A software development project is a complex undertaking by a team within the boundaries of time, budget, and resources that produces new or enhanced software that adds significant business value to a new or existing business process.
Examples

1. Point of Sales System

2. Library Management System

3. E-commerce websites (like ebay, Alibaba etc…)

4. A mobile applications

5. Student attendance system

6. Payroll system

7. Virtual shopping malls

3. Software development life cycle

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a framework that defines activities performed throughout the software development process
Includes four main phases

1. Planning

2. Analysis

3. Design

4. Implementation

5. Testing

6. Maintenance

3.1. Planning

Planning is the fundamental process of understanding why an information system should be built and determining how the project team will build it.
During the Planning phase

1. Check the feasibility of the project

2. Prepare a plan

3. Get a team

4. Initiate project management activities

3.1.1. Checking the project feasibility

Try to answer three main questions

1. Can this system be build?

2. Is the project worth doing?

3. Will the users accept once finished?

It is a detailed business analysis for the project done considering three aspects

1. Technical feasibility

2. Economical feasibility

3. Organizational feasibility

At the end prepares the Feasibility report
Project stakeholders

3.1.1.1. Technical feasibility

Study all the sources of Technical risks associated with the system

3.1.1.2. Economical feasibility

Assess financial viability of the project

3.1.1.3. Organizational feasibility

Study the stakeholder’s perception on the project

3.1.1.4. Project stakeholders

Stakeholder is a person or a group of people who are interested on the given project.
For any software development project there are three main stakeholders

1. Project champion

2. Business organizational management

3.Users of the system

Should consider all the stakeholders related to the project

3.1.2. Prepare Project work plan

Identify the tasks to be completed.
Draw a Work Breakdown (WBS) structure
WBS is a hierarchical diagram listing all the tasks required to complete.
WBS is read from left to right and top to bottom

3.1.2.1. Identify the tasks to complete

prepare the work break down structure

-> Work breakdown structure is a diagram which lists all the tasks in the project.

-> It is a hierarchical diagram

Then identify the time (duration) required to complete each task

-> Estimated start date, estimated end date, duration,

Identify the resources required for each task

-> Work resources, material resources and costs

Identify the tasks that are depended on each other
Identify the special outcomes/ goals to achieve - Milestones
Finally prepare a Gantt chart (Time plan) for the project
Sources to identify the tasks

1. Software development methodologies

2. Experience

3. Previous projects

3.1.3. Form the team

Every project requires a project team

-> Consists of system analysists, software designers, programmers, quality =>assurance engineers, software architects

Every team will have a Project Manager

-> The project manager will direct and control the project related activities.

-> Maintain communication between the Project Champion and the team members.

-> Make decisions on project related activities

3.1.4. Initiate project management activities

Project management is controlling and directing the project related activities such that the project trade offs are maintained.

1. Cost

2. Size

3. Time

Staffing the project
Motivating the team
Refining project estimates (time and cost)
Project scope management
Project risk management

3.2. Analysis

Perform a detail study about the project

1. Study the current business activities ( As-is System)

2. Identify the requirements of the new system (To-be system)

Requirement gathering (requirement elicitation)
Requirement analysis – identifying improvements
Function modeling – prepare Usecase diagram and usecase scenarios
Data modeling – Entity Relationship diagram
Final outcome is – requirement definition

3.3. Design

How to build the system that fulfills those needs
Decide how to build the system
Create system requirements that describe all technical details for building the system
System requirement specification

1. Final deliverable from design phase

2. Conveys exactly what system the development team will implement during the implementation phase

3.3.1. Activities completed in the design phase

Design the interfaces of the system

1. Identify user interfaces and system interfaces

2. Design user interface sketches

Design the data storage – schema design
Design the program – class diagram
Design how the system is deployed – deployment diagram
Identify the hardware and software required – network diagrams, hardware and software specification

3.4. Implementation

Is the development of all parts of the system

1. Coding

2. Testing

3. Documentation

4. Installation and creating New operating procedures

5. Maintenance

3.4.1. Coding

Class diagram, Entity relationship diagram, Network diagrams from the design phase will be the inputs.
Program will be written as designed in the Class diagram
Database will be created as designed in Entity relationship diagram
Network infrastructure will be created according to the Network diagrams and the hardware and software specification

3.4.2. Testing

Ensuring that the system fulfills the requirements.
Testing helps ensure that the system performs as outlined in the specifications.
It is dangerous to test early modules without an overall testing plan
Ensure that the system is free of errors.
Ensure the quality of the software is achieved.
Ensure the quality of the software

3.4.2.1. Unit testing

Tests each module – Does it performs its function?

3.4.2.2. Integration testing

Tests the interaction of modules - do they work together?

3.4.2.3. System testing

Tests to assure that the software works well as part of the overall system

3.4.2.4. Acceptance testing

Tests to assure that the system serves organizational needs

3.4.3. Documentation

Documentation provides information to make the system easier to use and repair.

3.4.3.1. System Documentation

Intended to help programmers and analysts understand and maintain the system after it is installed

3.4.3.2. User Documentation

Intended to help users operate the system

4. Summary

Development of a software is not a single task. It involves may activities to be completed.
A project should be properly planned and coordinated for it to be a success.
Project trade offs (Scope, Time and Cost) should be controlled.
SDLC is a guideline used in the Software development process to successfully develop and complete the software product.

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Software Development process

1. Project

2. Software development projects