What is Program Development Cycle ?
The program development cycle, also known as the software development life cycle (SDLC) or programming development life cycle (PDLC), is a structured and systematic approach to creating software applications. It encompasses a series of phases that software developers follow to design, develop, test, and deploy software. This cycle ensures that the software is developed efficiently, meets the desired requirements, and is of high quality.
The program development life cycle provides a framework for managing the entire software development process from start to finish. It helps in breaking down the complex task of software development into smaller, manageable steps, allowing for better planning, organization, and control.
By following the programming development life cycle (PDLC), developers can systematically gather requirements, design the software architecture, write the code, test for bugs and issues, and ultimately deploy the software to end-users. The cycle ensures that each phase is completed thoroughly before moving on to the next, reducing the likelihood of errors and enhancing the overall quality of the software.
Different methodologies and approaches exist within the programming development cycle. The choice of methodology depends on factors such as project requirements, team size, timeline, and organizational preferences. Common methodologies include the Waterfall model, Agile methodologies (such as Scrum and Kanban), and DevOps.
The program development life cycle plays a vital role in software development projects by providing a structured approach that helps in efficient resource management, timely delivery, and better collaboration among team members. It promotes transparency, minimizes risks, and allows for continuous improvement throughout the development process.
Overall, the programming development cycle serves as a guide for software development teams, enabling them to create robust and reliable software applications while maintaining high standards of quality and meeting user requirements.
Steps of Program Development Cycle
Program development life cycle is a set of phases and steps that are followed by problem solver to define, develop and maintain a program. Planning your program using a sequence of steps, referred to as the program development cycle. Following are the 6 phases of program development life cycle :
Step 1: Define the Problem :
- It is very important that you understand the problem you are trying to solve. Make sure you read the problem specifications carefully.
- Know what data is to be input into the program and what form that data should be in. Also, know what processing has to be done to that data.
- Finally, determine what the expected output is supposed to be and what form the output must take.
Step 2: Design the Program :
- There are several ways of describing program design. Two common methods are by flowcharts and pseudocode.
- A flowchart is a graphic description of a program design that uses combinations of various standard flowchart symbols.
- We shall use flowcharts to represent only, the basic program control structures. Pseudocode (literally, "false code") describes program design using English. Pseudocode avoids the syntax of a programming language and, instead, emphasizes the design o the problem solution.
Step 3: Code the Program :
- To code a program means to translate the design from step 2 into a computer programming language.
- Code the program by entering it into your IDE's text editor, or any text editor on your computer system. Make sure that you save the program to disk before proceeding to the next step.
- In the next step of the program development cycle, you will submit the program code, called the source program or the source code, to the computer for compilation.
Step 4: Compile and Link the Program :
- The only language a given computer understands is its own machine language.
- A machine language instruction is a binary-coded instruction (consisting of zeros and ones) that commands the computer to do one specific task, such as add 1 to a register.
- Each computer has its own machine language. The machine language for a Sun workstation is different from the machine language of a Macintosh, which is different from the machine language of an IBM PC, and so on. Because machine language is in binary, it is difficult to write and find errors in machine language programs.
- Because a computer understands only its own machine language, it cannot execute
- high-level or middle-level instructions directly. The computer, using a program
- called a compiler, must translate middle-level and high-level language programs into equivalent machine language programs. A compiler is a specialist. It translates only one high-level or middle-level language into a specific machine language.
- A compiler has two main functions, (i) Checking fatal syntax errors, and (ii) Translate the code into machine specific language.
- First it checks the source program for syntax errors. Syntax errors are errors in the grammar of the programming language. If there are any fatal syntax errors (that is, errors so severe that the compiler does not understand the statement and cannot translate the statement into machine language), the compiler will stop and notify you of the errors it found.
- If the compiler finds no fatal errors, it translates each high-level language instruction into one or more machine language instructions. This machine language version of the source program is the object program.
Step 5: Execute the Program :
- Once you have compiled and linked the program, you are ready to execute the program.
- Executing the program is usually quite simple. In some IDEs, all you need to do is select the execute option from a menu or click an icon.
Step 6: Test and Debug the Program :
- Even if a program executes, it does not mean that the program is correct.
- Even if a program gives correct results using some data, it does not mean that the program will give correct results using another set of data.
- Thus, program should be tested for various possible sets of data and should bee debugged whenever required.
Examples of Program Development Life Cycle
Here are a few examples of PDLC life cycle:
1) Agile Development:
Agile is an iterative and incremental approach to software development. It involves breaking down the project into small, manageable tasks called user stories. The development process consists of short iterations, typically lasting 1-4 weeks, called sprints. Each sprint involves requirements gathering, development, testing, and customer feedback. Examples of Agile methodologies include Scrum and Kanban.
2) Spiral Model:
The Spiral model is a risk-driven approach that combines elements of waterfall and prototyping methodologies. It involves multiple iterations, each consisting of four phases: requirements gathering, design, development, and evaluation. The spiral model emphasizes risk analysis and allows for incremental development and continuous refinement.
3) Rapid Application Development (RAD):
RAD is an accelerated development approach that focuses on quickly building prototypes and iterations of the software. It involves gathering requirements, prototyping, development, and testing in short cycles. RAD emphasizes user involvement and feedback throughout the process.
4) V-Model:
The V-Model is a variation of the waterfall model that emphasizes testing at each stage of development. The development process follows a V-shaped pattern, where each stage of development has a corresponding testing phase. The stages include requirements gathering, system design, component design, implementation, and testing (unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and user acceptance testing).
5) Incremental Model:
The Incremental model divides the software development process into small increments. Each increment includes requirements gathering, design, development, and testing. The increments are developed and delivered sequentially, allowing for early customer feedback and the gradual evolution of the software.
6) DevOps:
DevOps is an approach that integrates software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to enable continuous integration, delivery, and deployment. It focuses on collaboration, automation, and monitoring throughout the software development life cycle, allowing for faster and more reliable software releases.
These are just a few examples of program development life cycles. Each approach has its own strengths and is suitable for different types of projects and teams. It's important to choose the life cycle that aligns with the project requirements and team dynamics.