What Is SDLC? Benefits, Phases, Plans + BEST Tools

Wondering what SDLC is and how you can use it?

You’re on the right page.

In this article, you will find everything you need to understand, implement, and optimize your software development processes. We’ll discuss:

• Each SDLC phase with step-by-step plans
• Insider, actionable SDLC best practices to streamline your processes and avoid common pitfalls.
• Essential tools that can make your SDLC plan more efficient 
• How AI and automation can revolutionize your software development

Let’s dive in.

What Is SDLC?

SDLC, or Software Development Life Cycle, is a structured approach to software development. This approach outlines the steps to create high-quality software, from initial planning to maintenance. 

Following this process usually helps the software meet customer expectations and project requirements. 

That’s why each phase is essential for producing a reliable software product. 

That brings us to the next point:

5 Benefits of SDLC

The SDLC framework significantly benefits your software development projects. We’ll analyze precisely why SDLC is crucial and how you can maximize each benefit.

1. Structured Approach

SDLC means having a detailed plan for your development process. This structured approach helps you manage complex projects because it breaks them down into manageable stages.

That’s how you reduce potential risks and ensure each phase is completed thoroughly.

Insider Tip: In our company, our teams have ownership and responsibility from development to deployment. We recommend that you involve stakeholders from development, testing, and project management to decide the next features to prioritize. Regularly seek their feedback on what you built and their insights on market and customer needs. This approach is great for quality assurance because you get continuous feedback on which you can base your improvements. More importantly, it prevents costly rework.

2. Improved Software Quality

SDLC entails continuous integration and automated testing. As such, this framework enhances software quality and code quality. Basically, your software product will be reliable, meet customer requirements, and perform well in the production environment.

Insider Tip: Implement a test-driven development (TDD) approach where developers write unit tests before development begins. That way, your code will be developed with testing in mind, so you’ll have higher-quality software with fewer bugs from the start.

3. Cost Efficiency

An SDLC approach lowers project costs. That’s because the process includes thorough planning and cost estimates. Therefore, you can stay within budget without compromising on quality.

Insider Tip: Use a dedicated cost management tool that integrates with your project management software. Examples of such tools include Microsoft Project, Trello with cost tracking plugins, or Monday.com. These tools help you track expenses in real time and provide early warnings if the project starts to deviate from the budget so you can make timely adjustments.

4. Better Risk Management

SDLC involves rigorous risk analysis and management at each stage. This proactive approach helps you identify and mitigate potential issues early. This leads to a smoother development process and fewer surprises.

Insider Tip: Establish a cross-functional risk committee that meets quarterly to review risk assessments and mitigation strategies. Involve key personnel from various departments to ensure comprehensive coverage and foster a culture of proactive risk management.

5. Enhanced Customer Satisfaction

A solid SDLC approach ensures that your software solution meets customer expectations. This leads to higher customer satisfaction because your final product is aligned with their needs and delivers a superior user experience.

Insider Tip: Regularly involve customers in the review process, especially during the planning and testing phases. Use feedback loops to make iterative improvements based on their input.

7 SDLC Phases + How to Tackle Them

We’ve been explaining that SDLC consists of different phases. In this section, we’ll explain what each phase entails and how to conduct it step by step.

Side note: Different sources cite varying numbers of SDLC phases, ranging from five to eight. Some stop at deployment, while others include operation and monitoring. The key is to adapt this plan to fit your team’s unique needs and workflows and to support your project requirements.

1. Planning Phase

The planning phase is the foundation of the Software Development Life Cycle approach. This is where you define the project requirements, scope, and objectives. Plus, you’ll be gathering business requirements, understanding the customer’s needs, and setting clear goals. This phase also includes initial cost estimates, time frames, and risk analysis.

How to conduct it step-by-step:

1. Requirement gathering: Collaborate with stakeholders, including customers, to gather detailed project requirements. This can involve interviews, surveys, and reviewing existing documentation.
2. Feasibility study: Analyze the gathered requirements to assess the project’s viability. Remember to include technical, operational, and economic feasibility.
3. Define objectives: Clearly define the project’s objectives and what you aim to achieve. All this should align with your business goals and your customers’ expectations.
4. Scope definition: Outline the project’s scale and exclude unnecessary items. This way, you’ll manage project boundaries and avoid scope creep.
5. Initial planning: Develop a high-level project plan that includes cost estimates, time frames, resource allocation, and potential risks. This plan serves as a roadmap for the entire project.

Insider Tip: Use collaborative tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Trello to involve all stakeholders in the planning stage. That’s how you reduce potential issues later. 

2. Design Phase

The design phase involves creating your software system’s architecture. In this phase, you’ll translate the detailed requirements from the planning phase into a blueprint for constructing the software.

How to conduct it step-by-step:

1. High-level design (HLD): Develop a high-level design that outlines the system architecture, major components, and their interactions. This includes the software’s structure and how it will meet the specified requirements.
2. Detailed design (DD): Create detailed design specifications for each component identified in the high-level design. This includes detailed algorithms, data structures, and flowcharts.
3. User interface design: Design the user interface (UI) to ensure it’s intuitive and meets user experience (UX) standards. This involves creating wireframes and mockups.
4. Review and validate: Conduct design reviews with the development team and stakeholders to ensure that the design meets all requirements and is feasible for implementation. Make necessary adjustments based on feedback.

Insider Tip: Involve both software developers and end users in design reviews. Developers can provide insights into technical feasibility, while end-users can ensure the design meets their needs and expectations. This collaborative approach leads to a more user-friendly design.

3. Development Phase

The development phase is where the actual coding of the software takes place. In this phase, you transform the design specifications into functional software. This phase requires careful management because you want your code to be developed efficiently and meet the design requirements.

How to conduct it step-by-step:

1. Setup development environment: Prepare the development environment by setting up the necessary hardware, software, and tools that the development team will use.
2. Coding: Developers start writing code according to the detailed design specifications. This involves implementing features, functions, and user interfaces.
3. Continuous Integration: Implement continuous integration practices to merge code changes regularly into a central repository. Automated testing is often used to identify and fix integration issues early.
4. Code reviews and quality checks: Conduct regular code reviews to ensure code quality and adherence to coding standards. This helps in maintaining high code quality and identifying potential issues early.

Insider Tip: Encourage pair programming, where two developers work together on the same code. This practice not only improves code quality through continuous review but also facilitates knowledge sharing and faster problem-solving.

4. Testing Phase

During the testing phase, your team will check that the software meets all specified requirements. Plus, they can sleuth out any defects or issues. This phase ensures the quality and reliability of your software before it’s deployed to users.

How to conduct it step-by-step:

1. Develop test cases: Create comprehensive test cases based on the requirements and design documents. These should cover all functionalities, edge cases, and potential user scenarios.
2. Unit testing: Conduct unit tests to verify that individual components function correctly. Developers typically perform these tests during the development phase, too.
3. Integration testing: Perform integration testing to ensure that different modules and components work together as expected.
4. System testing: Execute system testing to validate the software’s functionality, performance, and security in an environment that simulates real-world usage.
5. User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Engage end users to perform UAT and ensure your software meets their needs.

Insider Tip: Implement automated testing tools such as Selenium, JUnit, and TestNG to streamline repetitive tests and catch defects early. Automated tests can run continuously and provide quick feedback, speeding the testing process significantly.

5. Deployment Phase

The deployment phase involves releasing the software to the production environment where it will be accessible to end users. This phase includes all activities necessary to make the software operational.

How to conduct it step-by-step:

1. Prepare deployment plan: Develop a detailed deployment plan that outlines the steps for releasing the software, including rollback procedures in case of issues.
2. Set up the production environment: Configure the production environment to match the specifications needed for the software to run efficiently and securely.
3. Deploy software: Install and configure the software in the production environment. This may involve migrating data and performing final system checks.
4. Monitor deployment: Closely monitor the deployment process to identify and address any issues promptly.

Insider Tip: Conduct a pilot deployment with a small user group before a full-scale release. This approach allows you to identify and resolve any issues in a controlled environment, reducing the risk of widespread problems during the full deployment.

6. Maintenance Phase

The Maintenance Phase involves ongoing support and updates for the software. Your team will have to ensure the software continues to function correctly and remains relevant. 

How to conduct it step-by-step:

1. Monitor performance: Continuously monitor your software’s performance and user feedback to identify areas for improvement.
2. Fix bugs: Address any defects or issues as users report them or as you find them through monitoring tools.
3. Implement updates: Plan to release regular updates to add new features, improve performance, and ensure compatibility with new technologies.
4. Provide support: Offer technical support so people can resolve any issues and have a positive user experience.

Insider Tip: Set up a dedicated maintenance team responsible for monitoring and updating the software. This team should work closely with the support team to ensure user-reported issues are quickly addressed and resolved.

7. Evaluation Phase

The evaluation phase is the final phase, when the entire project is reviewed to assess its success and identify lessons learned. This phase will help you improve future projects.

How to conduct it step-by-step:

1. Conduct a post-project analysis: Hold a meeting with the development team and stakeholders to review the project’s outcomes, challenges, and successes.
2. Gather feedback: Collect feedback from all involved parties, including developers, testers, and users, to understand their perspectives on what went well and what could be improved.
3. Document lessons learned: Compile a document detailing the lessons learned throughout the project. This should include best practices, pitfalls to avoid, and recommendations for future projects.
4. Refine processes: Use the insights gained from the evaluation to refine and improve your development processes and methodologies.

Insider Tip: Create a knowledge repository where you store all lessons learned, best practices, and project documentation. This resource will be invaluable for new team members because it will help you implement continuous improvements across all your other projects.

SDLC Models

So, now you know how the SDLC approach works in principle. However, there are different models you can use.

Waterfall Model

The Waterfall model is a linear and sequential approach to software development. Each phase must be completed before the next one begins, so there is no overlapping or iterative process.

Pros:

• Simplicity: The Waterfall model is straightforward, so it’s easy to understand and manage.
• Clear documentation: Each phase has specific deliverables and a clear review process, which ensures thorough documentation.
• Structured approach: This is a sequential model, so it has a very structured approach to project management.

Cons:

• Inflexibility: Changes are difficult to implement once a phase is completed.
• Risk of delays: A setback in any phase can cause significant project delays.
• Late testing: Testing is done late in the development process, which can lead to high costs for fixing issues.

Agile Model

The Agile model is based on iterative development and flexibility. Here, you’ll break down the project into small, manageable units called sprints. These sprints are great for continuous feedback, and improvements based on that feedback.

Pros:

• Flexibility: Agile can quickly adapt to changes in project requirements or customer expectations.
• Continuous delivery: Regular sprints ensure continuous delivery of high-quality software.
• Customer collaboration: You’ll have frequent interactions with your customers so your software meets their needs.

Cons:

• Resource intensive: Agile requires significant collaboration and time from all team members.
• Scope creep: Without strict management, the project scope can expand beyond initial plans.
• Less predictability: The iterative nature can make it harder to predict timelines and costs.

Spiral Model

The Spiral model combines the iterative development with the systematic aspects of the Waterfall model. Basically, it focuses on risk analysis and emphasizes early identification and mitigation of project risks.

Pros:

• Risk management: Early risk identification and mitigation make this model best for complex projects.
• Flexibility: Combines iterative and sequential approaches so you can make changes at various stages.
• Customer feedback: Frequent customer feedback ensures the software aligns with their needs.

Cons:

• Complexity: The model’s complexity can make it difficult to manage and understand.
• High cost: Extensive risk analysis and repeated iterations can increase costs.
• Time-consuming: Iterative cycles and reviews can extend the project timeline.

V-Shaped Model

The V-shaped model, or Verification and Validation Model, is an extension of the Waterfall model. It emphasizes verification and validation at each phase, so it forms a V-shape with development stages on one side and testing stages on the other.

Pros:

• Emphasis on testing: Each development stage has a corresponding testing phase, which ensures thorough validation.
• Structured and simple: Like the Waterfall model, it’s easy to manage and understand.
• Clear milestones: You have well-defined milestones, which provide clear progress indicators.

Cons:

• Inflexibility: Changes are difficult to implement once development begins.
• Late prototypes: No early prototypes can lead to late discovery of issues.
• High cost of errors: Errors discovered late in the process can be costly to fix.

Iterative Model

The Iterative model focuses on repeating cycles (also known as iterations) of development and refinement. Each iteration builds upon the previous one until you achieve the final software product.

Pros:

• Early prototyping: You have early prototypes that can be reviewed and improved.
• Flexibility: You can incorporate changes at any stage, which means this model is more adaptable.
• Risk management: You have regular iterations, so you can conduct continuous risk assessment and mitigation.

Cons:

• Resource intensive: You need ongoing collaboration and resources for repeated iterations.
• Management complexity: Managing multiple iterations is complex and challenging.
• Scope creep: There’s the potential for scope expansion if you don’t control it carefully.

SDLC vs. Other Lifecycle Management Methodologies

SDLC is great, but it’s not the only lifecycle management methodology. Let’s see how it stacks up against other options.

SDLC vs. Agile

SDLC is a structured approach that follows a sequential process, while Agile emphasizes flexibility and iterative progress.

As such, SDLC:

• Gives you a detailed, step-by-step process from planning to maintenance.
• Offers clear timelines and deliverables for each phase. 
• Makes project management more predictable.
• Emphasizes thorough documentation at every phase.

Agile:

• Is more flexible, so it allows for continuous adaptation to changes in project requirements.
• Focuses on iterative development with regular sprints and continuous delivery.
• Encourages frequent customer interactions to ensure the final product meets their needs.

SDLC vs. DevOps

SDLC and DevOps both aim to streamline the software development process, but they focus on different aspects. SDLC is more about the development lifecycle, while DevOps integrates development and operations to improve deployment and maintenance.

SDLC:

• Follows distinct phases like planning, development, testing, and deployment.
• Is primarily concerned with the stages leading up to deployment.
• Offers a clear and structured approach to software development.

DevOps:

• Integrates development and operations teams to facilitate continuous integration and deployment.
• Emphasizes automation of processes to enhance efficiency and reduce errors.
• Promotes a collaborative culture between developers and IT operations.

SDLC vs. Lean

SDLC and Lean methodology have different focuses. SDLC is a detailed and structured approach to software development, while Lean focuses on optimizing efficiency and minimizing waste.

SDLC:

• Involves thorough planning and documentation at each phase.
• Follows a step-by-step process from inception to maintenance.
• Emphasizes identifying and mitigating risks throughout the development lifecycle.

Lean:

• Focuses on streamlining processes to eliminate waste and improve efficiency.
• Aims to deliver maximum value to the customer with minimal resource usage.
• Encourages ongoing improvements and optimizations.

SDLC vs. Six Sigma

SDLC and Six Sigma are methodologies that serve different purposes. SDLC is a framework for managing software development, whereas Six Sigma is a data-driven approach to improving processes and quality.

SDLC:

• Is specifically designed for managing the software development lifecycle.
• Consists of defined stages such as planning, design, development, testing, and maintenance.
• Emphasizes comprehensive documentation and detailed planning.

Six Sigma:

• Focuses on reducing defects and improving quality through statistical analysis.
• Applies to various industries and processes, not limited to software development.
• Uses data and metrics to drive decision-making and improvements.

SDLC vs. ITIL

SDLC and ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) are both solid methodologies for managing IT processes, but they have different scopes and focuses. SDLC focuses on software development, while ITIL provides a framework for delivering IT services.

SDLC:

• Centres on the stages of software development from inception to maintenance.
• Provides a structured approach to managing software development projects.
• Includes risk analysis and quality assurance as integral components.

ITIL:

• Focuses on delivering and managing IT services to meet business needs.
• Covers the entire service lifecycle, including strategy, design, transition, operation, and continual improvement.
• Provides best practices for managing IT infrastructure and services.

How to Integrate AI and Automation for Maximum Efficiency

Integrating AI and automation into your Software Development Life Cycle plan is great to enhance efficiency, reduce errors, and accelerate time-to-market. 

AI can optimize various aspects of the development process, from code generation to bug detection. Besides, automation streamlines repetitive tasks, so your development team can focus on more complex issues. 

Basically, you can finish your software projects faster, with higher quality, and fewer resources.

Here’s our 5-step framework to integrate AI and automation:

1. Identify key areas for integration: Start by identifying which phases of your SDLC would benefit the most from AI and automation. Common areas include testing, code reviews, deployment, and monitoring.
2. Select the right tools and technologies: Research and select AI and automation tools that align with your project requirements and team capabilities. Consider tools like AI-driven code analyzers, automated testing frameworks, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.
3. Implement automated testing and continuous integration: Set up automated testing tools to run unit tests, integration tests, and performance tests. Introduce these tools with your CI/CD pipeline to ensure that every code change is automatically tested and validated.
4. Leverage AI for code quality and bug detection: Use AI-powered tools to analyze your code for potential bugs, code smells, and security vulnerabilities. These tools provide real-time feedback and suggest improvements, which means you can increase your code quality quite well.
5. Monitor and optimize with AI: Leverage AI-driven monitoring tools to track your software’s performance and health in the production environment. These tools can predict potential issues, optimize your resource usage, and suggest improvements for future iterations.

Insider Tip:

Train your team on the latest AI and automation tools continuously. This constant learning and adaptation will help you maximize the benefits of AI and automation in your development process. You can even set up a dedicated task force to oversee AI and automation initiatives to make sure they’re integrated well and regularly optimized.

How Axify Can Improve Your SDLC Approach

Axify is a comprehensive software delivery intelligence platform. We support your software development processes, so your team can achieve peak performance. 

Axify integrates seamlessly with your existing tools and provides actionable insights, so it can improve each phase of your Software Development Life Cycle.

Here’s how:

1. Centralized Metrics and Real-Time Insights

Axify aggregates data from tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Azure DevOps, GitHub, and GitLab. That means you’ll have a centralized view of all your development metrics. 

You can monitor all key performance indicators in real time so your development team will stay on track and sleuth out any potential issues early.

2. Predictive Analysis for Better Planning

Axify uses AI-driven algorithms, so it offers predictive analysis to forecast software delivery dates very accurately. Analyzing historical data helps you plan your deployments, manage resources, and mitigate risks.

Basically, implementing Axify’s forecasting tools allows you to answer the crucial question, “When will we deliver?” before stakeholders ask. That way, you’ll meet all deadlines and maintain high customer satisfaction​​.

3. Continuous Improvement and Process Optimization

Axify supports continuous improvement because it tracks objectives and key results (OKRs). This feature increases visibility into your team’s achievements and aligns them with company goals. That will help you foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Plus, you can quickly identify bottlenecks and focus on activities that generate the most value​.

4. Enhanced Team Collaboration

Axify has tools to measure and improve team morale. It covers unique aspects like resilience, motivation, inclusion, safety, and alignment. This holistic approach ensures that your development team remains productive, engaged, and motivated.

You can address any issues early and create a healthier, more engaging work environment. This ultimately leads to better retention and higher productivity​​.

5. Seamless Integrations and Quick Setup

Axify integrates with your existing software ecosystem easily, so it’s easy to get started. The setup process is quick, which means you can begin collecting data and generating insights almost immediately.

Ready to take your software development to the next level? Explore how Axify can transform your SDLC processes and drive continuous improvement. Start your free trial today or book a demo to see Axify in action and discover the difference it can make for your team!