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Software Development Life Cycle: SDLC phases explained
Discover the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) – a structured approach ensuring efficient software creation. Learn about SDLC phases, from analysis to maintenance, and see how Applandeo implements best practices to deliver effective, scalable solutions.
Building software, whether from scratch or at an advanced stage, might be a challenge. To address this, companies and developers often rely on proven solutions so their applications effectively meet the client’s needs. One of the most reliable approaches to building software is the SDLC – Software Development Life Cycle, a structured process that guides the development from start to finish.
The SDLC process often involves the iterative model, which allows for continuous improvement with each cycle, making adjustments based on feedback and evolving requirements. This method, aligned with software engineering principles, makes the final product scalable and easy for your team to maintain in the future.
In this article, we use the terms approach, process, framework, guidelines, and model interchangeably, all referring to the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) as synonymous concepts.
Why is SDLC Important for Your Business?
Providing an SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) approach to your business is crucial if you want to minimize risks, control costs, and be sure that your final solution meets your customers’ expectations. Here are some key reasons why you should stick to the SDLC model in your company:
Improved Project Management and Planning SDLC provides a structured framework, allowing for better project management. With clear phases and milestones, you can track progress, set realistic timelines, and allocate resources.
Minimized Risks and Costs By following a systematic approach, you can identify potential risks and issues early in the development process. This proactive strategy helps you prevent costly mistakes and reduces the risk of project failure. Want to know more? Our article Top 6 Factors Influencing Costs of Software Development will explain this in detail.
Better Quality and Customer Satisfaction SDLC focuses on continuous testing and refinement throughout the development process. This helps the final product meet the requirements and quality standards, leading to better satisfaction of your customers and fewer post-launch issues.
In the following sections of this article, you’ll find a detailed description of all Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) phases and discover why implementing this model in your development process might be essential for your project’s success.
At Applandeo, we always choose solutions based on our clients’ needs. With every project, we follow a structured SDLC model to deliver reliable results across all development processes.
SDLC phases: Software Development Process Guide
In the SDLC process, we define six phases, each responsible for a specific aspect of development. It gives us full control over the software while allowing the client to track progress and meet their expectations at every stage.
Phase 1 – Analysis
This stage is where the foundation for the entire project is built. It begins by transforming business needs into clear technical requirements. Through collaborative workshops and discussions with key stakeholders, goals, risks, and key performance indicators are identified.
Our approach
In the analysis phase, we make sure your needs are turned into real plans that can help your business grow using the agile model. We discuss details together and keep you updated at every stage of the way to your final product. You can give us your ideas and wait for well-seen results.
People involved:
Product Owner
Project Manager
Business Analyst
During one of our collaborations, a client came to us with both a budget and a product idea. The analysis phase allowed us to validate the concept, helping the client avoid launching a product that wouldn’t be profitable. It turned out that the target audience wouldn’t use a web app at all, as they primarily rely on mobile devices. This simple example highlights the importance of a structured SDLC approach to prevent wasted hours and costly mistakes on projects that either fail to fill a real market gap or are misaligned with actual user needs.
Want to validate your product idea? Fill out the form below, and our experts will contact you to test its profitability and market demand together.
Phase 2 – Design
This phase focuses on structuring the software solution based on the requirements gathered during the analysis stage. The primary goal is to create a clear blueprint for the development team. We make sure that every component aligns with business objectives and technical feasibility.
Our approach
During the design phase, we carefully translate requirements into system architecture, user interfaces, and database structures. We work closely with our clients to outline the best possible structure for their products, keeping usability and efficiency in mind. Our team chooses technologies and frameworks that support long-term maintainability.
People involved:
System Architect
UX/UI Designer
Phase 3 – Development
The development phase is where the actual coding takes place based on the design specifications. This stage involves writing clean code, integrating various system components, and ensuring that the application functions as expected. The choice of technology stack and development methodologies plays a crucial role in building a scalable and solid product.
Our approach
We select the most suitable technologies to match your project’s needs, whether it involves modern web frameworks (e.g. Angular, React), robust back-end solutions (e.g., Node.js, Java, .NET), or mobile development with Swift, Kotlin, React Native, Flutter, .NET MAUI, and Kotlin Multiplatform. Our developers follow best coding practices, conduct thorough code reviews, and implement CI/CD pipelines. We focus on designing modular, scalable architectures that facilitate smooth integration and accommodate future updates and expansions.
Our developers work closely with testers, who continuously validate delivered application components.
People involved:
Software Engineer
Software Developer
QA Engineer
Tester
DevOps
Quick piece of advice:
Improve code quality and consistency by automating checks at every step of the development process. Set up PR checks, linting tools, static code analysis, and automated unit and integration tests. You can even leverage AI-driven PR reviews for extra scrutiny. This proactive approach keeps your codebase clean, maintainable, and scalable, saving you time and effort in the long run.
Phase 4 – Testing
The testing phase is about checking if the software functions correctly, meets the defined requirements, and provides a positive user experience. This step involves identifying and fixing bugs, evaluating performance, and verifying compatibility across different devices and platforms. Various testing methods, such as user acceptance testing, help detect potential issues before deployment.
We conduct thorough testing at multiple levels to guarantee our clients good software quality. Our approach includes automated and manual testing on various devices. We utilize regression testing to maintain consistency, while performance profiling helps optimize resource usage. By implementing a structured testing process, we minimize the risk of errors and improve user satisfaction.
People involved:
Solutions Architect
QA Engineer
Tester
DevOps
Identifying flaws in business logic early on helps save time and money in the development process, preventing costly fixes down the line.
– Zbigniew Jamrozek, Applandeo
Phase 5 – Deployment
Once the software has been thoroughly tested and refined, it moves into the deployment phase. This step involves making the software available to users, whether through app stores, web cloud, or internal distribution. A well-structured deployment plan helps transition from development to production with minimal downtime and issues.
Our approach
We handle the entire deployment process, making sure that your application reaches users with minimal friction. Our team follows best practices for phased rollouts, allowing for controlled releases and real-time issue monitoring. While taking care of store submissions, compliance requirements, and data optimization to maximize visibility and adoption, we also utilize tools to check code quality and security.
People involved:
Data Administrator
DevOps
Phase 6 – Maintenance
Software development doesn’t end with deployment—ongoing maintenance is crucial for keeping applications secure, updated, and functional. This phase includes bug fixes, performance improvements, and updates to accommodate new technologies or user needs. Regular monitoring helps prevent issues before they impact users.
Our approach
We provide continuous support to keep your software running smoothly. Our team monitors performance, resolves issues promptly, and updates the application to provide compatibility with new operating system versions. We also implement proactive improvements based on user feedback and industry trends. We make certain your product remains relevant and competitive over time.
People involved:
Users
Tester
Quick piece of advice:
In the case of mobile applications, it’s crucial to be prepared for regular updates due to ever-changing store requirements. Every year, the Android SDK undergoes changes, and new guidelines are introduced that cannot always be predicted, both in terms of their number and exact timeline. For instance, guidelines may require the implementation of features like account deletion when registration occurs within the app, or updates to payment processes in line with new standards. These changes are not always quick code tweaks; they can involve adding new functionality to ensure compliance.
In the maintenance phase for mobile applications, we check the latest store changes (Google and Apple) and update the Android and iOS SDK accordingly.
Throughout the SDLC, agile management keeps the process on track, with a focus on unit testing and making sure the software works well at every step. The iterative model enables continuous feedback and refinement. In the end, we take care of the deployment to the production environment.
Summary
The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a proven framework that guides you through the creation of software from start to finish. Thanks to this, your projects might be completed within budget. By following this structured process, you can reduce risks and optimize resource allocation throughout the development journey.
At Applandeo, we apply the SDLC approach to keep you involved at every stage, so the final product can be aligned with your real business goals. From planning and design to deployment and maintenance, our method guarantees a structured and successful software development process.
Want your projects to be more profitable? Leave your contact details below, and our experts will reach out to show you how SDLC can help you minimize risks and achieve better outcomes.
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