A software development process encompasses various phases, and each phase ends with a defined output. The phases are performed in a specific order by the process model which is followed. Phased process is important as it helps in breaking the problem of software development into successfully performing a set of a phase and handles a different concern of software development. This guarantees the cost of the development of the offshore software development company which is lower than if the whole problem was fixed altogether.
Here are the phases listed.
- Requirement analysis
This phase analyses and determines what is required from the system. Requirement analysis is done to understand the problem which the software system has to solve. The problem could be automating a current manual process, development of a new automated system, or combining the two. Client and developer are the only two parties involved in this process. The latter doesn’t usually understand the client’s problem domain and the former doesn’t understand the problems of software systems. This creates a communication gap. This phase bridges the gap. The outcome of this phase is SRS or software requirement specification document and the responsible person is called the analyst.
- Software design
This step involves moving from problem domain to solution domain. The purpose is to plan a solution of the problem listed by the requirement documents. Beginning with what is required, design highlights how to satisfy the needs. The design is the most critical factor which affects the software quality. It majorly impacts the later phases, especially testing and maintenance. The output of this phase is design document. It is similar to a blueprint and is used in implementation, testing, and maintenance. It is of two types: System Design or Top level design.
This involves translation of the design into a given programming language. It affects both testing and maintenance. Good coding can reduce the efforts of testing and maintenance.
This involves testing the errors in the software. After coding, computer programs are available to be executed for testing purpose. Testing doesn’t only reveals the errors but also found in the previous phases. This means that it will reveal the errors found in requirement, design, and coding in the programs. There are different types of testing:
- Unit testing
- Integration testing
- System testing
- User acceptance testing.