Software development can take several months or even years to complete. There are several steps that developers must complete before releasing a finalized product to the market.
Although every software program is unique, the general stages of development are the same. In this article, we will look at the key stages of software development that can’t be missed, including planning, analysis, design, agile testing, deployment, and development.
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Planning
The initial stage of software development is planning. Developers will spend time brainstorming innovative and creative ideas that the market has not yet seen. They will identify the main aims of the software program and create a general timeline detailing the rest of the software development life cycle (SDLC) and the release date.
During the planning stages, they may meet with the shareholders and investors of the software to allow for strong collaboration and communication.
Analysis
Once a detailed plan is in place, software developers can begin the analysis process. This stage involves gathering data about the target audience’s requirements, interests, preferences, and pain points.
Developers may analyze existing software programs to identify potential weaknesses or missing aspects that they can target with their upcoming software.
Design
Next, software developers move onto the design stage of the SDLC. As the name suggests, this step involves creating a visual design for the software program.
Software developers will work with designers to create prototypes that enable them to visualize how the final program might look. If the software developers aren’t keen on the final design, they can adjust certain elements of the design accordingly.
Development and Testing
After a design has been finalized, software developers can then move on to the program’s development and subsequenttesting.
First, they will begin coding and building the software application from scratch. Although this point will have completed several weeks or months of prior planning, the development process can be very time-consuming.
During development, software developers will produce several software modules and test each individually before combining them and running a further test of the software. The idea of agile testing the software is to identify bugs, errors, and weak points that can be ironed out before the final product is released to the market.
Deployment
The deployment step in the SDLC occurs when developers have completed the planning, analysis, design, coding, and testing stages. They will deploy the software by releasing it to a subset of target audiences, providing training and guidance along the way to help people learn how to use the software to its full potential.
As part of the deployment process, software developers may gather feedback from end users to identify which areas of the software they enjoy using and which elements they think could be improved.
Maintenance
Finally, once developers have deployed their new software and it’s available to the public, they need to continually maintain it. They’ll also need to regularly audit and update the software application according to consumer demands and market trends.
Software developers may add new modules or features, improve cybersecurity, or resolve weak points. Maintenance is just as important as software development and enables a software application to continue being successful and popular for years.
