Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)

Software Development Life Cycle Phases

SDLC planning activities generally cover high-level solution (or architecture) design as well as high-level sizing and complexity analysis activities. This gives the development team broad estimates to work from in subsequent phases. Keep in mind that this does not document or cover all possible SDLC variations and processes, but rather one model

The SDLC consists of the following phases:

SDLC Phases	Key Actvities
Phase 1: Plan the approach	Establish an initial view of the intended project and determine its goals. Plan the basic approach for the project and conduct a feasibility study
Phase 2: Analyze and refine including development of requirements	Refine the project goals identified in the planning phase and develop defined functions and specific requirements for the product
Phase 3: Design the architecture	System and software designs are prepared based on the requirements gathered. Design documentation will be used in support of the build phase
Phase 4: Build or develop the product	The product is developed based on the system and software design specifications. Design documentation is updated as necessary based on the product as-built.
Phase 5: Test the product including validation/ certification	The product is tested to validate that it functions as expected and that the requirements are satisfied. Product defects are reported, tracked, fixed, and re-tested until the product reaches the defined quality standards.
Phase 6: Implement or deploy the product	The product is delivered or deployed, and the system becomes operational and available to the end users
Phase 7: Maintenance & Operations where the product is maintained and updated	Changes or updates to the product after it has been delivered or deployed are undertaken, and support is provided to the end user population.