Introduction to Software Development

Software refers to set of instructions or programs that gives the computer instructions on what to do or what not to do at a given time.

The most popular forms of software we know are application software as we use them in handling various tasks on our devices.

Some activities are carried out to create, design, deploy and support this software for them to be available for use by our devices, this is what is referred to as SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT.

Therefore, We can say that Software Development refers to the the Process of creating, documenting, deploying, testing and maintaining System instructions or Software.
This includes all processes starting from the conception of the desired software down to the final manifestation of the software. This is really a tedious job.

Source

This work of Developing Software is carried out by specific and skillful persons in the field who are known as Software Developers or Programmers.

Programmers develop software by writing specific language codes.
They use various Programming Languages like Rust, Ruby, c#, c++, Java, JavaScript etc to do this. These unique Languages can only be understood by the developers and the computer. So it requires a high level of expertise to create a good software.

They also work across functional teams to meet requirements, transform them into features, manage development teams and processes, and conduct software testing and maintenance.

5 Important Steps in Software Development

Problem Analysis

This is the first and foremost step in developing any software or program.
At this point, the Programmer gets to understand the main purpose of the software, he wants to develop, identifies the role of the software, what problem it is meant to serve and how.
This now gives him an Idea of what he wants to develop and how to start the work.

Flowcharting

In this stage, the Programmer provides a graphic description of what he expects in the end, this is very essential as looking at the picture, he decides from which angle he wants to start tackling the software in order to achieve the desired result.

Program Coding

This is the main stage of each program. The developer writes the code using any of the programming languages that suits what he's working on.

This requires enough concentration because a very little mistake can affect the output. It is not done alongside any painstaking activity.

Program testing

After the coding is done, the programmer tests the work done. This is to verify that is produces the desired output.
If he is trying to update a program, he should run the old and new one together to verify if the needed changes are applied.
if it is a new program, he should carefully go through his flowchart to find out any mistake.

Program Launching & Maintenance

At this stage, the Software is being released to the public for usage by everyone.
At the same time, new technologies are being introduced into the world so maintenance is carried out by fixing bugs and adding needed features to the created Software.

Conclusion

Software is a very good part of our technological life, that is why it is a topic worthy of discussion. Programmers too are doing a great Job to make sure that this Software serve their needed purposes. They should also be appreciated.

I believe you enjoyed reading through.