Software product development leads to lucrative new business solutions for the companies that can finish development. There is a process for this called the software product development life cycle. Each step moves the team closer to completing the product in a way that eliminates problems and promotes efficient progress. Here are the seven steps of an effective software product development life cycle.
1. Planning
The planning phase makes sure to get all of the details aligned so that all project team members know what is to be accomplished. The software product development life cycle focuses on determining the requirements, finding a viable solution, designing the concept, putting together a plan for execution, to create a prototype and analyzing how well it functioned along with its defects. The software product development life cycle tools are used to record all of the information during each phase.
2. Idea Validation and Prep
Before actual development begins, the product idea is validated and a solution is created. This involves writing a functional specification document, issuing a RFP to vendors, preparing a development plan and analyzing the cost of resources. In the software product development life cycle professionals have to perform market research, have quality assurance testing performed at various intervals and have user acceptance testing done by its target audience.
3. Systems Design
During the Systems Design phase, the system’s components are determined, along with its interface devices. The functionality is designed with modules that are joined by interfaces. The software product development life cycle professionals put together simulations for testing, create a detailed work breakdown structure and develop test cases.
4. Development
The development phase has the software product development life cycle team doing all of the actual creation of the product. This involves coding all of the software components for the system. It is often the most extensive part of the process since it can require re-planning and adjustments if things don’t work out. When possible, automation and frameworks can be used to speed up production.
5. Testing and Repairs
Testing ensures that the product is ready for release. The software product development life cycle includes fixing all of the defects before releasing the completed product. Experts test the software in real-world scenarios to find problems for the team to fix. This is being increasingly done by automation tools and AI robots.
6. Launch and Support
Once completed, the product is launched. Users are on-boarded and can use the system as needed. During this time, a team provides technical support to keep things running smoothly. They also collect information about potential problems and feedback from users so that they can improve the software with updates.
7. Management and Incremental Development
Once launched, teams manage the product by providing support and finding ways to improve it. By collecting data from users, they can plan updates or plan new features for a next generation version of the product. This continues until the product is retired.
In many cases, this leads to a repeat of the cycle with an updated version of the system. Using the collected data, the cycle starts over from the beginning. This allows developers to make major improvements without having to find ways of making them work in the current system. The result is often a new product with much of the same functionality, but with new features built in.
Get Support for Your Development Team
One of the things that makes software development so powerful is that companies can leverage the expertise of multiple teams to achieve their goals. Your software development team does not have to work on a project alone. They can get help from support teams at Kitelytech. We work with companies to develop technology and grow their businesses. Contact KitelyTech at (800) 274 2908 to discuss how we can help your team with your next project.
