The Stages of Software Development

The process of software development encompasses several stages, from planning to requirement gathering. From there, it moves to testing and Project management. Listed below are the major stages of the software development process:

Planning

Today, a company must implement a variety of planning processes to achieve success. Those processes can include annual planning, financial planning, strategic planning, capacity planning, and road mapping. Without proper planning software, these processes can be time-consuming and result in questionable insights. Instead of manual processes, organizations are turning to planning software to automate the data collection and analysis process. With planning software, organizations can connect their strategy to work execution, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives and maximize their returns on investment.

To plan software development, start by defining a high-level scope of work. The scope of work describes the goals of the project and any technical requirements that will be needed to achieve them. If the software needs to solve a customer problem, it should address these requirements. Other tasks may include integrating the software with other tools and APIs or handling security. Regardless of the size of the project, a good software planning process ensures the success of the final product.

Requirement gathering

The best requirement gathering methodologies have a clear methodology, which is well defined before the discovery phase begins. This is vital, as an unbalanced approach could result in a lack of accurate requirements. For example, NMG creates a dedicated business analyst who will understand the business requirements and help the team to brainstorm for ideas. This business analyst will be the one who will be communicating with the stakeholder team and will be the key to gathering high-quality requirements.

Requirement elicitation is a process that involves collecting the top-level requirements from all stakeholders, including the client and user groups. The requirements should reflect the needs of internal and external stakeholders, as well as key suppliers. Once, the top-level requirements specification is created, these stories can be communicated to the project team. If the project is large and complex, wireframes are an excellent choice to capture the customer’s feedback and suggestions.

Testing

Software development and testing go hand in hand. Testing a software program involves execution of a program in order to find bugs or detect possible errors. The testing process begins with planning and the collection of requirements. Once the planning is complete, the developers begin the testing process by prioritizing a checklist of tasks. The process can also include dividing the tasks among various developers. Here are some tips to ensure successful testing:

First of all, QA testing helps developers discover faults and risks that might occur during the software’s usage. This way, they can continuously improve functionality. Moreover, QA testing improves overall security. A comprehensive test of a software application is required to ensure that it’s error-free and meets technical requirements. Performing QA testing ensures that a software application will operate without errors and will not break down under a wide range of conditions.

Project management

Poor quality code is the result of hasty work and may include bugs or logical errors. To avoid these issues, software developers should thoroughly test their code before releasing it to the public, and address bugs as they arise. Furthermore, project managers should consider external risks such as economic shifts or natural disasters. These factors can affect the project’s budget and timeframe.

These are just some of the benefits of project management. For software development, it is essential to have a clear understanding of what exactly you are aiming to accomplish, so that you can plan accordingly.