What is a Software Development Lifecycle?
Blog|by Leanne Bevan|29 June 2023
What is a Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)?
In short, it’s the process of planning, writing, and modifying software for all stages of development. It’s a term used in the software industry to describe a series of steps a software developer goes through when creating a new software product. These steps could typically be:
- Design – Brainstorm, create a plan and design a mock-up of what you want and need your product to do.
- Write the code – Time to build your product. Often the most time-consuming phase of the lifecycle.
- Test – Ensure it’s free of bugs and errors before release.
- Launch – Once testing is complete, it’s time to push your product live so your customers can use it
- Manage & Review – One of the most critical stages. This includes fixing bugs, ensuring reliability and adding new features to the existing live product.
Benefits
- Identify risks and limitations at an early stage
- Ensure the right people are involved at the right time
- Measure your progress to make sure everything is on track
- Plan how you will deliver your product
- Analyse earlier lifecycles to see where you can improve for the next one
Gain the confidence that each release is better than the last with SmartBear
SmartBear is unique in being able to meet you exactly where you are in your software development lifecycle (SDLC). The process has been made as easy as possible to plug their toolset into your current environment, no matter what stage of development you're currently at and what products you have currently integrated
Each tool has been built to fall into one of the three categories in the diagram below. Making use of tools across the three categories will take challenges out for your software development team and improve the overall quality of the committed code.

Customers are at the centre of decision-making at SmartBear. It has been made clear the need for better visibility for the software development process to drive better outcomes and accelerate the development lifecycle. Gain The SmartBear Advantage when using more than one tool. All tools are built to work seamlessly together allowing you to take advantage of the full portfolio to support your full SDLC.

SmartBear "Meet you where you are"
Grey Matter is a SmartBear reseller. Get in touch with us and book a demo to find out more about SmartBear and how it can benefit your software development lifecycle. Fill out the contact form below.
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Author
Leanne Bevan
Vendor Marketing Manager at Grey Matter
Leanne has been part of our team for over a decade, and has worked as a vendor marketing manager for a number of our key vendors. Now with a keen focus on cyber security as well as developer technologies, Leanne continues to manage marketing across several vendors, including Embarcadero, Acronis, ESET, and more.
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