Web Development Lifecycle (WDL)
The Web Development Lifecycle (WDL) is a more specific variation of the general framework for developing any application development project. Unlike general application development, all web development and design projects follow a similar structure, so the web development lifecycle/process can be used as a reference point for both the web development team and the developer. client to determine the status of any project and the area of activity to be addressed next.
The web development lifecycle is made up of eight identifiable stages which are outlined below:
1. Initial Consultation
The initial consultation seeks to understand the high-level business requirements, the scale of the web development, the required delivery schedule, and the overall feasibility, web design, and cost of the project.
2. Project specification
The business requirements of the proposed website are established iteratively between the Client and the web design team, and are documented in the form of a High Level Requirements Specification. The focus here is on business rules and relevant results. The implementation of the system, how the requirements are actually delivered, is reserved for later. Once agreed upon, this document will form the basis for the subsequent stages of the web development lifecycle.
3. Website architecture
This sets out the software and hardware requirements for web application delivery, such as web and application development language, operating system, database management system (DBMS), and hardware/hosting environment. appropriate to support the final website. robustly and reliably; taking into account the likely growth in data volumes, number of visitors, web traffic and functionality.
4. Website Design Cycle
The deliverables of this phase have a particular focus on the web design of the system, they include mock-ups or prototypes of the screens that make up the system, combined with system tutorials that will allow both the Client and the software developers, designers and projects. management team to clearly understand how the website will function from the perspective of the user and administrators. CRM design would also be fully considered here. This web application functionality is considered in the context of defined deliverables and business rules, and may result in the High Level Requirements Specification being updated or modified. Following this, a key deliverable here is a low-level website design specification/document that precisely defines the required implementation of web design and forms a blueprint of the project for software developers.
5. Snack content
Any textual and graphical content required for the web application is developed or acquired by the Client (or the software development company, depending on the relevant situation). It is assumed that the administration functionality that allows the Client to modify the entire content of the site from the beginning of the system and on an ongoing basis has been included and defined within the High Level Requirements Specification, as mentioned.
6. Website project development
At this stage, a detailed project plan for the implementation of web design will have been established, resources will be identified, timescales will be defined, and project dependencies will be clearly understood, especially regarding which parts of web development can be implemented. perform in series or in parallel. This stage actually overlaps with the next stage of the web development life cycle, as all modules developed on the web are tested to destruction by the appropriate members of the web development team. In addition, it is very important that all code produced by software developers be verified for quality to ensure compliance with project development standards.
7. Testing and quality assurance
Many forms of testing are carried out during this phase, from volume and system testing to ensure that all components work together within the web application and can easily cope with the initial and anticipated future demands of the system, to Testing. acceptance of the user (UAT) and logout. Many forms of testing are required during this phase that are beyond the scope of this introduction, such as cross-browser and security testing, all contributing to the delivery of a high-quality website and service to the customer.
8. Implementation of the website (launch)
Once the website implementation is tested and released as fully operational by the customer and the software development company, the website is deployed to the production environment and opened to the appropriate user base. After this, there is usually a preset warranty period and an ongoing support agreement can be established at the customer’s discretion.
The process may vary, but generally speaking, the dependencies and characteristics of a successful web application delivery process to the customer do not. I hope this has been a helpful introduction to the process of delivering quality web applications for any business.