Hardware and Software Development Life Cycles: A Quick Look
What is the lifecycle of hardware development? What is the lifespan of software development? And what differences exist between hardware and software development phases?
Before differentiating between hardware and software product development, let’s take a look at what a product development life cycle is.
A product life cycle is the usual progression of an idea becoming a physical product until it becomes obsolete and is discarded. In general product life cycle comprises:
Idea
In the idea phase of the product life cycle, someone has the concept for a product. This is the product’s first broad concept.
Requirements Gathering
In requirements management, the design’s specifics are defined. At this step, the concept for a new vehicle, for instance, is transformed into a set of technical specifications.
Development
The development process involves the fabrication of prototypes and functional models. During the development phase, a prototype is created and its manufacturability is enhanced.
Production
Mass production of a product constitutes production. When a product is in operation and maintenance, it is being used. Operations are literally carried out by operators or end-users.
Operation & Maintenance
Maintenance may be performed by the manufacturer or the customer. For instance, activities may include the installation and repair of air conditioners, but consumers are responsible for its upkeep, such as the replacement of its air filters.
Disposal
Disposal is the last step. Ideally, things would be recycled or remade. Typically, waste is disposed of either landfills or incinerators.
Software & Hardware Development Life Cylces
Both hardware and software adhere to the standard product lifecycle. During the development process, software and hardware development differ from one another and from other product kinds.
The software development life cycle, or SDLC, consists of five stages which are:
Requirements Elicitation
Design
Implementation
Integration & Testing
Release
Hardware development is divided into six steps. The six hardware development steps are:
Requirements
Conceptual Development
System-level Design
Detailed Design
Testing and Refinement
Pre-Production Runs
The Difference
Due to the physical nature of hardware, additional procedures are necessary to identify the design of each component and then test and refine it. The principal distinction between the hardware and software development life cycles is the testing of both individual components and the final assembly.
Since software code may be quickly modified and recompiled during testing, the majority of software changes will occur during integration and testing. All testing for the program is performed on the software product as a whole. However, software components can be tested independently.
Many changes will occur during testing and refinement of hardware, but the design will only be modified during production ramp-up if required for the product to function or be built at a cost-effective rate.
