Software development process is also referred to as software development life cycle, it is a structure imposed on the development of a software product. There are several models for such processes with each having its own style of describing the stages of software development processes. Some people consider a lifecycle model a more general term and a software development process a more specific term. For example, there are many specific software development processes that ‘fit’ the spiral lifecycle model. It aims to be the standard that defines all the tasks required for developing and maintaining software.
Most large businesses and organization have their own software development divisions that develop software for running of activities in the organization. For example the military has its own software division and it focuses on building software’s to run military operations. Some organizations create software engineering process group that is in charge of improving software and software processes in the organization.
Planning
This is a major and important task in creating a software product as it involves extracting the requirements for creating the software. This software process is a description of the customer’s needs and requirements and what they want software to do.
Implementation, testing and documenting
Implementation is the part of the software development which involves the actual coding of the project. Software testing is an integral and important phase of the software development as it ensures that the software is performing right and there are no hitches. In the testing and implementation stage the developers are able to detect defaults and problems in the software. Documenting the internal design of software for the purpose of future maintenance and enhancement is done as the software is being developed.
Deployment and maintenance
Deployment of the software starts after the code has been appropriately tested, it is then allowed for release into the market for sale or for use. Software maintenance involves development and technical support. It would not matter how much time and planning a development team puts into creating software if nobody in an organization ends up using it. Maintaining involves repairing hitches and problem discovered during the implementation of the software. This is one of the most important stages, as it galvanizes the functioning of the software.