After the software is deployed, it needs to be maintained. This includes fixing bugs, updating the software to adapt to new environments, and improving performance. Maintenance ensures the software continues to meet user needs over time.

This is the process of gathering, analyzing, and defining what the software must do to meet user needs. It involves understanding the problem, documenting requirements, and ensuring they are clear and achievable.

This phase involves planning the solution to the problem defined in the requirements. It includes creating architectures, components, interfaces, and data for a system to satisfy specified requirements.

This is the actual writing of the code. Developers use programming languages to implement the designs and create functional software. This phase also includes debugging and testing the code to ensure it works correctly.

Testing is crucial to ensure the software is free of bugs and meets the requirements. It involves various levels of testing, such as unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and acceptance testing.