Software
development process or software development lifecycle (SDLC)
is a comprehensive framework that describes the various phases and
the various activities that need to be performed at each phase of
software development. It is a complicated process where the software
development team has to go through various stages namely
*
Initiation
*
System Concept Development and Planning
*
Requirements analysis
*
Design
*
Development
*
Testing
*
Implementation
*
Maintenance
*
Disposition
However,
blind adherence to the various development stages will not guarantee
success. The software development process must involve careful
planning, meticulous execution, good communication and prompt
reaction. Only then, the software development team can develop
software that conforms to customer requirements.
The
different stakeholders in the software development process namely
requirements analysts, architects, developers, coders, testers,
managers and operations personnel require various tools to manage and
support the different phases of the software development process. The
different tools required by the software development team
include requirements
management tools,
test management tools, issues management tools, risk management
tools, release management tools, and project management tools. Let us
look at the role of some of these tools in software development
process.
Team
Foundation Server (TFS)
TFS
is a tool that helps the development team in source control, data
collection, reporting and project tracking. TFS
integration platform facilitates integration between TFS and
external systems like bug-tracking systems. This platform helps build
tools that move data unidirectionally into TFS, and tools that
manage data bidirectionally.
Visual
Studio
An
integrated development environment, Visual Studio includes a code
editor, debugger, forms designer, web designer, class designer, data
designer, and mapping designer. Since it allows plug-ins, compilers,
editors and debuggers can enhance its functionalities at almost every
level.
JIRA
JIRA
is an issue-tracking tool that helps in issue tracking, bug tracking
and project management.
Eclipse
An
integrated development environment, Eclipse helps in developing
applications in Java and with the help of various plug-ins, other
programming languages such as C, C++, COBOL, Perl, PHP, Python, R,
Ruby, Groovy, Scheme and so on.
SharePoint
A
web application platform, it helps companies and organizations in
managing their web requirements. As it is heavily integrated with the
Office suite of tools, even non-experts can use this multipurpose web
tool and its functions.
These
are best of breed tools but these are siloed point function tools as
well. Hence, though these tools provide great assistance to the
various stakeholders, the lack of effective collaboration and
synchronization between these tools affects team collaboration and
communication very badly. Until recently, almost all companies faced
such a problem but the development of Open Service for Lifecycle
Collaboration (OSLC) initiative has succeeded in putting an end to
this situation through effortless integration. Thanks to OSLC
integration,
the various stakeholders now have a clear picture regarding the
overall application development activities and status.
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