6 Stages for Software Development Process SDLC

The software development process — commonly known as the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) — serves as the foundation for any successful software project. Its primary goal is to deliver solutions that meet customer requirements while ensuring quality, timely delivery, and adherence to budget constraints.

A well-structured SDLC enables every stakeholder — from developers and testers to designers and project managers — to work in sync. It clarifies the sequence of activities, individual responsibilities, and expected outputs at each stage of development. For a software development company like BHSOFT, following a defined SDLC framework is essential for maintaining consistency, minimizing risks, and delivering high-quality software products.

The 6 Core Stages in the Software Development Process

A complete Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) typically includes the following six fundamental phases. Each phase plays a critical role in ensuring that the final product is functional, scalable, and aligned with business goals.

1. Planning & requirement analysis

This stage sets the strategic direction for the entire project by focusing on understanding why the software is needed and what problems it should solve. At this point, a software development company works closely with clients and stakeholders to clarify all essential aspects:

• Market needs and business objectives
• Target users and usage scenarios
• Expected features and system capabilities
• The scope, constraints, and feasibility of the project

Through open discussions and preliminary planning, both the development team and stakeholders ensure that the software concept is valuable, practical, and aligned with real business needs.

2. Requirement analysis

The next step is to clearly define what the system must do. This includes:

• Functional requirements: actions and behaviors the software must perform
• Non-functional requirements: performance, scalability, security, reliability, UI/UX expectations
• Platform and integration requirements

All collected requirements are documented in a Software Requirements Specification (SRS). This document acts as the blueprint for designers, developers, and testers, ensuring alignment throughout the project.

3. System & Architecture Design

In the design phase, the team transforms the SRS into a detailed technical plan. This includes:

• System architecture and technology stack
• Module structures and component interactions
• Database schema and data flow diagrams
• UI/UX design mockups

The design phase also considers important factors such as scalability, future maintainability, performance, and security. Decisions made at this stage greatly influence the product’s efficiency and long-term sustainability.

4. Development

This is the phase where the actual product begins to take shape. Developers write the source code following the approved technical design and coding standards.

• Each feature or module is implemented, integrated, and peer-reviewed
• Some teams deploy early versions in a development or staging environment
• Code is checked against functional requirements and prepared for formal testing

5. Testing / Quality Assurance

After development, the software undergoes a systematic testing process to validate its quality. QA engineers conduct various types of testing, such as:

• Functional testing
• Integration and system testing
• UI/UX testing
• Performance and load testing
• Security testing

Bugs, inconsistencies, and usability issues are identified and fixed before release. Depending on the SDLC model, testing may occur continuously (in Agile) or after full development (in Waterfall).

Read more: ​Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)

6. Deployment & Maintenance

Once testing is complete and the product meets quality standards, the software is deployed to the production environment or delivered to end-users.

• After release, maintenance becomes an ongoing responsibility:
• Fixing newly discovered bugs
• Updating outdated components
• Enhancing performance and security
• Adding new features based on user feedback

Continuous maintenance ensures that the system runs smoothly, stays secure, and adapts to evolving business needs.

Read more: Making the Best Software Framework Selections

Popular SDLC models in the Software Development Process and when to use them

In addition to defining the six core stages of the software development process, choosing the right SDLC model is equally important. Every project has unique characteristics—scope, complexity, expected changes, timeline, and available resources. Insights from Savvycom and other reputable sources highlight several widely used models in the modern software development lifecycle.

1. Waterfall model

The Waterfall model follows a strictly sequential approach:

Planning → Analysis → Design → Coding → Testing → Deployment.

Each phase must be completed before the next phase begins.

Advantages:

• Highly structured and easy to manage
• Clear documentation and progress tracking

Best suited for projects with stable, well-defined requirements that rarely change

Disadvantages:

• Low flexibility — difficult to adapt to mid-project requirement changes
• Limited early feedback
• Fixing issues discovered late in the cycle can be costly

This model is suitable for organizations implementing a linear software development process with minimal uncertainties.

2. V Model (V-Shaped Model)

A refined version of Waterfall, the V-Shaped Model integrates testing with every corresponding development phase. Test planning begins as soon as requirements and design are defined, helping identify defects early.

Best suited for:

Projects requiring high accuracy, strict standards, and zero tolerance for defects, such as:

• Healthcare systems
• Aviation software
• Financial and banking systems

This model is ideal when a validation-driven software development process is required.

3. Incremental & Iterative model

In this model, the software is developed in smaller modules or increments. Each increment delivers a functioning piece of the product, which is enhanced and expanded over multiple iterations.

Key benefits:

• High flexibility — clients can update or refine requirements between increments
• Faster delivery of functional components
• Ideal for complex projects or products requiring continuous improvement

This approach fits businesses seeking a modular, iteration-based software development process where not all requirements are known upfront.

4. Spiral model

The Spiral Model emphasizes risk analysis and iterative development. Each cycle (spiral) includes:

Planning → Risk Assessment → Design → Prototype → Evaluation.

Advantages:

• Extremely flexible
• Excellent for large-scale, high-risk, or highly complex projects
• Allows frequent adjustments based on stakeholder feedback

Disadvantages:

• Higher costs and longer timelines
• Requires experienced project management and risk control

This model suits enterprises that require a risk-driven software development process with advanced planning strategies.

5. Agile model (Scrum, XP, and Others)

Agile is one of the most widely adopted models today. Development occurs in short sprints (2–4 weeks), each delivering a working version of the product.

Advantages:

• Highly adaptable to changing requirements
• Early and continuous delivery
• Rapid feedback from customers
• Ideal for software products that evolve quickly (web apps, mobile apps, startup products)

Disadvantages:

• Can cause project drift if not well managed
• Documentation may be limited, creating long-term maintenance challenges
• Requires strong collaboration and team skills

Agile is the preferred model for companies needing a flexible, iterative software development process optimized for continuous improvement.

Read more: Software Development Trends: Embracing Innovation

Comparison & when to use each SDLC model

Why both SDLC stages and development models matter

The six stages of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) provide a clear and standardized framework that guides every step of a project — from requirement analysis to design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance. These stages act as the foundational structure for any software development process, ensuring that all tasks are executed systematically and consistently across projects.

While SDLC stages define what needs to be done, SDLC models (such as Waterfall, Agile, Spiral, or Iterative models) define how each stage is executed.

They determine whether the workflow is sequential, iterative, modular, feedback-driven, or tightly controlled.

Selecting the right development model — based on project type, customer requirements, resources, timelines, and the level of flexibility needed — directly impacts the effectiveness of the entire software development process lifecycle. When the SDLC framework is paired with the appropriate model, teams can reduce risks, improve product quality, and optimize the use of time and resources.

Conclusion

A well-defined software development process is essential for delivering reliable, scalable, and future-ready digital products. By combining the six stages of SDLC with the right development model, businesses can minimize risks, reduce costs, and accelerate time-to-market while ensuring the highest level of quality.

For organizations looking to transform ideas into robust software solutions, partnering with an experienced team makes all the difference. BHSOFT is here to support your end-to-end software product development — from strategy and design to implementation, testing, and long-term maintenance. Contact us today to bring your digital product to life with confidence.