Software Development Lifecycle Management

Have you ever experienced managing a product for the entire Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)? If not, let me tell you that it's challenging! First, SDLC is a series of steps that provide the best practices for software solutions. These steps guarantee a quality product that will satisfy both stakeholders and users. It also encompasses a variety of roles and responsibilities. SDLC aims to prevent issues that may arise along the way and include stages to address them. Let's understand these roles and responsibilities of SDLC. Here we go!

What is Software Development Lifecycle Management?

In Capicua, we work under an Agile Methodology that allows us to work in repetitive intervals, known as sprints. After each iteration, we get a prototype, a viable product, or a product's new feature. Our most favorable outcome of using this method is the significant increment in the results. We can tangibly see a product going from zero to hero! Agile is just one of many SDLC approaches or frameworks. There are other options, such as Kanban and Waterfall. Let's see the typical roles and responsibilities involved in the process!

The Roles in Software Development Lifecycle Management

1. Software Development Product Owner

PO (Product Owner) is the stakeholder's business representative. It's a role that usually handles all the project requirements. A limelight quality of this role is its commercial experience. Product Owners also know everything there's to know about the product and its requirements to prioritize the most urgent tasks. POs are continuously involved in the product lifecycle. If there's something to inform the stakeholders, they will communicate it assertively. POs have a futuristic vision of the market landscape; they must provide the best advice to land the product safely.

2. Software Development Project Manager

The Project Manager is the team's representative. They coordinate the participants' work and handle negotiations. PMs are not only the team's representatives in front of the PO. They're also the person accountable for a project, responsible for assigning tasks to each team member and providing what they need to complete them. Through a series of tools, they follow every iteration and step of the process to ensure meeting budget and timeframes.

3. Software Development Team Leader

The Team Leader (TL) is in charge of technical implementation. They help translate initial ideas into technical solutions during development. They also control a product's architectural logic and solve technical problems. Team Leaders are essential to the project’s team since they provide knowledge to build architectural solutions and control, verify and apply them. TL maintains communication with the PO and also works on roadmap management.

How do teams work in Software Development Lifecycle?

In our experience, managing products for their entire SDLC is a complex process that englobes many tasks. The PO creates duties, pre-writes requirements, and determines the priorities. Once the team analyzes the case, the PM should indicate the scope of work so everyone can be ready to start the sprint upon approval. 

Meanwhile, the TL helps make sense of ideas and develops the architectural logic of the product. The PM prepares reports that include tests. This information reaches the product owner and stakeholders. The idea is that stakeholders decide how to continue the project. Looking for more info about the SDLCM? We have a blog post comparing it with Product Lifecycle Management, Don't forget to check it out!

The Roadmap for Successful Software Development Lifecycle

It doesn't matter the approach that a specific PM leans on; the need for productivity across the whole lifecycle will remain untouched. So, we thought it would be great to share some tips to get the best results when working on a Software Development Lifecycle.

First, focus on planning and brainstorming with your team! Productivity Software can be quite the ally to help you and your team to stay on the same page. These tools will also be helpful in organizing the collected information from end users. Having a feedback channel to avoid losing essential comments can help you in the short and long term. For instance, our team works with a marvelous combination of Slack, Jira, and Loom for these purposes.

With all tools and platforms set in place, the next step is to divide the requirements into several parts to ensure everything is clear. Also, at this point, you should define the more suitable design system to create efficient prototypes. Work and select the proper fidelity and determine the actual scope of the project, then review the progress of each step of the project. Reviewing the progress also includes Software Testing, whether automated or manual. 

Remember to share the project requirements in a modifiable file. Not only will this keep stakeholders aware of any changes, but it will help the team to document steps and progress. Further, if any changes are needed after the testing stages, you should have a rework timeframe and overall planning. Like with the prior steps, documenting each change is vital. 

As you may have guessed, collecting and organizing data is essential within this process to maintain optimal communication with the team!

Final Thoughts

The software project's success greatly depends on the decisions taken by the lead roles we mentioned. Product Owners, Project Managers, and Team Leaders must work together to ensure smooth processes and effective outcomes. That's why having a deep understanding of how the different approaches affect the lifecycle process is also of great help. Are you ready to work in your next Software Development project with this tips?