Software Development 101: A Guide to Security, Quality, and Cost

Software development is at the heart of every modern-day experience. People and companies now rely on all types of software for performing all kinds of daily tasks and activities. In the tech industry, enterprise software has been on the rise for a very long time. And it still continues to grow bigger – it is a 700-billion-dollar business (approximately)!

But software development is more than just creating the design. There’s a lot that goes into it in terms of not just cost but also security and quality. So let’s study these factors through the different phases of software development.

First of All, What Is Software Development?

Software development includes building software from ground zero with the help of code writing. Design and ideation are also a part of the whole process. The steps involved are creating, designing, testing, and maintaining the software program.

A team of developers or individual programmers carry out the job of software development. Tools such as programming languages and software development kits are used.

The final goal takes the form of functional software that meets the demands and needs of users.

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

To build any software, you need a systematic process to make sure that correctness and quality are not compromised. This detailed plan is known as Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Every phase of the process aims to create high-quality software that lives up to the expectations of customers.

• Foundation: It consists of planning, scheduling, estimating, etc.
• Framework: It consists of setting up a standard framework for tasks and activities.
• Observe: It consists of tracking each phase and controlling the pace of the jobs completed.
• Visibility: It consists of coming up with a more comprehensive project plan to increase the participation of stakeholders.
• Pace: It consists of boosting development speed.
• Reaction: It consists of improving client relations.
• Risk: It consists of minimizing any risks associated with the project and preventing project plan mismanagement.

Guide to Software Development for Security, Quality, and Cost

Software Development Life Cycle Phases

1. Requirement Analysis

Also referred to as Requirement Engineering or Requirement Gathering, this particular method involves determining user expectations. It’s performed for the sole purpose of achieving an objective or solving a problem. The software should be well-equipped to meet customer expectations, standards, specifications, and the like.

Requirement analysis, engineering, or gathering is what deals with the quality of the software being developed. It includes the following four activities…

i. Obtaining Requirements

Communication with users is established for finding out their specific requirements.

ii. Analyzing Requirements

If the obtained requirements are vague or unclear, then proper steps are taken to resolve the conflicts.

iii. Requirements Modeling

The requirements are documented in different forms – user stories, process specifications, documents, user cases. Etc.

iv. Reviewing

Team members or individuals identify areas and actions that could use some improvement in order to move forward.

2. Feasibility Study

To be more specific, economic feasibility is the primary focus here. A feasibility study consists of testing the software while taking into serious consideration its cost-effectiveness. It goes a long way in determining whether or not the solution is workable and practical to accomplish the task.

When you take into account economic feasibility, you get to know if the software can produce financial gains. The following costs are involved in this case…

• Hiring a software development team.
• Cost of developing software or hardware.
• Cost of conducting the feasibility study.

3. Design

It’s the process that includes establishing security standards for the software system. In the Design phase, detailed blueprints are created to place emphasis on the solution – how will the software meet user requirements?

Software system operations and functions are decided. Detailed documentation is produced, along with detailed designs (diagrams, annotations, storyboards, rules, etc.).

4. Software Development and Coding

Once all important decisions are made, the coding/development process begins. This is when design translates into code in the most suitable manner. The code should be well-written in order to reduce the effort of testing and maintenance later.

During software development, developers write code – each generates his/her own sets of codes. In the end, all of the different sets of codes are merged.

Conclusion

Even though technology has advanced to a large extent, software development methods are still being subjected to improvement. Regardless, many parts of the development process stay the same. So if you want to produce seamless software, every step of every stage must be taken properly.

The software development life cycle should be seen as one, unified process that requires proper planning and execution.