Skip to content
Home » SDLC Phases and Examples – What Is Software Development Life Cycle

SDLC Phases and Examples – What Is Software Development Life Cycle

  • by
Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is the process of building software, using 6 phases - Analysis, Definition, Design, Coding, Testing and Deployment.

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is the process of building software, using 6 phases – Analysis, Definition, Design, Coding, Testing and Deployment.

We will go through each phase in detail.

Also, we will cover some of the most prominent SDLC models.

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is the process of building software, using 6 phases - Analysis, Definition, Design, Coding, Testing and Deployment.

Software Development Life Cycle

The SDLC acronym stands for software development life cycle. However, some people use it interchangeably with system development life cycle.

For the purposes of this article, we will consider the system development life cycle phases same as the software development life cycle phases.

SDLC Phases

The system development life cycle phases are shown in the diagram below.

The SDLC acronym stands for software development life cycle. However, some people use it interchangeably with system development life cycle.
Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is the process of building software, using 6 phases – Analysis, Definition, Design, Coding, Testing and Deployment.

The importance of the system development life cycle is only clear after you understand each phase in detail.

SDLC Analysis Phase

As a Product Manager, this is probably the most important phase for you.

This phase defines the importance of system development life cycle. This is also called the SDLC planning phase.

This is where you do your market research, conduct customer interviews, research your competition and conduct surveys.

The feedback that you gather helps you analyze your product market fit.

This eventually leads us to the next stage, which is the feature definition stage.

Definition

Deciding the scope of your product feature list is not an easy task.

You not only need to figure out what you need to build, but also figure out what you do not need to build.

Defining what is in scope is as important as defining what is not in scope.

Once you define the feature list for your product backlog, you can proceed to the designing phase.

SDLC Design Phase

This phase is crucial because this is where you design your product.

In the previous phase, you defined what needs to be in the product and what needs to be out.

Now, you need to design your shortlisted features.

The design phase is the sole responsibility of the Product Manager, and you may work in tandem with UI/UX designers.

The design phase is the sole responsibility of the Product Manager, and you may work in tandem with UI/UX designers.

In the design phase in SDLC, you need to be as visual as possible about your vision.

Use the design phase to really communicate your plan for the product to all your developers.

Learn how to communicate like a true Product Manager.

Remember, if you are following the iterative waterfall model, then you get only one shot at the design phase.

Coding

The coding phase in SDLC is not handled directly by Product Managers.

It is, of course, handled by developers.

The primary SDLC activities may be handled by developers, but oversight must be maintained by Product Managers.

The development phase in SDLC is crucial because this is where your product ultimately gets built.

But, remember to not take the implementation phase in SDLC lightly. You must constantly talk to your developers and clear roadblocks, if any.

Development phase in SDLC with example is covered later.

Testing

The software development life cycle models all hinge on the testing phase.

In the software development life cycle agile models, testing can happen more frequently.

But, in the waterfall methodology, testing is not very frequent. You can consider this as one of the pros and cons of SDLC and its various models.

The software testing life cycle is not a resource intensive exercise, but your goal should always be to minimize your bugs caught.

This phase could be handled by either your Product Owner or a Scrum Master.

Now would be a great time to make sure you know the following –

Deployment

The deployment phase in SDLC is also something that is not heavy on the Product Manager.

Unlike in the SDLC waterfall model, the agile models have frequent iterations, and hence, frequent releases.

In the SDLC phases agile, deploying frequently should not result in more bugs or defects.

The deployment phase should be handled through a streamlined process with checks and balances.

SDLC Phases with Examples

Understanding SDLC phases with examples will enable us to grasp the vastness of research that has happened in this field.

The SDLC example discussed first is the SDLC methodologies agile.

We will cover the following SDLC example methodologies –

  • Agile Model
  • Waterfall Model
  • Iterative Model
  • Big Bang Model
  • Spiral Model

Agile Model

The SDLC Agile workflow is one of the most common SDLC models. In all of the various SDLC methodologies or SDLC types, agile occpies a special place.

Agile methodology phases explanation is the same that I have explained above. The only difference is that the iterations are very quick, unlike in waterfall SDLC.

Agile development model is the most common software development method out there. I’m sure you are now very familiar with the agile flow. Agile and waterfall models are two of the most common forms.

Agile and Waterfall are two of the most common forms of SDLC
Agile and Waterfall are two of the most common forms of SDLC.
Source

Waterfall Model

The waterfall model is a linear series of steps.

So when to use waterfall model? Or what are the waterfall model advantages and disadvantages? A great waterfall model example is the manufacturing industry.

In the manufacturing of a physical product, requirements do not, and cannot, change everyday.

The factory lines are defined for a preset process.

Change happens, but slower than in other models.

For example, take the manufacturing of a bicycle.

What model should be followed to manufacture a bicycle? Are requirements expected to change frequently on a weekly basis? The answer is clearly no. The requirements are not expected to change weekly for a bicycle.

We have covered waterfall model vs agile briefly in the above diagram. As you can see, projects that use waterfall model are ones that are pretty stable and do not need frequent process changes.

In this model, the next step is dependent on the completion of the previous step. You cannot sneak in changes in between the processes.

You can only introduce changes after one full interation has been completed.

The waterfall model is a linear series of steps and is an old method in SDLC.
Source

This is also a great time to review the differences between Agile and Waterfall.

Iterative Model

Of all the SDLC models, this one is the most distinctive.

It starts off with simpler builds, eventually taking on more complex builds.

You could say that this is a waterfall or an agile based model.

But, it is considered its own separate model.

The concept of building an MVP (minimum viable product) is the basis of this model.

What is the minimum viable product? What features need to go into the MVP? These questions are the first steps in this model.

People start off small and then progressively take on bigger and more complex features.

This model is great because it allows for a continuous feedback loop on the already developed features.

The team can account for that feedback before embarking on more complex features.

Big Bang Model

The big bang model is one that should probably never be used.

It is a “processless” process.

You put all your energy into building a product in one “big bang” approach.

Your final product may or may not be what the customer wants.

Speaking of big bang, do you know what makes Elon Musk such a great Product Manager?

The Big Bang model is good for smaller projects that do not result in a significant impact.

As the name suggests, there is only one step in this process.

And that step is ‘Bang’!

However, this approach is extremely risky and is almost never followed by bigger companies.

This approach is more common in startups or college projects.

In these projects, there is no budget, no planning and no research.

People think of an idea, and they just work on it and build the product.

College projects are a classic example.

Spiral Model

The spiral model is a combination of the waterfall and iterative model.

It gives the flexibility to the team to constantly adapt their processes as per their needs.

This model tells you to be flexible as a Product Manager.

This is similar to being product agnostic.

In other words, the Spiral model allows the product development team to iteratively release version of the product, but within the overall stability and control of the Waterfall model.

Risk analysis is the key focus area during each stage of the Spiral model.

The Spiral model consists of 4 stages –

  • Development
  • Evaluation
  • Analysis
  • Planning

The stages are tightly controlled as per the Waterfall model.

But, there are regular releases to take the benefits of smaller iterative cycles.

SDLC Phases and Examples – Conclusion

As you can see, the software development life cycle phases is an extremely important topic for anyone in the software industry.

But grasping the nuances of the software development life cycle phases is inherent to a Product Manager’s responsibilities.

We covered the SDLC phases with examples, and additional topics like the waterfall model and the agile vs waterfall details. You can consider this your software development life cycle tutorial.

SDLC waterfall is not very well known to people who have recently entered this field. But it is good to know it, because only then can you truly appreciate the value of SDLC agile.

For additional information, you can also check out a helpful system development life cycle PDF.

So now you know what is SDLC, the SDLC phases, the SDLC approach. Reading the SDLC phases with examples should have provided you with the right context.

Do subscribe to my newsletter for my weekly updates.

Tags: