Implementation
During implementation, the project team creates the actual product. Product implementation can be an exciting phase for the customer, because their idea for the project becomes something tangible. Project developers begin building and coding the software.
For example, if a customer wants a new gaming application, the project developers must program the application to perform the customer’s gaming requirements. As the team develops the code, the team must follow specific coding requirements. Customer requirements may call for specific computer programming languages or upgrades, and developers need to run the applications to ensure they function properly.
TEST
What happens if the product isn’t coded correctly during the implementation and coding phase of the software development life cycle?
The product won’t work according to customer specifications and will need to be reprogrammed.
What are the first three phases of the software development life cycle (SDLC)?
Requirements gathering and analysis, design, implementation and coding
Why is the implementation and coding phase of the software development life cycle important?
The actual product is created, and coding of the product gives it operational capability.
What documents are needed before implementation and coding can begin in the software development life cycle?
Requirements/analysis specification and design documents
Why is it important to build the product before coding during the software development life cycle?
If the product isn’t built, it doesn’t exist and therefore cannot be coded.
Coding
If the software application is designed properly and requirements are gathered accurately, the coding process is more streamlined. Project teams are better able to meet software coding deadlines when the correct information is gathered upfront from the customer.
For example, Sandy is a developer for a software company with a new project to develop code for a customer. Before Sandy can develop code, she needs to understand what the customer wants. She can learn this by requesting a requirements specification document with the customer’s details for the project. She also needs the design documents to ensure the product design will handle the specific coding requirements.
Once she has all the information she needs, she can begin coding, which includes determining the program and programming language to use and ensuring the code meets company specifications. After Sandy completes the code, the next phase of the development process can begin.
Lesson Summary
Let’s review. The software development life cycle has several phases. Requirements gathering and analysis is the first phase, while the product is designed in the second phase. Project teams use the customer requirements and software design documents to build the product in the third phase, known as the implementation and coding phase.
During the implementation portion, the developer creates the actual product, and the product is installed and ready for coding. After the product is built, the coding can begin. The coding process creates the operational ability of the software product. During the coding phase, developers analyze the feasibility of each coding language and begin programming according to coding specifications.
Without proper coding, the product won’t function according to the customer’s specifications, and new codes may need to be implemented. The code is important because the code is what makes the product operate for the end user. Once the developer completes the code, the code becomes the input for the next phase of the software development life cycle.