What Are The Most Effective Software Development Life Cycle Models?

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success” we have heard this many times, but when it comes to software development planning and execution, it becomes trickier. The Software Product Development Life Cycle is the practice followed by the software product development service providers to Fortune 500 companies. It works as a framework that aligns and streamlines tasks at each phase of software development. 

The software development life cycle is well known by its abbreviation SDLC. The purpose of adherence to the SDLC methodology is to organize product development systematically and in a disciplined way. The SDLC phases cover the complete development cycle from ideation to launch and maintenance. The primary stages that the SDLC encompasses are stated in the below software development life cycle model diagram.

These are the primary phases that occur during the product development cycle. Given that software product requirements differ based on the product’s nature, the software development life cycle has several models. Companies that offer Custom Software Development Services utilize these SDLC Models as per the product nature and requirements. 

However, each model has its unique features and comes with its own benefits and drawbacks. In the article, we have curated the top-most SDLC models that help you find a suitable one for your software product.

 

Top Software Development Life Cycle Models 

 

• Waterfall SDLC Model

 

The Waterfall is the first SDLC model introduced by Dr. Winston W. Royce in 1970. It was most popular that nearly all the old software was developed using the Waterfall SDLC model. The model is also known as the linear-sequential life cycle and can be easily understandable by its structure.

 

Model Phases	Benefits	Drawbacks
System Design	Perfect for small to mid-sized projects with precise requirements;	Quite unsuitable for sophisticated, object-oriented, and long-term projects;
Implementation	Easy to determine and classify the critical points at every phase;	Evaluation is not possible until the phase is fully completed;
Testing	Every phase is simple to evaluate and analyze; Well-defined steps leads to particular deliverables;	Time-consuming and unworthy for the project with uncertain or ever-changing requirements;
Deployment	Best when there are enough resources for implementation and support;

• V-Shaped SDLC Model

 

The verification and Validation SDLC model, known as a V-shaped model, is a kind of extension to the Waterfall model. The approach’s progress is not steady, but the progress line rises upwards after the coding and implementation phase. With parallel testing, it validates and verifies each step of development before shifting to the next. 

 

Verification Phases	Validation Phases	Benefits	Drawbacks
Requirement Analysis→	Acceptance Testing	Straightforward and easy model;	You cannot exert the model for any ongoing project;
System Design→	System Testing	Better than the Waterfall as testing goes parallel at each phase;	Lack of flexibility;
High-level Design→	Integration testing	Defect tracking is easy as pie as bugs detect at the early stages;	Changing requirements at the later stage could cost high;
Low-Level Design→	Unit Testing	A systematic and disciplined model that ensures a high-quality outcome;	High business and development risk;
Coding⇑		The right choice for smaller projects with definite and frozen requirements;

• Prototype SDLC Model

 

The Prototype SDLC model is one of the practical and widely used SDLC models. It is about building a prototype, a replica, or a premature approximated sample of the final product. The prototype may not contain the exact logic as the targeted product. Nonetheless, it displays the functionality and visualization of the product in the development phase. 

The SDLC approach allows the creator to gather and analyze feedback from potential users by publishing the prototype. Later, the developers’ team can better understand customers’ tastes early and iterate the prototype. It is somewhat a trial-and-error method that occurs involving the developers and the users. 

 

Model Phases	Benefits	Drawbacks
Requirement Gathering	Highly recommended for projects with uncertain requirements;	Dependency on the prototype leads to the risk of incomplete analysis;
Design	Development time and cost savior approach;	Likely to be costly to build and test the prototype;
Prototype	Attracts targeted audience before final	It may require too many iterations and significant time that may delay the development of the final product;
Customer Evaluation	product implementation;
Refined Prototype	Detects any malfunctioning effortlessly;
Final Product	Errors can be figured out quickly to improve the quality of the final product;

• Spiral SDLC Model

 

The Spiral SDLC model is iterative, as the Prototype model, and contains the early stages of Waterfall SDLC as the initial phase. ThTheal model phases are divided into four quadrants, and each of them outlines specific steps of the software development process. 

The Spiral model supports risk handling and delivers the project in loops. Every loop in the model is one of the phases of the software development method.

 

Model Phases	Benefits	Drawbacks
Planning	Issues and risk are more likely to be recognized in the earlier stages that make a budget and other planning more realistic;	The approach can be a bit costlier;
Risk Analysis	Risk analysis and management at each stage ensure high quality of the product;	Intense risk analysis and management required highly-skilled professionals;
Engineering	The flexibility allows to make changes and enhancement till the late stages;	It may not be sufficient for smaller projects;
Evaluation		Quite complicated to execute and limited reusability due to custom-built;

 

• Agile SDLC Model

 

Using the Waterfall model was iterative and popular until developers faced multiple challenges when customers requested change in the system. So to mitigate such pitfalls, a new model was incorporated in 1990, the Agile development model. The model has to be adapted to transforming requests quickly as developers want to preserve agility through the development.

Removing the activities that may not be imperative to the project streamlines the project’s progression and sustains the agility. The Agile SDLC process is a collective and iterative process that focuses on workability in product development rather than requirements. The project is segregated into small incremental iterations, and after completion of iterations, the project is exhibited to customers.

There are some kinds of SDLC Agile models used by software development companies, these are;

• Feature-driven development
• Crystal
• Atern
• Scrum
• Unified process
• Extreme programming (XP)
• Lean development

 

Model Phases	Benefits	Drawbacks
Requirements	It is an adaptable model that embraces changes and minimizes the risk;	Require an adaptive team with excellent soft skills and client-oriented;
Architecture and Design	Customers and stakeholders involvement at each stage benefits to fulfill their desires;	Challenges in estimating the cost due to constant changes;
Development	Requires less time to deliver specific features;	New requirements can bring friction in the existing architecture;
Test and Feedback	Efficient model to provide and demonstrate business value;	Perpetual corrections may extend the project expected time;