What is Software Development?

What is software?

To know what software development consists of, we must first understand what we mean by software. In general terms, it is a set of instructions that tell the computer how to work.

Nowadays, we all have direct contact with various software for actions as simple and regular as communicating with someone, buying, selling, etc. These are responsible for making our lives more comfortable and simple.

Although there is no official classification, it is possible to separate the software into three types:

1.- Systems software

They take care of vital functions on computers and mobile devices. For example, operations software (iOS, Android, Windows), tools (antivirus, clipboard manager, diagnostic programs), and hardware management.

2.- Programming software

software programmer

These provide programmers with the tools to create software. There is a wide variety of these and they can change according to the purpose and time of use. Some of the most common are text editors, compilers, and debuggers.

3.- Application software

These are the software that we can recognize more easily. We use them to carry out activities such as listening to a song, watching videos, sharing photos, etc. We often know them simply as applications and today they have spread all over the world and generate a large amount of income for those who create them.

What is software development?

In simple words, it is the process that includes all the tasks that carry out a software project from its conception to its production and delivery. Typically, this is done by frontend and backend developers, DevOps engineers, quality engineers, product designers, project managers, and much more.

The roles of those protagonists may coincide and the dynamics between them often vary. On the other hand, it is important to note that software development can also refer to the tasks of writing, solving, and maintaining the source code of a program.

It may interest you: Why study software development

What is the software life cycle?

people development software

All activities within software development must be planned, divided into stages, and put in a logical order. This order is often referred to as the systems development process or software life cycle (SDLC).

In general, this consists of a process of seven different stages: requirements analysis, design, development, testing, implementation, and maintenance. Let's learn a little more about the phases of software development.

Phase 1: Requirements analysis

Here you begin to gather all the client's requirements regarding the software to be developed. What features will need to be included? How does it have to look? How should it work? This step is necessary to make adjustments and clearly visualize what you want to create.

Phase 2: Planning

In the next stage, the team begins to determine the cost and resources needed to implement the requirements gathered in the previous phase. Possible risks are also detailed here and plans are offered to overcome them. In other words, the team must determine the feasibility of the project and the best way to implement it with the least possible risk.

Phase 3: Design

Once the planning phase is finished, the architecture of the project begins to be built. For that, the programming language and the database that best fit the project are selected. This also removes possible errors by setting a standard and sticking to it.

Phase 4: Development

Now the software development process begins properly. In this stage, the components and functionalities of the program begin to be created.

Phase 5: Test

The results then need to be examined, so software testing is started. For that, test cases are carried out in order to find possible errors, and the necessary corrections are made.

Phase 6: Implementation

This is the stage where the project comes to life. Therefore, all the activities that allow the software to be made available for general use are performed here.

Phase 7: Maintenance

Once the project goes through each of the previous phases without problems, a maintenance process is carried out where the software will be updated so that it adapts to eventual changes.

The vast majority of software follows this series of steps or very similar variants. Now, since this is a constantly changing industry, there is a good chance that the process will never end and will continue to repeat itself in order to improve the program and add new features.

Now you know what software development is. Without a doubt, it is a topic that can become interesting for people inside and outside the world of information technology. Do you want to know more about this topic? Then maybe what you need is to study the Software Design and Development degree. Find a career that suits you and start your career path today.