Software development plays a significant role in every aspect of today’s businesses—regardless of their size. The process of software development involved writing and maintaining code. In a broader sense, it involves activities, from the conception of the software to the final release. Typically, this requires a structured and planned process for it to be successful.
Please note that there are types of software development, which have very complicated processes. With that said, getting the desired software is not a one-day activity. Here’s the guide on how to start software development from scratch.
Analysis
This is the first step of any software development process. Before the software development team can get the general idea for the software they want to develop, they need to analyze the business requirements. At this stage, the main focus of the project managers and stakeholders is to note the things required for the software.
The analysis stage takes into account several questions, including:
- Who will use the software?
- How will the software be used after it’s completed?
- What data should the development team add to the software?
- Is there any data output by the software?
After answering these general questions, a general framework can be created for the development team. Besides, an analysis of data is done to check its validity and whether it can be incorporated in the development phase. After that, a requirement specification document is prepared, and it serves as the guideline for the next steps of the software development process.
Design
The design stage of a software development process focuses on creating the software architecture, prototype, and user experience design. The following is an overview of what these design activities involve:
Software architecture
this refers to the process of creating a well-organized flow of elements in the software code for clarity, accessibility, and quality assurance. We can also call the software architecture the blueprint or guide for the software development team.
Prototype
the user input (UI)/user experience (UX) team develops a prototype version of the intended software to get an idea of its appearance and flow of the design elements. This allows the development team to get an idea of the overall feel and appearance of the software.
Coding
Once the design documents for the software are received, the activities that come after the design stage are divided into different modules and units. This is the phase where the coding process starts. The primary focus of the coding phase is the creation of the required code by the development team.
Generally, the coding phase takes the longest time in a software development project. With that said, here are two things to remember in this stage:
- Once the software framework is laid out, the coding team can start doing their work. This is the most technical part of the project, where the developers create the heart of the software. The coding phase is where the software ideas are laid out and the programmers bring the first two steps to life.
- The coding tasks are allocated depending on the scope of the project, in a process known as “task allocation”. The subdivision of labor ensures that the programmers know their specific tasks, which improves workflow efficiency.
Testing
This step of software development focuses on testing the completed code for bugs and inconsistencies. In this step, both the testing and quality assurance teams bring their minds together to test the product. And, in case they find bugs or inconsistencies in the code, they report them to the development team.
Here, the team can rely on either automated or manual testing, but this depends on their defined process and expertise. Please note that it’s necessary for the development and testing teams to work together to ensure the quality delivery of the software.
Deployment
Once all the coding errors are cleared during the testing phase, it’s time for the software deployment phase. This is where the code is implemented into the software and then delivered or deployed to the clients.
While the software is delivered to the target clients, most developers do beta testing to make sure it functions seamlessly on a larger scale. In case bugs are caught or certain changes are required during this stage, it’s reported to the development team to take the necessary action in real-time. After all the bugs are fixed and the changes are implemented, the final software deployment process is set in motion.
Maintenance
According to the Houston software development experts from Entrance Consulting, the ever-changing user requirements and introduction of new technologies can necessitate new software requirements. Here, the software development team needs to review the entire development life cycle to accommodate and effect the new changes. This, in turn, ensures that they accommodate the new software requirements.
So, the maintenance stage involves releasing software updates regularly and it must be done to uphold the value of the software. Here are the two common types of software maintenance:
Corrective maintenance
This involves the removal of active bugs from the software to boost its performance. Mostly, users report these errors.
Perfective maintenance
New software requirements keep on coming up from time to time. So, the software must be updated to remain valuable and relevant. This is the general idea behind perfective maintenance.
