SDLC vs Agile System Development:
Phases, Pros and Cons, and Common Grounds

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is an organized approach to developing and building software. This method can be used for both hardware and software development. Agile Development, on the other hand, is a flexible and iterative way to build software. It emphasizes collaboration, flexibility, adaptability, and getting software up and running quickly.

The world has advanced significantly in the past twenty years since the invention of software. Businesses and people in information technology are constantly improving and creating software and programs.

How well a software product works depends on how it was made and how hard individuals worked on it.

The main difference between these two types is how they develop software. In this post, we will talk about SDLC vs. Agile Development in a broad sense. We will discuss their pros and cons to help you make an informed choice for your next software job.

• SDLC: Structured, sequential, predictive approach.
• Agile: Iterative, adaptive, self-organizing, adaptive planning.
• Both require active client involvement for frequent feedback and collaboration.

Agile differs from SDLC in structure, methodology, and adaptability. SDLC is an organized, sequential, and predictive method. Conversely, Agile is an iterative, flexible method that encourages self-organizing teams and flexible planning. Both approaches focus on getting value to clients quickly and effectively while also involving them and giving them lots of chances to provide feedback.

Agile development is a way to plan and create iterative and incremental software products. Many professionals like this model. Unlike the old waterfall methods, it focuses on constant release, minor changes made often, and teams' ability to adapt quickly to new needs.

Some of the Agile system development models are:

• Rational Unified Process (1994)
• Scrum (1995)
• Crystal Clear
• Extreme Programming (1996)
• Adaptive Software Development
• Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) (1995)

What Are Agile Development Stages?

Figure 1: Phases of Agile Development Process

A product goes through a structured set of steps in the Agile lifecycle. Usually, there are six Agile SDLC phases or Agile iterations. These Agile stages each last between one and three weeks and include:

First Phase: Concept

Before the Agile development life cycle starts, stakeholders and product owners work together to plan the project's goals and boundaries. They examine the prices, the expected completion date, the desired features, and the requirements to determine whether the project is feasible.

Second Phase: Inception

This is the second of six steps in the Agile development life cycle. In this stage, the founder picks the right team members, gives them jobs, and gives them the tools they need to start building the product.

Before starting the development process, planning and deciding on the primary set of methods and templates for future development work is essential. The first part of the planning process is called the "inception phase."

• UI/UX design, in which designers make a model of the user interface and experience after carefully studying the pros and cons of their rivals.
• Product design involves the dedicated team discussing frameworks, containers, programming languages, and other tools that best meet business needs.

You can move on to the next stage once the team and software setup are set up at the end of this phase.

Third phase: Iteration

In this step, developers and UI/UX designers work closely to ensure that all feedback and business needs are reflected in the code. The team works on the product backlog over several development sprints during this time.

The iteration (or development) stage is an integral part of the agile method because it lets the team create a product with few features and add more later. After the development stage, quality testing, technical documentation writing, and ending the iteration are necessary.

Fourth phase: Testing

The digital product is tested at the end of each sprint, and then there is one last testing step to ensure the software works perfectly. Several types of tests are part of the Agile life cycle, such as:

• Unit Testing: At this stage, the QA team independently checks the performance and usefulness of each front-end and back-end component.
• Integration Testing: In this step, different product parts are combined to ensure they work well together.
• Acceptance Testing: After this step, quality assurance experts check to see if the digital product meets the needs of end users.
• System Testing: The system is checked to ensure all parts work correctly. If the tests go well, the QA team gives the go-ahead for the next deployment step.

The assigned team takes all of these steps to check the quality of the code and the product's ability to meet business goals. Once the product has passed all its tests, it is time to put it on the market. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you need top-notch quality assurance services from professionals in the field.

Fifth Stage: Release

During this phase, the main goal is to produce a reliable and effective product that meets customers' needs. The product's quality assurance tests ensure it is error-free and works perfectly when released.

The object is ready for sale after completing the last tests and checks. The software makers often teach people how to use it effectively to help them get used to it. The dedicated team moves on to the final part when they finish their tasks.

Sixth phase: Review

When an Agile software development project reaches this point, the goal is no longer to have a successful start but a successful long-term outcome. The product was launched successfully, and customers often give feedback, ask for new features, or interact with the latest updates.

It's up to the stakeholders, development teams, and management teams to keep the application running smoothly by providing ongoing support.

Pros and Cons of Agile System Development

Advantages of the Agile Development Method

• Adaptability and flexibility: The agile development methodology enables teams to react swiftly to shifting demands, market dynamics, and client input.
• Rapid Evaluation Loops: Agile teams communicate openly and often, toile teams communicate openly, which allows them to find problems quickly and fix them.
• Lower Chance of Failing: Regular reviews during sprints help identify possible problems and risks, which increases the project's chances of succeeding.
• Continuous Improvement: With each version, agile teams examine their processes, identify areas for improvement, and strive to achieve better results.
• Better Quality and Control: With agile, project managers have more control over the project because of its open contact and constant feedback.

Problems with Agile Development

• Agile development requires active client participation throughout the project, which takes time and effort.
• Not Enough Complete paperwork: Agile prioritizes working software over complete paperwork, making it difficult to share knowledge, train new employees, and keep the project going.
• Timeline and Cost Estimation Difficulty: Because Agile projects are iterative, timetables and resource allocations may be affected, making it challenging to produce precise financial and project completion estimates.

SDLC stands for "Software Development Life Cycle." A lot of software companies use this type of process. It can be used to make both hardware and software parts. This process ensures that the end products work well and are of good quality. Planning, defining objectives, designing the product architecture, building the product, testing it, deploying it, and maintaining it are all parts of the SDLC. The other name for SDLC is the Application Development Life Cycle. There are different types of SDLC, each with its steps. These are the most well-known:

• Waterfall Model
• Iterative Model
• Spiral Model
• V-Model
• Big Bang Model

What Are The Stages of SDLC?

Figure 2: SDLC Phases

1. Planning: The first step is to obtain standards and review them. As part of this process, you will meet top managers, get customer feedback, and learn about sales and marketing. The standards should be written down correctly. The Software Requirements Specification (SRS) is the name of the file. The product needs are laid out as part of the project life cycle.
2. Design: We create a software architecture for system development using the SRS document (Software Requirement Specification) created in the first step. This step helps describe the programming language framework, database architecture, and system architecture. It also finds and specifies the system and hardware requirements. The steps for designing the system are put into the model in the next step.
3. Implementation: A good programming language helps put together the project. Some of the tools that can be used to write and test programs are compilers, processors, code editors, IDEs, and debuggers. You can choose the computer language based on the purpose. In this step, the module is checked one unit at a time.
4. Testing: Testing ensures that a piece of software does what it's supposed to do, helping us determine whether the finished project meets our needs. Testing includes system testing, integration testing, and more. Integration testing checks two sections, and a system test checks the whole project.
5. Delivery and Setup: The product finally hits the market. A brand-new feature can be added to the product based on customer feedback. Customers who buy from us get the upkeep and services they need. These are the main steps that make up SDLC.
6. Maintenance: Putting out the program doesn't finish the process. You need to check, track, and analyze it regularly to ensure you get real value. Once the business is up and running, it requires a lot of maintenance.

Pros and Cons of SDLC

What are the main benefits of SDLC?

• Stability and predictability: SDLC provides software development with an organized framework that ensures stability and predictability throughout the project lifecycle.
• Detailed Documentation: SDLC needs clear documentation of the project's needs, designs, and execution details at each stage of development.
• Effective Use of Resources: SDLC ensures that roles and responsibilities are assigned correctly, lowering costs, boosting productivity, and resulting in better goods.
• Clear Project Milestones: The SDLC breaks the project into clear stages with clear deliverables and milestones. This makes tracking what has been done and what has gone wrong with the project plan easier.

Problems with SDLC

• Lack of Flexibility: The structured, step-by-step method of SDLC can make it harder to adapt to changing project needs.
• Hard to Change to Meet New Requirements: SDLC's rigid method might not be able to meet new requirements, which could cause problems between the final product and what users expect.
• Longer Development Cycles: Because SDLC works in a linear way, development cycles are longer than with agile methods. This could cause software products to come out later than planned.

Even though they are different methods, Agile and SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) have many similarities. Both methods try to give the software development process direction and structure so that high-quality products are delivered successfully. One important similarity is that both projects stress thorough planning at the start. 

In both Agile and SDLC, defining objectives, setting project goals, and outlining the range of work are carefully thought out. This first part of planning sets the stage for the rest of the development work and helps ensure the project fits with the organization's goals.

In addition, both Agile and SDLC stress the importance of testing throughout the development process. Quality verification is integral to both methods and finding problems early on is emphasized.

Even though different testing methods may be used, the shared resolve to constantly evaluate and improve helps make the software product more reliable and useful.

The focus on planning and thorough testing is because everyone wants to deliver software that meets or exceeds client standards while staying within budget and time limits.

Agile/SDLC strategies depend on project kind, flexibility required, and organisational structure.

Agile's iterative and adaptable nature makes it suited for shifting requirements. Continuous feedback helps teams release product updates rapidly.

Small, cross-functional teams that value collaboration and customer involvement benefit from agile.

SDLC may be beneficial for projects with clear and predictable requirements due to its sequential approach. Because of its thorough and predictable roadmap, SDLC is appropriate for major projects that require planning, documentation, and risk management.

Project needs determine agile vs SDLC. Agile is best for fast, flexible, and stakeholder-engaged projects.

Large projects with known needs that require a disciplined and methodical approach may benefit from SDLC. Effective and efficient project delivery requires considering project goals, business culture, and stakeholder expectations.