What are the 5 stages of SDLC?

The 5 stages of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) provide a more streamlined version of the process for building and delivering software. These stages focus on the essential activities involved in creating software from the initial concept to the final product, emphasizing efficient development and deployment.

1. Planning and Requirements Analysis

This stage focuses on identifying the project’s objectives, gathering requirements, and conducting a feasibility analysis. It’s the foundation of the software development process, helping the team understand what needs to be built and how.

Key Activities:

• Define project scope and objectives.
• Gather and document requirements (both functional and non-functional).
• Perform risk analysis and feasibility study.
• Establish a high-level project plan, including timeline and resources.

Output: Requirements documentation and project plan.

2. Design

The design stage involves creating the blueprint for the software system, where developers and architects determine how the system will meet the requirements outlined in the first stage. This includes both high-level design (HLD) for the overall architecture and low-level design (LLD) for specific components.

Key Activities:

• Design the overall system architecture (e.g., client-server, database schema).
• Break down the system into components and define their interactions.
• Create data flow diagrams, database designs, and user interfaces.
• Plan API and module-level designs.

Output: System architecture, design documents, and detailed component specifications.

3. Development

In this phase, the design is translated into actual code. Developers write and integrate the code to build the components, modules, and interfaces as defined in the design documents.

Key Activities:

• Write code for system components and modules.
• Implement user interfaces and backend logic.
• Perform initial code integration to ensure components work together.
• Maintain version control to track changes.

Output: Functional code that is ready for testing.

4. Testing

After development, the system is tested to ensure that it works according to the requirements. This stage involves identifying and fixing bugs, verifying functionality, and ensuring that the software performs as expected under different conditions.

Key Activities:

• Conduct unit tests, integration tests, and system tests.
• Perform user acceptance testing (UAT) to ensure the system meets user needs.
• Identify and fix any bugs or defects found during testing.
• Validate non-functional requirements like performance and security.

Output: Bug-free, fully functional software.

5. Deployment and Maintenance

In this final stage, the software is deployed to the live production environment, where it becomes accessible to end-users. Once deployed, the software enters the maintenance phase, which involves monitoring its performance and fixing issues or updating features as required.

Output: Deployed software and continuous maintenance to ensure stability.

Key Activities:

• Deploy the system to the production environment.
• Perform post-deployment testing to verify proper functionality.
• Monitor system performance and user feedback.
• Provide ongoing support, bug fixes, and feature updates as needed.

Summary of the 5 Stages of SDLC:

1. Planning and Requirements Analysis – Define the scope and gather the software requirements.
2. Design – Create the system’s architecture and detailed design for components.
3. Development – Write and integrate the code based on the design.
4. Testing – Test the system to identify bugs and ensure it meets the requirements.
5. Deployment and Maintenance – Deploy the system to production and provide ongoing support and updates.

Conclusion

The 5 stages of SDLC provide a simplified but comprehensive approach to building and delivering software, focusing on planning, design, development, testing, and maintenance. This structure ensures that software is developed efficiently and meets user requirements while allowing for continuous improvement through maintenance and updates.