Managing risks in a technology landscape

There are various aspects of software and hardware development that are common in the industry but less so in other professions. These relate to the development process itself. Let’s take a look at a typical software development life cycle (SDLC) and discuss the common risks that arise at each stage:

Figure 7.2: The SDLC

The SDLC specifies the series of steps or processes involved in software development. This cycle can be adapted to any style of development, including waterfall and agile methodologies. The steps may vary or happen in mini-cycles within the larger cycle, but the steps are still present. Let’s explore each one.

We’ve already talked about the requirements phase in various forms in this book. In general, the focus of the requirements phase is to reduce the overall risk by bringing clarity to the requirements. The clearer the requirements, the less room there will be for scope creep in low...