Software development process is one of the most important elements in creating a great product. Launching a new product in the market could take months or even years and selecting a wrong software development approach could lead to increase in this time and loss in opportunity cost. The generalized perspective of a software development process is creating a workable in the least possible time. Let’s now understand the nuances and evolution of software development process in this ever evolving tech

Paradigm shift from traditional Waterfall approach to Agile software development approach:

Probably this is the most significant and biggest transformation that happened in the Software Development Process. Agile approach is something which was much needed in this dynamic world since it allows development process being flexible.

Traditional software development approach, Waterfall, was more rigid, not iterative, and had no provision to address the new requirements. However, Agile approach is iterative, flexible, and has full room to incorporate changes at any point in time during development. Most of the software developments projects run these days are in Agile mode only since it follows Plan > Design > Develop > Test > Deploy > Review > Iterate.

Agile Software Development Process:

* Planning:

This is the first phase of any software development process where the objective of the project is discussed. In this phase the Product Owners, Development teams, and designers come together to discuss and understand the requirements from all the perspective after which it is also prioritized by the Product Owner accordingly. This process helps in ensuring that all the project stakeholders are on the same page and we do not leave out anyone. The steps in this phase are:

     a. User Story Identification:

In agile software development, each feature is delivered in the form of a user story. In the planning phase each the stories are prioritized so that sprint planning can take place.

     b.  Sprint Planning:

One of the most differentiating and remarking feature of agile approach is that everything is time-boxed. A sprint is a time-boxed interval that is allocated to completing a predetermined task. The development teams identify and assign sprint-to-sprint tasks in advance to estimate the timeline for the project.

     c. Creating Test Cases:

In the traditional waterfall approach, usually testing team was left out of the planning phase. However, in Agile testing team is considered as an integral and important part of the Software Development Team. This helps in avoiding any kind of mis-management in the later stages. Testing is scheduled in every sprint so that the resultant product is refined at every stage.

*  Designing:

This phase of Agile software development process focuses on finalizing the software architecture by creating the systems blueprint. UI/UX Designers, architects and development teams work together in this phase; this phase is carried out before the development is started.

* Development:

This is a phase where the actual work of bringing the concept to reality is carried out. The work is prioritized by the Product Owners, and is completed across time-boxed sprints by the development team(s). Continuous delivery of the output developed in the sprint is reviewed by the product owners and the feedback is prioritized accordingly. Thus, this helps agile in being really agile and overcome the drawback of Waterfall methodology.

*  Quality Assurance / Testing:

Testing is to ensure the quality of the developed is bug free and meets the pre-defined user requirement. Testing can automate testing or manual testing. In traditional software development approach, testing was carried out at the end after the development was completed however, in agile approach it is carried out at the end of the sprint.

*  Deployment:

In this phase, the product is deployed into the market for live users to start using it. Deploying the product for the live users doesn’t mean it’s the end of the development. In agile, software development is an evolving process which continues since you keep getting the inputs from the real time users to optimize the product.

*  Maintenance:

In maintenance usually technical optimization of the product is done by fixing the bugs, optimizing software’s performance, integrations, updations etc.

WRAP UP

For Successful Development Of Mobile Application or any type of software product, it is very important to have a good development process in the place. We at Pixel Values Technolabs have certified Agile and Project Management professionals who ensure that the software development process is carried as per the best industry standards to provide maximum benefit to the clients. We always consider holistic software development approach which includes requirement analysis, design, plan, development, testing, deployment, review and iterate.