An overview of the SDLC

An overview of the SDLC

The Systems Development Life Cycle is a process used by IT teams to design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain information systems or software products. It provides a step-by-step framework that guides the entire lifecycle. The key objectives are:

  • Ensuring the software/system is delivered on time, within budget, and meets user and business requirements
  • Minimize risks and improve the quality of the final products
  • Provide a clear roadmap and milestones

The 5 phases (Planning, Analysis, Design, Implementation, and Maintenance) form a structured approach to ensure the system meets business needs efficiently and effectively.

1. Systems Planning

The company decides about the feasibility of a system according to the company’s strategy resulting in a preliminary investigation report. The main goal is to answer

why this project is needed and is it feasible?

Main activities:

  • Define the project scope
  • Conduct a feasibility study (economic, technical, operational)
  • Identify stakeholders
  • Develop a plan and a schedule using work breakdown structures

2. Systems Analysis

Here we utilize the findings from phase 1's preliminary report to create a system requirements report. In this phase, we document the current system if any and define the business requirements for the new one.

Main activities:

  • Gather detailed requirements (interviews, surveys)
  • Model current processes
  • Define user and functional requirements
  • Document findings using tools like DFD, ERD, and UML diagrams

3. Systems Analysis

The system requirements report is transformed into a blueprint to build the system. The goal is to build a system that is reliable, effective, and maintainable.

Main activities:

  • Data models and data design
  • Develop interface designs
  • Design system architecture
  • Define inputs, outputs, and processing logic

4. Systems Implementation

The blueprint now comes to life. Here we code, test, and deliver the final product.

Main activities:

  • Code
  • Perform unit, integration, and system testing
  • Deploy to the live environment
  • Train end users

5. Systems Support and Security

The final product now is being supported regarding its integrity and security with corrective maintenance.

Main activities:

  • Monitor performance
  • Do corrective maintenance (bug fixes)
  • Improve performance
  • Adapt to new business needs

💡 The bottom line

The SLDC is very extensive. This approach to conceive software provides a clear phased cycle were the IT team can choose the appropriate tooling, and project management paradigm (Scrum, Waterfall, Agile, Iterative) to breakdown and distribute work across all the involved. I hope this overview helped you get a glimpse of the potential of this tool and how it can help you and your team to deliver better products.