What are the Steps for Software Development?
The software development life cycle is a protocol that needs to be respected. There are numerous phases that should be taken care of, in order to deliver a product that will work well for any potential end-users. Here are the steps you will need to go through, from beginning to end.
Get Outside Help for Testing
All software should go through software quality assurance services, before they are delivered to the end-users. Just as anything else in life, when we create something, we are often too close to it, to be able to see all the potential problems. Only a third-party can discover these bugs, and so you need to call upon outside help, before bringing the software to market (step six). Don’t make the mistake of jumping that step, or else you will have done all this work for nothing, as your software will be considered useless, by those who would have needed it, had it run great.
Step One: Find the Innovative Idea
It is uncommon to create a software that doesn’t already exist in another form. Therefore, we have to come up with something innovative, or else it will only be redundant. You need to get your team to the table and to brainstorm until you find that brilliant idea, which will be the start of your long journey. Do not initiate a project, just because you have to. That would be money wasted. Find the spark first, and then light the fuse.
Step Two: Study the Feasibility of the Project
Once you have the genius thought, you then need to see if you and your team can actually produce it. Many things come into play. First, of course, is the cost. Do you have sufficient funds, or do you need to go out looking for more money, before you start? Then, there is the team. Will you need specialists that you don’t already have inside the company? Once you have answered those questions, then it is time to start creating.
Step Three: Create the Design
What will the base of your software look like? That is a question the designers will have to answer. They are the architects that will build the whole structure of the software. Until the first prototype is created, there is no point entering the next phase.
Step Four: Programming
That is when the whole team gets into the core of the work: Coding. Working with software development tools, programmers are taking on the task of bringing a new software to life. This work should be closely managed by the project director, as well as by the designers. This will be the most time-consuming step of the project.
Step Five: Putting it All Together
The integration of all parts is often the riskiest phase. It can also cause a lot of headaches to those who have to find out why some parts of the software are not responding as they should. Tests will have to be continued, until everything runs smoothly
Step Six: Quality Assurance
As we mentioned in the beginning of this article, this is the most crucial step. Find a third-party to run the program and make sure that all works well. Whatever issue they find, they should also be able to fix or have your team handle it.
Step Seven: The Launch
That is when the marketing and sales team get to work, bringing the software to those that need it.
