Software Development Life Cycle: Basic Steps to Strong Product

[thomas123]

Software development is an intricate process that requires a lot of planning, implementation and testing. You can not develop perfect software with full functionality unless it passes all the tests and quality analysis. The software development life cycle (SDLC) is a pre-set framework that is used by all software development companies for through understanding and developing effective information systems and software.
1. Feasibility
2. Requirement Analysis and Design
3. Code generation and Implementation
4. Testing and Quality Assurance
5. Maintenance and Support
Each and every stage of SDLC carries its own importance and plays a key role in success of any software development project.

[WingedPanther]

With that said, there is a world of difference between what classes teach you this should look like and how it can appear in the real world.

1) Feasibility is often determined by how much money was waved in front of a sales agents eyes. A project can easily start with a signed contract appearing on a developer's desk.

2) Requirement Analysis and Design cannot happen strictly after the Feasibility is determined. If you don't know the details, you cannot know what's possible.

4) Testing and QA varies from company to company. I've seen testing vary from rigorous pounding, to detailed understanding of the code and probing of boundary conditions, to a developer asserting that "It worked on my computer!"

5) Maintenance and Support is an easy place to sink most of your operating budget, if you haven't spent time and energy on the first 4 steps.

The reality is that this process describes a certain reality of how things fall out. I had the same thing happen when I was building a StarCraft map. I was sure I could make a map where characters advance through 5 "levels" (1 done). I then decided on a few characters and slapped a map together (2 and 3 kind of done in a blur). After each character was coded I played the map (4 done). I then went through a few revisions for balance (5). Overall, I had a lot of fun making a mediocre map that had boring terrain but some interesting heros.

[Chinmoy]

Hey, winged panther you are a wiki on this! I wonder what you do in real life!? Do you work with a firm?

[WingedPanther]

I work for a software company as a programmer/database migrator. I've seen a variety of good and bad practices in both software and non-software companies.

[c0delicious]

Testing and QA varies from company to company. I've seen testing vary from rigorous pounding, to detailed understanding of the code and probing of boundary conditions, to a developer asserting that "It worked on my computer!"

very true!! hahahahahaha

[jazz1122]

Early selection of an appropriate Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) model is not only helpful to estimate the project in better way but also facilitates to identify the critical path and manages the project activities in an appropriate manner.