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.
Contact Grey Matter
If you have any questions or want some extra information, complete the form below and one of the team will be in touch ASAP. If you have a specific use case, please let us know and we'll help you find the right solution faster.
By submitting this form you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Website Terms of Use.
Leanne Bevan
Related News
HERE Partner Day London
Thu 12 June 2025 10:00 am - 4:00 pm BST
Join us at the upcoming HERE Partner Day event in London. Explore the latest advancements in location technology alongside industry leaders.
Developer Wellness: Finding work-life balance in tech
We're taking the time to focus on the coder rather than the code. Here are our best tips, tools and strategies to help you achieve work-life balance in tech while managing your dev careers.
Cloud Adoption Framework: how to migrate to the cloud
Ready to learn about the next stage in your cloud adoption journey? Episode three of our Azure 101 series is out now. You know all about the Strategy phase of Microsoft’s Cloud Adoption Framework, now learn about the Planning phase. ...
[WEBINAR] Accelerating agile: Scaling quality with AI and automation
AI is transforming app quality – will your team adapt or fall behind? AI is no longer on the horizon – it’s reshaping how dev and test teams work today. The question isn’t if you’ll adopt AI-driven testing, but how...