• Unit 2: Software Development Life Cycle Models

    The software development life cycle (SDLC) is the process for planning, creating, testing, and deploying an information system. There are different approaches to break down the work when developing software systems. Conceptually, each model provides specific guidance to the sequencing and repetition of life cycle activities to deliver high-quality software systems.

    As you review this unit, try to see the similarities in these categories of life cycle models. This will help you grasp the basic concepts of SDLC. This unit connects strongly with Unit 9: Project Management, since choosing and managing a software life cycle process is a central component of project management.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 4 hours.

    • Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • summarize the software development life cycle (SDLC);
      • compare and contrast categories of life cycle models, such as waterfall, incremental, and iterative models;
      • describe the differences between software development phases, activities, and deliverables;
      • list different roles that professionals such as system analysts, developers, and project managers play in software development processes; and
      • explain the major methodologies and processes in software engineering, such as Agile, Lean, Spiral, and Unified.

    • 2.1: Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

      • Software Development Life Cycle Page

        The software development life cycle (SDLC) consists of several phases. Read this section to explore the software life cycle and these main phases.

    • 2.2: Life Cycle Models

      • Software Development Approaches Page

        Approaches to software development usually follow one of a few basic models. Read this section about different software development approaches and try to figure out the main advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

      • Software Development Models Page

        This is a summary of software development models. Read this summary and try to address the main features of each model. Note that this development approach might be categorized in a different way in other resources.

    • 2.3: Software Development Team Roles

    • 2.4: Software Development Methodologies

      • Introduction to Software Engineering/Methodology Book

        Software development methodology is used to structure, plan, and control the process of developing an information system. What are different approaches? and what are the basic principles of each approach?

      • Software Development Life Cycle Methodologies Page

        This video contains a lot of good information, so take notes and/or find the time to watch and listen more than once. Pay particular attention to Scrum as it is one of the most widely used Agile methodologies nowadays.

    • Unit 2 Assessment

      • Unit 2 Assessment Quiz
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        Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.

        • This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
        • You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
        • You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.