processes, consider leveraging our software development consulting services. With a team of experienced developers, we can help guide your project to success, ensuring you deliver high-quality software products that meet your needs and exceed expectations.