Difference between Agile and SDLC

In this article, we will explore the difference between Agile and SDLC, but let us first discuss the meaning of Agile and SDLC.

What is Agile?

Agile is a software development methodology that is widely used nowadays because of the flexibility and adaptability it provides. If we put it in simple words, agile is the philosophy of deploying an application repeatedly in a more systematic way.

Agile teams build projects, respond to changing customer needs, and deliver valuable solutions in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. The agile method focuses on the feedback of individuals and customers. It works closely with team members, the Product Owner, and customers to create efficient products.

There are various Agile Frameworks like Kanban, Scrum, Lean, XP (Extreme Programming), etc. These frameworks provide guidelines and practices for Agile teams to plan, execute, and deliver small portions of a project to a client or customer.

What is SDLC?

SDLC is the short form of the Software Development Life Cycle. It refers to the product's planned design, which is systematically evaluated at each point by the various protocols involved in the SDLC stages.

SDLC is the process that is defined using multiple stages, which are as follows:

Planning: In this stage, the customer and the development team discuss the basic requirements for the software, such as the purpose of the application, details about the end-user of the product, format & attributes of the application to design, and the overall user interface design of the software.

Requirement Analysis: In this stage, the developer analyzes the project needs, which includes the information about each element to design, validating the installation of elements in the application according to the client's needs, calibrating the security protocols and performing risk analysis for the software application, and all the discussed details are then added to the SRS (Software Requirement Specification) document.

Designing: In this stage, the software designers will create the system design following the SRS document. System design defines the overall architecture of the software and checks its feasibility with the needs of the client. All the details of the design are added to the DDS (Design Document Specification) and shared with analysts and stakeholders for review.

Implementation: In this stage, developers start writing code using the languages chosen for software development. It is one of the most essential steps as it encompasses the implementation of the software product. Developers use predefined guidelines and development tools such as compilers to implement the code.

Testing: In this stage, the developed software is deployed in multiple test environments to check the functioning of the software. After completing the product testing, the quality assurance and testing team may find errors in the software, which will be forwarded to the developer team for debugging. The testing and debugging process continues until the software is stable and error-free.

Deployment: In this stage, after the testing stage is completed, the software is ready for deployment and consumer use. The development team set up the installation link for the users.

Maintenance: In this stage, after the completion of the deployment stage and the users start using the software, they may face an error or bug in the application, which needs to be resolved from time to time, is done in the maintenance stage. It includes releasing regular updates and enhancements to the software.

The main difference between Agile and SDLC:

Agile	SDLC
It is an iterative and incremental method.	It is a sequential and linear method.
It frequently delivers increments of the working product.	It delivers the complete product at the end of the development process.
It accepts changes to the product during the development of the product.	It follows a predefined set of requirements to make a product.
It is a flexible and adaptable methodology.	It is a rigorous method.
It keeps communicating with the team, clients, and customers to get suggestions & feedback to create the desired product successfully.	It focuses on assigning roles and responsibilities to team members in order to build the desired product successfully.
It tests the software after completing each part of the software.	It tests the software after completing the entire software.
It interacts with the customer to build the best software.	There is a lack of interaction with the customer.
It is easy to implement the agile method.	It is implemented in a systematic way.
It is suitable for small projects.	It is suitable for any kind of project.
It allows for changes during the execution of the plan and the development of the project.	It does not allow major changes after the plan is implemented.

Conclusion:

In this article, we have understood the difference between Agile and SDLC. We have concluded that Agile is a methodology that builds small parts of the project and delivers those small finished parts to customers to get their feedback that helps improve the final product. In contrast, SDLC is the process that develops the product in several phases, which are planning, requirements analysis, designing, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance.

The major difference between Agile and SDLC is that Agile maintains contact with its customers. In contrast, SDLC lacks interaction with the customer.

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