Understanding initial stages of software design is very important not only for software company owners, but for the professionals who don’t have a background in software design, but still want to create a software design themselves. This means, those who are part of the software development, must know the basics and initial stages of software design before they begin.
1. Data Collection and Analysis
This is also known as “Requirement Gathering and Analysis,” which is also the first stage of software design. It’s the brainstorming phase and is usually composed of sub-stages, such as Feasibility Analysis, in order to analyse how much of the idea can be implemented.
Likewise, if there’s a particular software that must be modified, the underlying issues of the software are sorted out, together with discovering feasible ways of how to solve it. Similarly, if a newly-made software is going to be developed, then every requirement for this must be looked up. This only implies that this phase calls for maximum research and inputs.
2. System Analysis
At this stage, the entire system is thoroughly defined. It is when a detailed blueprint of different processes of the software is created. If there’s a need to divide the system into smaller parts, this would be also done at this stage, in order to ensure that everything would be more manageable for the designers, developers, project managers, and testers.
3. Designing the System
The physical system is designed during this phase with the use of the local design made by the system analyst. Then, the system analyst and the designers will work together and use specific tools and software to produce the overall design, including the probable output of the software.
4. Coding
Just like what the name implies, this stage involves coding the software with utmost precision. Here, a team of designers is assigned to work on the software design. Usually, the work is subdivided into another phase known as “Task Allocation.” Here, each developer is assigned to work on a certain task based on his or her specific skills.
5. Testing
Once the software design is ready, it will be transferred to the testing department where a Quality Analyst will evaluate it thoroughly to see if there are any errors in the design. This professional would either test the software manually, or use automated testing tools to ensure that every component of the software is working well.
6. Implementation
This is the last stage of the software design process. In this stage, the software will be tested by a set of users. If the software design runs smoothly and without any flaw, then it’s an indication that the software is ready to be launched.
Knowing the basics of software design is a great way to ensure that you’ll be able to create an error-free software in the future. Also, it’s important to note that designing is different from coding, that’s why it’s really important to know the steps involved in software design even when you already have a background in coding. As for more complex projects, there are instances where a redesign may be needed.
