The 7 Stages of Enterprise Application Software Development

Software Development Life Cycle is a step by step process of developing application software. SDLC defines phases of developing software, including planning, requirements, designing, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance.

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The demand for software development is quickly rising, and each phase is crucial for the successful release of the software. 

Development Phases of an Enterprise Application Software

Following the seven stages below will simplify the complex process of software development. The phases are commonly known as SDLC.

1. Devise A Plan

Planning is one of the most crucial steps in enterprise software application development. Before you get started, devise a plan that includes project plans, schedules and timelines, cost estimation and budgeting, and procurement requirements.

Pen a detailed plan of the software application on paper. The project plan will help identify the development tools, programming language, and platform that will shape the outlook of the software.

Software development requires the time of experienced developers, designers, and creative artists. Make sure you set realistic deadlines and take the development team on-board. Similarly, you will also need to provide a plan that explains the timeline of the software and let stakeholders know when to expect the final product.

• Cost Estimation and Budgeting

Before starting the project, it’s important to make sure the software is affordable and fits in your budget. Software development can cost a fortune, so it’s wise to have a budget ready.

Draft a list of things you’ll need to start software development, which includes personnel, equipment, hardware, and other resources.

Planning will eliminate all unwanted barriers that you may face during the development stage.

2. List Down The Project Requirements 

At this phase, you need to make sure all requirements for the software are clearly listed and understood by all stakeholders. Schedule meetings with the team to understand the kind of software required, resources required, and other elements of the software. Gather as much information as possible, and create a formal document with the required details. Once you have everything, segregate the requirements as functional, system, and user. Use these tricks to collect information,

• Studying the existing software
• Conducting sessions between users and developers
• Collecting answers via questionnaires

Also, Read: A Complete Guide for Proof of Concept In Successful Software Development

3. Designing The Software

Now that you have the requirements figured, designing the software will be a piece of cake. The input you’ve gathered will help you design the software with intense technical planning, and organized workflow. You can create prototypes and share them with all the stakeholders for approval. The architecture of the software should be intricate yet straightforward.

4. Start The Development

Once the tools and the design of the software is finalized, it’s time to start developing it! The developers can now begin to code according to the documented requirements of the stakeholder. The project management team monitors the programming phase.  Do not push the development team to finish the development phase, as it can leave some barriers or loopholes. However, at the end of this stage, you’ll have enterprise application software.

Also, Read: 8 Quick Ways to Gain Software Development Skills While in College

5. The Testing Phase

Before you deliver the final software to stakeholders, make sure to test the software thoroughly. Run multiple tests on the software to eliminate errors and bugs. We recommend running tests when the software is in the development phase as well. There are various software tests to ensure flawless functionality of the software:

Minimizes bugs and crashes. The result is a clean code that is easy to alter when needed.

This test individually determines components to validate each unit of the software is functioning as expected.

The purpose of this testing is to reveal any faults in the interaction between integrated units. All the individual units are tested to ensure smooth performance.

The purpose of this test is to eliminate the performance bottlenecks of the software. Developers check the speed, response time, reliability, resource usage, scalability under the expected workload. They ensure the software runs smoothly, even if several users are using the software at one time. 

Developers run security testing to expose any threats, vulnerabilities, or risks that are dangerous. It detects security risks in the software that developers fix with coding.

If the testing phase goes successfully, your software is ready for deployment.

6. The Deployment Phase

Your enterprise application software is finally ready for launch. The phase involves manual approval to deploy the software. Some companies use automatic tools to deploy the software, such as Application Release Automation (ARA). Once available to employees, you must teach them how to use the software.

The output of this stage is the smooth release of your enterprise software.

7. Operations & Maintenance

Your job doesn’t end here. After a successful launch, the software must be frequently monitored to ensure its flawless functionality. The software can be updated and altered as per user feedback because there is always room for improvement.

Regular checks will also expose any bugs and defects of the software that might be hindering its performance. In addition to identifying those bugs, make sure that removing them doesn’t introduce more problems in the software.

Create the Perfect Enterprise Application Software

A simplified Software Development Life Cycle is a requirement of every mobile app company. Developing an enterprise application software becomes easier when the developers are aware of the 7 phases. Every software starts with a basic idea and goes through multiple stages until it is finally released. Even after being released, the software is regularly updated, and new features are added. 

There is no perfect method for developing enterprise application software development, it is a never-ending iterative process that requires efforts to be flawless. Think about what the company needs the project for, strategize to make a proper plan, and then implement it.

Although enterprise application software development is rapidly changing and becoming easier, these stages are crucial to follow for any enterprise software. We hope understanding these stages makes your software development life cycle faster and easier. Good luck with your app development!