In this growing world where new technological terms are being invented and launched every day, one such popular term in recent days is full-cycle development or full-cycle engineering. To explain in a very crisp way, it is a system in which a single team is designated for the entire process of development, i.e. the ‘full cycle’ of development.
A clear definition
Full-cycle development is a methodology for software development wherein a special development team takes responsibility for the full lifecycle of the software development. This includes all the vital processes involved, like :
- Requirements
- Development
- Testing
- Deployment
- Operation
- Launch
This system can alternatively be called full-cycle engineering. This term was first coined by the Netflix engineering team.
Working and approach to the engineering system
The competent teams responsible for the full-cycle engineering process take care of different aspects of work, starting from providing expert insights on your project ideas and concerns to acting as valuable promoters to improve your marketing endeavors.
With every project received, the units follow a common method of approach, which ensures good quality of work. This involves the basic timeframe, which is significantly shorter than that offered by your conventional systems. In a nutshell, these teams take 1 to 3 days for the evaluation of the project, following which they spend 2 to 4 weeks from the development of the project prototype. This is otherwise called the MVP prototype stage. After this, the team is focused on the development of the system, which takes an average of about 3 to 6 months.
Stages of work
1. Project evaluation:
This is the process where your project is studied and checked to see whether it can be executed as per the requirements.
2. Meeting specifications:
After accepting the project, the technical team analyses the project further and devises a system or list of specifications that will have to be fulfilled along the process. This acts as a working guide.
3. Creating the prototype:
The prototype refers to the basic structure, which is like a framework along the lines of the process of development. This prototype is the key aspect that demonstrates the ideas, interfaces, and functions of the project.
4. Design and development:
The UX design process creates a user-friendly interface which is then developed with Agile methodologies. This takes about 1 to 3 weeks.
Saves time and funds
Though one might think that hiring different units to develop and maintain the software all at a single place might be more expensive. However, when looking from a long-term perspective, this provides better value for every penny spent. This is especially because of the higher returns you will observe, along with the great improvement in the functionality and productivity of your firm.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, it is pretty common now that many renowned firms and software platforms have started considering making that leap towards making use of a full-cycle engineering team. This is a direct result of the great results shown by sectors which have been using them successfully for a while now.