SDLC by Powercode
Sofię_Nalimską
Project Manager
When starting your collaboration with us, you will definitely want to know the stages your project will pass by. We wrote this article to provide you with clear vision on what’s going on when we bring your project into the fold.
Stage 1. Initial interview and rough estimation
The first and most important stage is defining client’s requirements. At this point, we will need your active participation in an interview we will conduct to find out the goal of your application and your expectations from the project. You can mention anything you consider important for your future app. The points we will ask you about are the purpose of your app, its target audience, main functionality, platforms on which you need the app to operate, languages it should support and specific demands to the development process if any. After we clarify your final business targets, we will start analyzing your requirements, which includes the validity and possibility to incorporate them. After the analysis is done, we will give you ballpark estimation and a brief timeline.
Stage 2. BA and planning
Further we conduct an additional questionnaire with you if it is necessary. Here we also define the technology stack and specialists needed to develop your application and come up with technology solutions we will use throughout the process. We also preliminarily define which third parties your app will need to involve, like payment gateway, social networks etc. At this stage, we build initial architecture of your app, i.e. develop the functional specification of the software.
To describe the specific goals that the end user wants to accomplish by consuming this very product, we create user stories. They help designers organize their work according to user goals and prioritize the design of each screen. Wireframes are also an essential part of this stage and create the backbone of your project layout to further build individual parts of the app. So, creating user stories and wireframes, we already have strong vision of how your project will look like to prototype it.
At this point, we are ready to give you detailed estimation of your project’s cost. After that we will decompose the entire development process into iterations with clear boundaries and deadlines. Within iterations, we will create demos to get your approval.
Risk matrix is also elaborated at this stage. We define potential risks, the percentage of its occurrence possibility, risk assessment, likelihood, probability, consequence severity.
Afterwards, it goes the detailed timeline discussion involving the Gantt chart with you. This is where final deadlines, project brief, and a kickoff meeting occur.
Stage 3. Designs loop
A creative but still technical stage of the software development lifecycle. We will create UX and UI design samples, send them to you for approval, and move to the final version agreement.
In the very process of development and for the best commercial result we all want to achieve when starting own business and developing an app, UX design plays a vital role. It is extremely important to provide your target audience with great user experience. Otherwise, they will abandon your application immediately. Even if the app looks like a simple one for a regular user, they will quickly understand if it’s not, because of running against all the pitfalls within the first 5 minutes of using the application. Thus, your app should be easy to navigate, simple to perceive, and super pleasant to use. To achieve it, we enhance the app usability and accessibility making it user-friendly and comprehensible enough for pleasant usage. It will prolong user lifespan at your application.
When seeing the app for the first time, users perceive it very quickly, just in a few seconds. At the first glance, they will understand if your app is too complicated to handle, or if its complexity will just seem to them, be sure they will leave without even getting acquainted with your product. Our designs provide the best visual impression from the application. The PowerCode team creates only effective UI for their clients. Working with us, you won’t see garish color solutions and chaotic placement of elements. We don’t design to give eyestrain.
Stage 4. Development and QA loop
At this stage we meet up with you for a backlog approval and re-estimations if needed. This is the part where the actual programming takes place. All the above-mentioned stages take on the role of a guideline here. When the development process is completed, code review is conducted, and all the necessary documentation is prepared, we start quality assurance and testing of the app to define if there are any bugs, detect them, and fix them. This helps us see if the end product we produced meets customer’s expectations. Our QA engineers measure the development process quality, improve it, and prevent defects. As a result, we make sure that the app is doing what it’s supposed to do and isn’t doing what it’s not supposed to do. This is when we are ready to release a demo-version to alpha/beta testing on GP (Android), TestFlight (iOS), and Beta Server (Web).
Stage 5. Product release
Finally, the most pleasant step for our clients — the product release! First, we provide metadata about your application and upload it to stores upon your request or to your server if it is a site. To make sure that a product is ready for release, we conduct a pre-release acceptance test. If there are no drawbacks, we start developing promo materials for mobile stores and submit the App Store review. Afterwards, it goes web deployment, release to stores, and post-release testing. As you can see, we test your application for numerous times to make sure you get the product of incredibly high quality. Then we transfer materials and credentials, such as source code, design assets, documentation, and accesses to accounts and resources to a client.
Stage 6. Support and maintenance
This stage includes upgrades, updates, and technical improvements upon your request. The PowerCode friendly team is always ready to help you. You are just six simple stages away from the application that will boost your productivity.
