Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

The software development life cycle (SDLC) is the entire process of formal, logical steps taken to develop a software product. The phases of SDLC can vary somewhat but generally include the following:

• requirements analysis;
• detailed specification of the software requirements;
• software design;
• coding;
• testing;
• implimentation;
• and maintenance.

There are several methodologies or models that can be used to guide the software development lifecycle. Some of these include:

• the linear or waterfall model (which was the original SDLC method);
• the prototyping model;
• the spiral model;