{"id":5444,"date":"2025-01-16T09:34:32","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T09:34:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/?p=5444"},"modified":"2025-02-18T10:52:03","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T10:52:03","slug":"software-development-a-complete-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Software Development: A Complete Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Almost every business exists to solve problems on behalf of customers. In many instances these days, the solutions take the form of software &#8211; be it a mobile app to facilitate parking or a web portal to advertise job vacancies. If you\u2019re looking to develop a piece of software to help your customers, then it\u2019d be a good idea to read this complete guide to software development first.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Software: a definition<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s kick things off with a definition; what exactly <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">software?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Principles of Information Systems <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by Ralph M. Stair, software is defined as \u2018computer programs that govern the operation of the computer<sup>1<\/sup>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That sounds fairly <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">simple,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> doesn\u2019t it? But, on closer inspection, the definition is somewhat more complex.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider that software and computer hardware are inextricably linked. In fact, the very earliest electronic computers &#8211; such as the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) &#8211; required software that was machine-specific.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It wasn\u2019t until the development of high-level programming languages in 1958 that software could be developed that could be used across different computer architectures.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From these earliest days, software has become ever more complex. However, at the risk of oversimplifying things, software today can be roughly divided into two categories:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Operating systems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Application software<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Operating systems<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You don\u2019t have to be a computing professional to be familiar with the term operating system (typically shortened to the initialism \u2018OS\u2019).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This refers to the piece of software that provides instructions to the computer\u2019s hardware, scheduling tasks for the efficient use of the system as well as providing common services to applications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s likely you encounter multiple operating systems each day; spanning from Android on your smartphone to Microsoft Windows on your office workstation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The point here is that a) operating systems are a type of software, and b) operating systems themselves interact with and support individual pieces of application software on a computer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Application software<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What, then, is application software? Perhaps the easiest way of defining application software is as software that performs specific tasks on behalf of computer users. What application software <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is not &#8211; <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is any type of software that operates or administers the computer hardware (for that is the job of the operating system).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The easiest way to understand application software is to consider some examples. Word processors (such as Microsoft Word), or graphic art software (e.g. Adobe Photoshop) are examples of application software in common usage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Note &#8211; both operating systems and application software can be proprietary or open-source. The former term means that the OS or application software is owned by its creator or publisher with a legal monopoly to sell said OS or application. The latter term (open source) means that the owner of the software grants users the right to use the software in the manner of their choosing.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5447 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/How-operating-systems-applications-and-hardware-interact-in-computers.jpg\" alt=\"How operating systems, applications and hardware interact in computers\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/How-operating-systems-applications-and-hardware-interact-in-computers.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/How-operating-systems-applications-and-hardware-interact-in-computers-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/How-operating-systems-applications-and-hardware-interact-in-computers-1024x793.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/How-operating-systems-applications-and-hardware-interact-in-computers-150x116.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/How-operating-systems-applications-and-hardware-interact-in-computers-768x594.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SaaS: the evolution of software<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, those are the two predominant forms of software &#8211; however, since the early 2000s &#8211; the situation has changed with the emergence of cloud computing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beginning with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amazon Web Services<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (AWS) in 2002, and followed by the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/console.cloud.google.com\/welcome\/new?pli=1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Cloud Platform<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2008 and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-gb\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Microsoft Azure<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2010 (as well as a host of other cloud computing providers) a new paradigm emerged in which it became possible to provide software as a service (SaaS).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, what exactly is \u2018the cloud\u2019? And, how does it relate to software as a service?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The International Standards Organisation (ISO) defines cloud computing as:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Cloud computing is a paradigm for enabling network access to a scalable and elastic pool of shareable physical or virtual resources with self-service provisioning and administration on-demand\u2019<sup>2<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In less technical terms, cloud computing effectively allows companies or individuals to launch and run applications without the need for expensive capital investments in servers and other hardware. Instead, you (typically) only pay for the cloud services you use &#8211; which can also be scaled up and down as per your resource requirements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The development of cloud computing into an affordable and widely accessible solution has paved the way for companies to provide software as a service (SaaS).<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is software as a service (SaaS)?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For those of you old enough to remember, buying and using a piece of application software traditionally involved going to a computer shop and purchasing a physical CD-ROM.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a one-off payment you now owned a particular piece of software and (providing your personal computer had the appropriate specifications) you were free to use it to your heart\u2019s content.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The thing is, this method of software sales and distribution had a number of drawbacks. For one thing, consumers could often expect to pay a large upfront cost for the software (recall the days in which the Adobe suite would cost north of \u00a3500!).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, once installed, said software would be tied to a single computer. Want to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">log in<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to your software from another device? Tough luck.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, users would often be responsible for managing and installing any software-related security updates &#8211; something which was not only time-consuming, but which represented a security vulnerability if not completed in a timely fashion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thus, with the arrival of cloud computing a new alternative became viable. The ability to provide software &#8211; not in a physical form &#8211; but, over the Internet, utilising remote infrastructure and hardware to facilitate it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first popular examples of SaaS began to appear in the early 2000s. Take Gmail, for example. Prior to this, if you\u2019d wanted a piece of software to act as an email client on your computer, you\u2019d have had to purchase a physical copy of Microsoft Outlook and install it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the emergence of Gmail, you simply needed a web browser to access your emails.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As history shows, this proved to be wildly successful (at the time of writing Gmail is the most popular email service in the world with an estimated 1.2 billion users).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, SaaS has become the most popular and primary way in which companies deliver their applications to consumers<sup>3<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Institute of Standards (NIST), defines SaaS as<sup>4<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018The capability provided to the consumer is to use the provider\u2019s applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client devices through either a thin client interface, such as a web browser (e.g. web-based email), or a program interface. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In contrast to traditional forms of software distribution, SaaS has a number of advantages for both consumers and the developers of the software alike. These include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>No upfront licence fees.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Instead, users pay a recurring fee. This not only makes the software more affordable for users but produces a more predictable cash flow for the developer\/owner of the software.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Accessibility. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SaaS solutions can typically be accessed by any device with an Internet connection. As a result, users aren\u2019t restricted to a single device.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Security and updates:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> being Internet-connected, SaaS solutions will typically update automatically and implement security upgrades. This both saves users time and energy, and minimises opportunities for security breaches.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>API integrations:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> many of today\u2019s SaaS solutions incorporate built-in APIs better allowing them to interact with other applications.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, as you can see, although there is a consensus that software can be divided into two \u2018camps\u2019, SaaS represents something of a divergence from application software. It\u2019s software, but not as we who grew up in the 1990s knew it\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Read also:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-build-a-saas-product\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to build a SaaS product: Step-by-step guide<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A brief history of software<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we made mention of earlier, software stretches back to the earliest days of electronic computing, with the creation of software being made significantly easier with the development of high-level programming languages in the late 1950s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, where does the term \u2018software\u2019 actually come from?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As with the etymology of many words, the true origin of the word software isn\u2019t entirely clear, however one historian<sup>5<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> credits its creation to John Wilder Tukey, an American mathematician and statistician in 1958 (as an aside, he\u2019s also credited with popularising the term \u2018bit\u2019 in computing).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the theory and concept of software had been coalescing long before it was formally named.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is widely agreed amongst historians that the first modern theory of software was proposed by Alan Turing. In 1935, Turing published his essay <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Computable numbers with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This essay proved to be so foundational to the field of computing that it is credited as the spark that eventually led to the creation of two academic fields; computer science, and software engineering.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As with equivalently named fields, computer science deals with more theoretical concepts, whilst software engineering focuses more on practical applications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, what broader impact did Turing&#8217;s contributions have to software development?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Turing analysed what it meant for a human to follow a definitive method or procedure to follow a task. From this analysis, the English mathematician invented the idea of a \u2018Universal Machine\u2019 that could decode and perform any set of instructions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In short &#8211; Turing was arguably the first person to intellectually conceptualise a computer (in the modern sense). By 1946 he presented a paper (on 19th February 1946 to be precise) which detailed the design of the first stored-program computer. This paper was presented whilst Turing worked on the design of the ACE (Automatic Computing Engine) at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in London.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was this 1946 paper that eventually led to the creation of the Pilot ACE &#8211; which executed its first program on 10th May 1950.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How is software actually developed? Software development and maintenance<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Okay, by this point, you should hopefully have a clear grasp as to what software <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The next step is to understand how a piece of software (or OS) goes from an idea to a tangible, usable product.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A note on software engineering<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first point to consider is that software development sits beneath the broader umbrella of software engineering (which also incorporates organisational management, project management, configuration management and other elements).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines software engineering as<sup>6<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018The systematic application of scientific and technological knowledge, methods, and experience to the design, implementation, testing, and documentation of software\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we saw earlier, the field of software engineering emerged in the early-to-mid twentieth century. The first formal software engineering conference is widely considered to be a 1968 conference <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210512204934\/http:\/\/homepages.cs.ncl.ac.uk\/brian.randell\/NATO\/NATOReports\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">organised by NATO<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)<sup>7<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It was at this conference that the first guidelines and best practices for software development were established.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fast-forward<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to today and software engineering is an established discipline with the generally accepted best practices in the field having been collected in the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK)<sup>8<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The core pillars of software development<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Software development, then, sits beneath the broader umbrella of software engineering. But, in turn, a number of core pillars sit below the term software development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can imagine, the development of a piece of software is a many sided task, and thus involves a plethora of tools, individual skill sets and methodologies. We\u2019ll outline these below.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The people involved in a software development project<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you choose a company like GoodCore to develop a piece of software for you, you\u2019ll find that a veritable army of people will spring into action to bring your software to life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These people will include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Programmers <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; also known as developers, these are the people who write the code that forms the basis of your software. However, given the complexity of many modern software projects, there are different types of programmers:\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Full-stack developers <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; individuals who handle both the front-end and back-end development tasks.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Front-end developers <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; individuals who focus only on those parts of a software with which users will interact (e.g. user interface and user experience).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Back-end developers <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; programmers who manage the server-side and database operations of a piece of software.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Mobile app developers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; developers who specialise in developing software for mobile devices.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Data scientists<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; individuals who use algorithms and machine learning to interpret complex data sets.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Business analyst<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; it\u2019s the job of a business analyst to fully understand the client\u2019s needs and then translate them into requirements (that will be built into the resulting software).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Project manager <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; the project manager will ensure that the software is delivered on time and within the client\u2019s budget. The project manager plays an integral role in managing the programmers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Software architect <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; particularly complex software projects will often involve the services of a software architect. It\u2019s their job to select the appropriate tools and platforms, ensure integrations work, and generally ensure the end software is stable and secure.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>UI\/UX designers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; UI\/UX designers are responsible for creating user-friendly, attractive designs that make the software easy and intuitive to use.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Quality assurance (QA) engineer <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; the QA engineer is there to verify that the software functions correctly and meets the requirements as set out by the business analyst and client.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>DevOps engineer <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; acting as the conduit between the development and operations teams, striking a balance between the introduction of new features\/changes and maintaining the stability of the software.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4761 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/app-dev-team-structure.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/app-dev-team-structure.png 800w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/app-dev-team-structure-300x191.png 300w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/app-dev-team-structure-150x96.png 150w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/app-dev-team-structure-768x490.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more information on software development team structure, check out our guide on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-team\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">building a software development team: key roles and responsibilities<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just as the old saying \u2018it takes a village to raise a child\u2019 often rings true, the same can be said of software, with myriad people needed to create and maintain a quality piece of software.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a number of other supporting disciplines that can fall under a number of job titles (or be carried out by the individuals listed above). These supporting disciplines include; configuration management, deployment management, documentation, and software quality assurance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, whilst these are the main roles involved in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">developing <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">software, you\u2019ll find that there are many other roles which sit on the periphery. These can include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Marketing <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; promoting and advertising the software to grow its user base.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sales <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; engaging in activity to sell the software to a growing base of customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Account management<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; account managers will typically be engaged in activity that helps to retain existing customers. Account managers will also usually have to upsell\/<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cross-sell<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> new products\/features to existing customers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Technical support<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; supporting customers who have purchased the software to get the most value out of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In short, you can see that there are multiple people with niche <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">skill sets<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> who contribute to the development of software.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, hiring and onboarding all these people can incur significant expenditure and overheads, which is why many companies are now choosing to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/services\/dedicated-development-team\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outsource their development to dedicated third-party teams<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What tools are used in software development?\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depending on the software being developed, the software team will usually need to make use of a variety of specialist tools. These include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Compiler <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; a program that used to translate human-readable code into machine-readable instructions. Compilers also help to catch syntax and semantic errors before code is run.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Integrated Development Environment (IDE)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; these are programs in which all (or nearly all) development can be done. IDEs typically include features for authoring, modifying, compiling, deploying and debugging software.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Project management tool<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; project management tools such as Jira are used to help development teams plan, track and manage their development project.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Code repositories <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; code repositories, such as GitHub, allow developers to search for examples of code as well as manage their own code and effectively track changes etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are just a few examples of the many tools that developers may call upon during the course of a dev project. New tools are always being launched to market as well. For example, with the rise of cloud computing, a wealth of cloud tools have arrived. These include AWS Cloud9 which allow developers to use a cloud-based development environment (as opposed to having to set up a virtual environment on their own local system).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, some of these tools can be costly and\/or complex to set up and maintain. It\u2019s for those reasons (and many more) that a growing number of entrepreneurs, companies and organisations are choosing to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/services\/outsourced-software-development\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outsource their software projects<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to dedicated development companies that can build the software on their behalf.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Software development methodologies<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve now seen the constituent parts that go into a software development project (both human and inanimate).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, how do these parts interact and work together to create a finished product? The answer is varied and pivots upon the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">methodology <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">employed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Methodological \u2018morphology\u2019<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before we look at the individual methodologies which can be deployed in what is known as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/company\/our-process\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">software development lifecycle<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> we\u2019ll first look at the overarching \u2018morphology\u2019 that individual methodologies can fall within.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Defined vs customised<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Software development methodologies can follow either a defined or customised morphology.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In defined morphologies the methodology will follow a formal, documented standard with little to no deviation from this standard throughout the lifetime of the project.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In customised morphologies, the methodology will typically be customised to the project in question. In some instances, the methodology will demonstrate \u2018emergence\u2019 whereby the methodology changes as the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">aetiology<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and overall shape of the project becomes clearer. Think of it as the methodology \u2018evolving\u2019 as the overall \u2018shape\u2019 of the project becomes clearer over time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sequential vs iterative<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Software development methodologies can also be either sequential or iterative in nature.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sequential software development methodologies involve a series of steps. Each step (be it design, implementation or testing) must be completed before the project moves onto the next.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, iterative software development methodologies involve multiple aspects of the software developed simultaneously, where small aspects of the overall project are designed, implemented and tested. In many instances, this approach isn\u2019t linear (meaning development work can occur on a \u2018back and forth\u2019 basis).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s get meta: meta models and view models<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to thinking about the morphology of a methodology, it\u2019s also important to consider both meta models and view models.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s begin with meta models.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are meta models?\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meta models are &#8211; and bear with us here &#8211; are models of models.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think of it like this; you want to develop a piece of software. But, you aren\u2019t exactly sure what specification it will take &#8211; or its exact IT requirements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A meta model, then, is an abstraction or representation of a piece of software to be developed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meta modelling normally takes place in what\u2019s known as a \u2018modelling space\u2019 and will use domain-specific programming languages (DSLs). Working together, the client and the developers will define the functions and requirements of the new software using the DSL.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The modelling space itself will often consist of a number of layers built on each other. It will look something like this:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">M0 &#8211; the software that you would like to develop. In a meta scenario this is called \u2018the reality\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">M1 &#8211; the level of the meta model &#8211; which describes the software to be developed in abstract.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">M2 &#8211; the level of the meta model &#8211; this is the language that is necessary to create the meta model. This level uses a different level of abstraction in order to make comments about the meta model from a different point of view.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">M3 &#8211; the final layer &#8211; which is known as the Meta Object Facility (MOF). This is a standard type system for model-driven software engineering.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In summary &#8211; meta models allow pieces of software to be developed independently over any supporting platform. It allows developers freedom to consider the ideal solution without concern to underlying dependencies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are view models?\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A view model refers to a type of framework that provides a view between the context of user interfaces and the data and business logic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does that mean in more simple terms?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A view model effectively acts as an intermediary between the model (the plans for the software) and the view (the software itself). In other words, a view model takes potentially very complex plans for software and translates them into a medium that is easier for developers to understand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can imagine, view models are viewed as essential for especially large and complex software development projects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A brief history of software development methodologies<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By the late-1960s and early-1970s computing had become an established field, with software finding applications in a multiplicity of commercial and governmental fields.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During this period, however, the development of software occurred in a relatively haphazard fashion &#8211; without defined methodologies to guide the process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This resulted in what has now become popularly known as the \u2018software development crisis\u2019 or \u2018software crisis\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The term first emerged at the 1968 NATO Software Engineering Crisis and was further shaped by Edsger Dijkstra in his 1972 Turing Award lecture. Dijkstra described the problem as follows:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe major cause of the software crisis is that the machines have become several orders of magnitude more powerful! To put it quite bluntly: as long as there were no machines, programming was no problem at all; when we had a few weak computers, programming became a mild problem, and now we have gigantic computers, programming has become an equally gigantic problem\u201d<sup>9<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To put this more simply, computer programmers were taking longer and longer to develop new pieces of software. In fact, project timelines of three years or more were not uncommon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the development of software were not to take ever longer (or even grind to a halt), a solution was needed. That solution took the form of defined software development methodologies that in a sense provided \u2018guardrails\u2019 to ensure development projects stayed on track.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A timeline of software development methodologies<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like other aspects of software development, these methodologies developed and evolved over time. Below, you\u2019ll find a timeline which sets out when each major methodology emerged:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1968:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Structured Programming Paradigm.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1974:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Cap Gemini System Development Methodology (SDM).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1980:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1985:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Soft Systems Methodology (SSM).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1990: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rapid Application Development (RAD).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1992:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Object-Oriented Programming (OOP).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1994:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1995:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> SCRUM Methodology.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1998: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rational Unified Process (RUP).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1999: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extreme Programming (XP).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1999:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Unified Software Development Process (USDP).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>2005: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agile Unified Process (AUP).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>2008: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>2011:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>2013:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Large-Scale-Scrum (LeSS).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An overview of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) process<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although, as you will soon read, there are many different types of development methodology, these sit under the broader umbrella of the \u2018software development lifecycle process\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This process involves the following lifecycle phases:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Requirements gathering and analysis<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first phase of the software development life cycle (SDLC) involves the software development company developing an acute understanding of the client\u2019s requirements and objectives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This phase typically involves discussions, focus groups, interviews, and surveys of stakeholders in order to establish the desired functionalities and features of the software and thus arrive at a scope of work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Planning and design<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second phase in the SDLC is the creation of a comprehensive project plan.\u00a0 The plan will outline the project roadmap. This will incorporate a timeline, resources, and &#8211; most importantly &#8211; deliverables.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Development<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re now at the third phase of the software development life cycle. It\u2019s at this stage that development begins, with programmers writing the underlying code for the software. It\u2019s at this point that various methodologies such as Agile come into their own, as they allow for iterative development with regular communication between the developers and the client.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Testing and quality assurance<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the code complete, the next phase in the SDLC is testing and quality assurance. This can involve unit testing, integration testing, system testing and user acceptance testing (UAT).<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deployment and implementation<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The final phase in the software development life cycle involves deployment and implementation of the software. This will see the development team working with the client to establish the software environment and migrate data etc if necessary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maintenance and support<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depending on who you ask, the software development life cycle (SDLC) also includes an ongoing maintenance and support phase &#8211; where the development agency provides regular updates, bug fixes and security patches etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the different types of software development methodology?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What then are the most common types of software development methodology? We have detailed the most commonly used methodologies (also known as software development life cycles or software development processes) below.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Code and fix<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5448 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Code-and-fix-model.jpg\" alt=\"Code and fix\" width=\"1200\" height=\"642\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Code-and-fix-model.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Code-and-fix-model-300x161.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Code-and-fix-model-1024x548.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Code-and-fix-model-150x80.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Code-and-fix-model-768x411.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The simplest type of software development process is \u2018code and fix\u2019, in which a single developer considers the purpose of a program, writes the code to realise said program, and then releases (implementing fixes along the way).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you\u2019ll appreciate, this is a remarkably simple process &#8211; which is precisely why many critics don\u2019t consider it to be a software development process at all. It\u2019s certainly not suitable for software development projects of any meaningful size or complexity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agile software development<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5449 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Agile-model.jpg\" alt=\"Agile software development\" width=\"1200\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Agile-model.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Agile-model-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Agile-model-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Agile-model-150x75.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Agile-model-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if you\u2019ve only a passing interest in software development, you\u2019re likely to have heard of the Agile methodology. It\u2019s become incredibly popular amongst development firms ever since its launch in 2001. The methodology has its roots in the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manifesto for Agile Software Development<sup>10<\/sup><\/span><\/i> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which was the founding manifesto of the principle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to note that the term Agile doesn\u2019t refer to a single methodology, but rather a framework of approaches to development. As a common theme, however, these various frameworks share an embrace of iteration and continuous feedback. Advocates argue that the Agile methodology is a fundamentally more \u2018human-friendly\u2019 approach to software development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of the most popular Agile frameworks include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adaptive software development (ASD).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agile modelling.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agile unified process.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disciplined agile delivery.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Dynamic systems development method (DSDM)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extreme programming.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Feature-driven development.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Lean software development<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lean startup.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Kanban<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rapid application development (RAD).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Scrum<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scrumban.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those bullet points that are highlighted in bold above are those that are amongst the most popular amongst software development firms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within Agile development, there are a series of concrete practices that are employed throughout the project life cycle. These include (but are not limited to); acceptance test-driven development (ATDD), Agile modelling, Agile testing, backlogs (Product and Sprint), continuous integration (CI), domain-driven design (DDD), iterative and incremental development (IID), story-driven modelling, test-driven development (TDD), velocity tracking and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These practices cover areas like requirements, design, modelling, coding, testing, process, and quality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of which Agile framework is used, iteration is a common theme. With iteration at the heart of Agile development, pieces of software can be released in iterations &#8211; providing a faster route to market, access to user feedback on an ongoing basis and, of course, a quicker path to revenue generation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waterfall software development<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5450 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Waterfall-model.jpg\" alt=\"Waterfall model\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Waterfall-model.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Waterfall-model-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Waterfall-model-1024x793.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Waterfall-model-150x116.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Waterfall-model-768x594.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another software development methodology that has fairly widespread adoption is \u2018waterfall\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In contrast to Agile development, waterfall development has a sequential morphology in which the development process follows a stepped process (akin to a waterfall &#8211; hence its name).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These \u2018stepped\u2019 phases will typically look something like this:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Requirements analysis (to create a software requirements specification).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Software design and development.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implementation.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Testing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Integration (if required e.g. there are multiple subsystems to be integrated).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deployment.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maintenance.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is widely accepted that the coining of the term (and the methodology it describes) was the work of Winston W. Royce in 1970<sup>11<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although following a sequential morphology, waterfall development does allow for a degree of overlap and splashback between phases &#8211; accepting that software development can involve unexpected change requests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waterfall development also places a strong emphasis on documentation, with written documents, formal reviews, and approval\/sign-off all maintained throughout the project.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In short, the linear shape of waterfall development makes it easy to understand and manage. However, this can come at the cost of flexibility and cost.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rapid application development (RAD)<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another iteratively-focused development methodology, rapid application development is an approach that leans heavily on prototyping.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The RAD process consists of four steps; requirements, user design, construction, and cutover.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5451 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Rapid-application-development-RAD-model.jpg\" alt=\"RAD model\" width=\"1200\" height=\"531\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Rapid-application-development-RAD-model.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Rapid-application-development-RAD-model-300x133.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Rapid-application-development-RAD-model-1024x453.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Rapid-application-development-RAD-model-150x66.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Rapid-application-development-RAD-model-768x340.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the first step &#8211; requirements &#8211; a mix of preliminary data models and business process models (using structured techniques) are developed to arrive at a set of requirements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The next two steps &#8211; user design and construction &#8211; are worked on in tandem, repeatedly creating a series of prototypes until it is confirmed that a prototype has been created that meets all the requirements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The final step &#8211; cutover &#8211; sees the finished product deployed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RAD has a sizable fan base amongst development companies due to its ability to progress time-sensitive projects. However, it is not without its critics &#8211; including those who argue that it is only suitable for small-to-medium sized projects. Furthermore, for RAD to be effective, it requires stable teams with deep subject knowledge &#8211; not all teams can meet these requirements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spiral development<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5452 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Spiral-model.jpg\" alt=\"Spiral model\" width=\"1200\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Spiral-model.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Spiral-model-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Spiral-model-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Spiral-model-150x120.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Spiral-model-768x614.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One day in 1988 a new software development methodology entered the world &#8211; spiral. Introduced by Barry Boehm &#8211; an American software engineer &#8211; the spiral methodology combines elements of the waterfall approach and rapid prototyping methodologies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spiral is defined by four fundamental principles:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A focus on risk minimisation, breaking a project down into smaller steps.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each cycle of the spiral involves progressing through the same sequence of steps for each part of the product.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each cycle around the spiral passes through four quadrants; determine objectives, evaluate alternatives, develop deliverables, and plan the next iteration.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Begin each cycle by identifying all the stakeholders and their respective \u2018win conditions\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The spiral development methodology has won plaudits for its suitability for larger, more complex software projects. This is in large part due to its emphasis on risk analysis and minimisation. The repeated steps also act as an integrated quality assurance process, resulting in higher quality outcomes, more quickly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like other methodologies, spiral does have its drawbacks &#8211; such as not being suitable for smaller projects &#8211; but, by and large, it is a methodology which has seen widespread adoption.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shape Up<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps the newest methodology in this article, Shape Up is a development approach that was developed by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/basecamp.com\/shapeup\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Basecamp<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Shape Up methodology consists of three phases:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Shaping <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; where the project is \u2018shaped\u2019 by an individual who will be working on the project (each team member has the opportunity to undertake their own \u2018shaping\u2019). The shaping process is only loosely defined, but should include defining a narrow problem, setting a fixed time in which to solve it, and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pre-empting<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> risks. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Pitching<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; once a project has been shaped, individuals pitch their \u2018shapes\u2019 to the team as a whole. The leadership selects the winning pitch. Once accepted, the team is expected to coalesce and focus on the selected pitch. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Building<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; projects are assigned as a whole, <\/span><b>not <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">broken down into tasks. The team then works collectively to solve sections of the project (with each section being called a \u2018scope\u2019). The project is completed once each scope has been finished.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5453 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Shape-up-model.jpg\" alt=\"Shape up model\" width=\"1200\" height=\"642\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Shape-up-model.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Shape-up-model-300x161.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Shape-up-model-1024x548.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Shape-up-model-150x80.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Shape-up-model-768x411.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can see, the Shape Up methodology diverges quite considerably from other methodologies. There are no backlogs, sprints, tasks, or velocity tracking &#8211; putting clear water between Shape Up and competing methodologies like Agile and waterfall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite being unorthodox in nature, Shape Up has been taken up by a variety of software companies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other software development methodologies<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whilst we\u2019ve detailed the most commonly used software development methodologies, there are others that can be considered \u2018advanced\u2019 in the sense that they can require greater degrees of management skill. Examples include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Behaviour-driven development.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chaos model.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lightweight methodology.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">V-Model.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unified Process.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Software development practices<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aside from the methodologies outlined above, there are a number of other software development practices that are typically incorporated into a software development project. The first of these is DevOps.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is DevOps?\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5378 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/DevOps-principles.jpg\" alt=\"DevOps principles\" width=\"800\" height=\"909\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/DevOps-principles.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/DevOps-principles-264x300.jpg 264w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/DevOps-principles-132x150.jpg 132w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/DevOps-principles-768x873.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The term DevOps refers to a set of practices, tools and knowledge that automate and integrate the processes between software development and IT teams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s the aim of DevOps to shorten the software development life cycle whilst maintaining a high level of software quality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn more about how DevOps can enhance your operations and help your company lead the market: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/devops-for-saas-projects-guide\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DevOps for SaaS Projects<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Continuous integration (CI) \/ continuous delivery (CD)<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5382 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Related-Code.jpg\" alt=\"CI\/CD pipeline\" width=\"1350\" height=\"636\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Related-Code.jpg 1350w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Related-Code-300x141.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Related-Code-1024x482.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Related-Code-150x71.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Related-Code-768x362.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1350px) 100vw, 1350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another two pieces of best practice that are typically incorporated into software development projects are continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first of these &#8211; CI &#8211; is a process whereby code is automatically integrated into the software project. This allows developers to merge their code changes into a central repository &#8211; reducing version control issues. Continuous integration has its roots in the early 1990s when American software engineer Grady Booch first proposed the use of the term.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CD is a process where code changes are automatically deployed into a testing\/production environment. Continuous delivery will usually follow a continuous delivery pipeline, where automated builds, tests, and deployments are aligned in one release workflow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stakeholder engagement and involvement<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet another \u2018best practice\u2019 that should be incorporated into a software development project is solid stakeholder engagement and involvement throughout the dev life cycle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ideally, the development team should engage in \u2018continuous feedback\u2019 where each release is evaluated in order to improve future releases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most importantly, once a piece of software has been launched, end users\/customers should be asked to provide input and feedback about the impact of changes. This feedback should then \u2018turn in on itself\u2019 with it being used to improve the developer\u2019s development processes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By incorporating stakeholder feedback into the software development process it ensures that the final product will meet both user needs and business objectives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some user feedback best practices include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Target the right audience in the first place! You should carefully define who the target users of the software are.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use unbiased and neutral questions to ensure the feedback isn\u2019t \u2018weighted\u2019 in one direction over another.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure feedback is collected at the right time. Users need time to actually use the software.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of the best ways to collect user feedback for software development projects include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exploratory interviews.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Testing prototypes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Testing work-in-progress software.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analysing quantitative feedback via software analytics.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Net Promoter Score (NPS).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How is software written?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By now, we\u2019ve defined what software is, the inputs that go into its creation and the methods that can be followed to guide its development. But, how is software actually written?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this next section, we\u2019ll explore the programming languages that are used to actually create software and bring it to life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Caveat<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, we must begin this section with a caveat. Since the invention of high-level programming languages in the 1950s literally hundreds have been invented. For the sake of brevity and clarity, we will explore only the most commonly used programming language below.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Machine code vs assembly language<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to raise the point that there is a distinction typically made between machine code and assembly language.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Machine code is computer code that is used to control a computer\u2019s central processing unit (CPU). Note &#8211; each architecture family (e.g. ARM) has its own instruction set architecture and by extension its own machine code language.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Assembly language, on the other hand, refers to any low-level programming language that has a close (but not exact) resemblance to the computer\u2019s machine code. Assembly language (sometimes also referred to as assembly code) must be converted into machine code by an assembler (a form of utility program).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To make things a tad more confusing, there is a distinction to be made between assembly language &#8211; which is considered to be a \u2018low-level programming language\u2019 and high-level programming language.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, what\u2019s the difference between these two types of programming language? Put simply, low-level programming languages align fairly closely with machine code. High-level programming languages are more abstract in relation to machine code. However, by being more abstract, high-level programming languages are easier for humans to understand, interpret and manipulate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Note &#8211; high-level programming languages can be further categorised. Domain-specific languages (DSLs) are specialised to a particular application domain. General-purpose languages (GSLs) are, on the other hand, designed to be applicable across a range of domains.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A note on compilers, libraries and execution<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As an historical aside, high-level programming languages emerged in tandem with compilers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This was a necessary and logical development as abstract programming languages must be translated into machine code &#8211; it is the compiler that facilitates this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The steps a compiler takes are generally as follows:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A compiler receives source code (in the form of a high-level programming language) and proceeds to undertake lexical analysis. This involves the compiler \u2018tokenising\u2019 the code &#8211; breaking it down into keywords, identifiers, operators, or literals. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The compiler will then begin parsing the data, undertaking syntax analysis. This step is effectively \u2018checking\u2019, where the compiler checks the code against the grammatical rules of the programming language (using a parse tree).<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The third step is semantic analysis, where the compiler checks for type errors. Depending on the compiler, this stage may also see \u2018intermediate representation\u2019 where the compiler generates a more machine-independent representation of the code.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step four is \u2018code optimisation\u2019, which may see the compiler optimising the code via techniques like the removal of redundant code, reordering instructions etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s at step five that full translation into machine code occurs. The compiler will take the optimised intermediate representation and turn it into machine code which can be executed by a computer\u2019s CPU.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Should a program consist of multiple source files, then the compiler will create object files for each file. A \u2018linker\u2019 will take each object file (along with any libraries) and combine them into a single executable file.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5454 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/compiler.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1101\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/compiler.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/compiler-300x275.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/compiler-1024x940.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/compiler-150x138.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/compiler-768x705.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Note &#8211; the above steps are a generic overview of compiler operation. The specific steps and techniques can vary from compiler to compiler.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the different high-level programming languages used in software development?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this next section we\u2019ll examine some of the most prevalent examples of high-level programming languages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">JavaScript<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">JavaScript is likely something you\u2019ve heard of even if you\u2019re not a developer yourself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Often abbreviated as JS, JavaScript can trace its origin to the early 1990s when the Netscape corporation wanted to create a \u2018language for the masses\u2019<sup>12<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to help non-programmers better create their own interactive websites. On beta launch in September of 1995 the language was named LiveScript. The name was changed to JavaScript when the language was officially released in December 1995.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alongside HTML and CSS, JavaScript is a \u2018core technology\u2019 of the web. It is widely claimed that 99% of websites use JavaScript on the client side for webpage behaviour (e.g. to create drop-down menus, facilitate concertinas, or other moving elements on a site)<sup>13<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">JavaScript is governed by ECMAScript &#8211; a specification to which JavaScript, JScript, and ActionScript should be measured against.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Note &#8211; although HTML and CSS are grouped alongside JavaScript as core technologies of the Internet, they themselves are considered to be programming languages. This is because they do not have the ability to perform logical operations.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Java<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although the two are often confused, Java is a distinct programming language compared to JavaScript.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Originally developed at Sun Microsystems by Canadian computer scientist James Gosling, Java was released in 1995 and was designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible. In fact, Java was developed under the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">write once, run anywhere <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(WORA) mantra<sup>14<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Java has found extensive application, being used in everything from web apps to Internet of Things (IoT) devices.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Python<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Python &#8211; which consistently ranks as one of the most popular programming languages &#8211; was first conceived in the late 1980s by the Dutch programmer Guido van Rossum. Since then, various iterations of Python have been released.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Python has found many applications, including; as a scripting language for web applications, natural language processing, artificial intelligence projects, machine learning projects, and graphical user interface (GUI) purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SQL (Structured Query Language)<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SQL is a highly-popular domain-specific programming language that is primarily used to manage data (it finds particular use in handling structured data where relations between entities and variables are especially important).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First introduced in the 1970s, SQL has been widely adopted &#8211; so much so that it became a standard of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in 1986. It was subsequently adopted as a standard of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) in 1987.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The roots of SQL stretch to IBM when two American computer scientists &#8211; Donald D. Chamberlain and Raymond F. Boyce who wanted to create a relational database language (apparently this was after the pair had learnt about Edgar F. Codd\u2019s invention of the relational model for database management).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SQL is considered to be a \u2018backend\u2019 language due to its ability to manage and query databases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">C<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">C is one of the oldest and most widely used programming languages having been created in the 1970s by American computer scientist Dennis Ritchie.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has found particular use in the development of operating systems (including Windows), but has also been used in the creation of application software.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, why has C persisted for so long? It\u2019s down to a number of beneficial properties including; the structured programming approach that it offers, its portability (being machine-independent), its rich library functions that expedite the dev process, and its speed &#8211; with it being a compiler-based language.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The C programming language also continues to rank near the top of the TIOBE (The Importance of Being Earnest) Index &#8211; a monthly ranking of the most popular languages.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">C++<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another programming language with a strong pedigree, C++ is &#8211; as you can probably guess &#8211; an extension of the C programming language.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Created by Danish computer scientist Bjarne Stroustrup, C++ was first released in 1985 as a general-purpose programming language that has object-oriented, generic, and functional features.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">C++ is, in fact, so prevalent that it has been standardised by the International Standards Organisation (ISO) as ISO 14882:2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like its sibling C, C++ regularly ranks at or near the top of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiobe.com\/tiobe-index\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TIOBE Index<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TypeScript<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Designed by Microsoft on a free and open source basis, TypeScript is a high-level programming language that was designed for the development of large applications. It can also be used to create JavaScript applications (for both client-side and server-side executions).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PHP<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PHP is a general-purpose scripting language that was originally created to facilitate web development (this is evident in PHP\u2019s original name &#8211; Personal Home Page).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The development of PHP began in 1993 under the guidance of Rasmus Lerdorf &#8211; a Danish computer programmer. It was eventually released in 1995.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since then, PHP has found multiple uses &#8211; spanning from the creation of dynamic web pages, the creation of web forms, facilitating the sending and receiving of cookies, the creation of content management systems (CMS) and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps the most prevalent example of PHP\u2019s use is the fact that it sits at the core of WordPress &#8211; the Internet\u2019s biggest blogging system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, PHP is most commonly referred to as \u2018PHP: Hypertext Processor\u2019 &#8211; a recursive acronym.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Software prototyping<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you\u2019ll have seen mentioned above, some development methodologies incorporate a degree of \u2018prototyping\u2019 into their processes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, prototyping deserves a discussion in its own right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, what exactly is prototyping?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the simplest possible terms it refers to the process of developing incomplete versions of a software program in order to assess feasibility and functionality before committing to a full and final build.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order for prototyping to be effective, there are several basic principles that must be considered:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prototyping should not occur in isolation (many people make the mistake of thinking that prototyping is a development methodology in its own right &#8211; it\u2019s not). Prototyping instead should be used to try out particular features in the context of a full and proper methodology (such as one of the methodologies outlined above like RAD or Spiral). <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prototyping should facilitate the reduction of project risk by breaking it down into smaller segments. This should make the process of change easier throughout the life of the project. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where possible, clients should be actively involved in prototype development. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prototypes should be developed with an open expectation &#8211; that a prototype may be abandoned, or further developed into a final working product.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Underlying all software prototyping is the necessity to have a thorough and complete understanding of the fundamental problem that the software aims to solve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Software licensing and copyright<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you\u2019ve read so far, a considerable amount of time, energy, money and intellectual property goes into the development of software.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s for these reasons that operating systems and application software are governed by a variety of legal instruments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the early 1970s, a variety of licences have evolved which establish the rights associated with the use of software. As we\u2019ll see later in this article, there are many different types of licence. However, they do share some common features:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Ownership<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; the licence specifies the ownership terms of the software. This is typically characterised as follows &#8211; you don\u2019t own the software, but you are granted the rights to use it according to the terms of the licence. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Usage rights <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; the licence will set out the ways in which a user can use the software.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Restrictions <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; a software licence will also normally explicitly state what users <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cannot <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">do with the software.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Compliance <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; software licences normally include a section that sets out the actions the software owner will take should users fail to comply with the terms of the licence.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the different types of software licence?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the earliest days of software a varied licensing regime has developed. In the table below, we have set out the most common types of software licences that are in use:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"3\"><b>Free and open<\/b><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"3\"><b>Non-free<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><b>Public domain (and equivalent)<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Permissive licences<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Copyleft<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Non-commercial<\/b><b> licence<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Proprietary licence<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Trade secret<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Description<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waives copyright protection<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grants usage rights (including the right to relicence)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not only grants usage rights, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">but also <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">forbids proprietisation<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grants rights for non-commercial use only<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traditional use of copyright<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No information made public.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is an important distinction to be made at this point. Depending on the jurisdiction, it is the source code of a piece of software that is protected by copyright law.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The underlying ideas or algorithms of a program are not generally protected by copyright. It\u2019s for this reason that many software companies regard their ideas and algorithms as \u2018trade secrets\u2019, and often require their developers to sign non-disclosure agreements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Intellectual property and open source software issues<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An often overlooked &#8211; yet critically important issue in the development of software &#8211; is the interplay between proprietary code and open source code\/applications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some instances, software developers have been known to integrate open-source code or libraries into a proprietary piece of software.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why is this a problem? Because most open-source licences used for software stipulate that modifications be released under the same licence &#8211; that is, if a piece of software uses an open-source component, then that software itself must be open source, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The way in which software developers typically overcome these barriers is to either use a proprietary alternative (which adds cost to a project), or create their own non open-source code (which adds additional labour time to a project).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is certainly an obstacle, but an important one to consider and overcome if your piece of software is not to breach licences or compliance requirements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In need of software development services?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/contact\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">speak to<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the GoodCore team today. Our bespoke software development services cover every step of the development journey, from ideation to deployment and ongoing support.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a service which we\u2019ve developed over the course of 19 years and which has received a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">five-star<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> rating on Clutch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<div class=\"cta-section\">\n<p class=\"cta-text\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explore our bespoke software development services now.<\/span><br \/>\n<a class=\"cta-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/services\/bespoke-software-development\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">See our services<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>REFERENCES<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Stair, Ralph M. (2003). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Principles of Information Systems, Sixth Edition. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thomson. P. 16. ISBN 0-619-06489-7.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ISO\/IEC 22123-1:2023(E) &#8211; Information technology &#8211; Cloud computing &#8211; Part 1: Vocabulary. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">International Organisation for Standardisation. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2023.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Watt, Andy (2023). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building Modern SaaS Applications with C# And. NET: Build, Deploy, and Maintain Professional SaaS Applications. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Packt. ISBN 978-1-80461-087-9.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Mell, Peter; Timothy Grance (September 2011). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Technical report). National Institute of Standards and Technology; U.S. Department of Commerce. doi:10.6028\/NIST.SP.800-145. Special publication 800-145.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Tracy, Kim W. (2021). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Software: A Technical History. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Morgan &amp; Claypool Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4503-8724-8.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Systems and software engineering &#8211; Vocabulary<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, ISO\/IEC\/IEEE std 24765:2010(E), 2010.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210422145614\/https:\/\/www.hackreactor.com\/blog\/the-history-of-coding-and-software-engineering\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The history of coding and software engineering<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hackreactor.com\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">www.hackreactor.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retrieved 2021-05-06.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Bourque, Pierre; Fairley, Richard E. (Dick), eds. (2014). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Guide to the<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cs.utexas.edu\/~EWD\/transcriptions\/EWD03xx\/EWD340.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">E. W. Dijkstra Archive: The Humble Programmer (EWD)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Kent Beck; James Grenning; Robert C. Martin; Mike Beedle; Jim Highsmith; Steve Mellor; Arie van Bennekum; Andrew Hunt; Ken Schwaber; Alistair Cockburn; Ron Jeffries; Jeff Sutherland; Ward Cunningham; Jon Kern; Dave Thomas; Martin Fowler; Brian Marick (2001). \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/agilemanifesto.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manifesto for Agile Development<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. Agile Alliance.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Markus Rerych. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/cartoon.iguw.tuwien.ac.at\/fit\/fit01\/wasserfall\/entstehung.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wasserfallmodell &gt; Entstehungskontext<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Institut f\u00fcr Gestaltungs- und Wirkungsforschung, TU-Wien.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Fin JS (17th June 2016), \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XOmhtfTrRxc\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brendan Eich &#8211; CEO of Brave<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">YouTube.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/w3techs.com\/technologies\/details\/cp-javascript\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usage Statistics of JavaScript as Client-Side Programming Language on Websites<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">W3Techs.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/Articles\/2002\/05\/02\/186793\/write-once-run-anywhere.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write once, run anywhere?<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. Computer Weekly. May 2, 2002.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Almost every business exists to solve problems on behalf of customers. In many instances these days, the solutions take the form of software &#8211; be it a mobile app to facilitate parking or a web portal to advertise job vacancies. If you\u2019re looking to develop a piece of software to help your customers, then it\u2019d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":5455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5444","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-software-development"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Software Development: A Complete Guide | GoodCore<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you\u2019re considering a piece of software, then read this detailed guide to software development from the team at GoodCore first.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Software Development: A Complete Guide | GoodCore\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you\u2019re considering a piece of software, then read this detailed guide to software development from the team at GoodCore first.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"GoodCore Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-16T09:34:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-18T10:52:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/software-development-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1916\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hassan Basharat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hassan Basharat\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"38 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hassan Basharat\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5d951ff407ab7970aedbba312684f444\"},\"headline\":\"Software Development: A Complete Guide\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-16T09:34:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-18T10:52:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/\"},\"wordCount\":8188,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/software-development-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Software Development\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/\",\"name\":\"Software Development: A Complete Guide | GoodCore\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/software-development-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-16T09:34:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-18T10:52:03+00:00\",\"description\":\"If you\u2019re considering a piece of software, then read this detailed guide to software development from the team at GoodCore first.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/software-development-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/software-development-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1916},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Software Development: A Complete Guide\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"GoodCore Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"GoodCore Software Ltd\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/goodcore_logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/goodcore_logo.jpg\",\"width\":313,\"height\":54,\"caption\":\"GoodCore Software Ltd\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5d951ff407ab7970aedbba312684f444\",\"name\":\"Hassan Basharat\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/HassanBasharat-105x105.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/HassanBasharat-105x105.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Hassan Basharat\"},\"description\":\"With over 25 years of experience in the software industry, I have developed a deep understanding of the challenges faced by organisations of all sizes, especially in keeping pace with the rapid evolution of technology. My expertise spans the full software development lifecycle, from conceptualisation and design to development, implementation, and ongoing support. This hands-on experience enables me to guide organisations in leveraging technology as a strategic enabler, helping them streamline operations, enhance decision-making, and stay ahead of the competition. Beyond my professional pursuits, I am a strong advocate for fostering a positive work environment and a culture of continuous learning within our team. At GoodCore, we believe that empowering our people with knowledge, skills, and the right tools is the key to driving innovation and delivering high-quality solutions. This philosophy has not only resulted in a high-performing team but also ensured long-lasting partnerships with our clients, built on trust and mutual respect. As a leader, I am deeply committed to staying abreast of emerging trends and technologies, ensuring that GoodCore remains at the forefront of the digital transformation journey. My mission is to enable businesses to harness the power of technology to achieve their goals, whether it is improving efficiency, meeting regulatory requirements, or creating exceptional user experiences.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/hassanbasharat\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/author\/hassan\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Software Development: A Complete Guide | GoodCore","description":"If you\u2019re considering a piece of software, then read this detailed guide to software development from the team at GoodCore first.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Software Development: A Complete Guide | GoodCore","og_description":"If you\u2019re considering a piece of software, then read this detailed guide to software development from the team at GoodCore first.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/","og_site_name":"GoodCore Blog","article_published_time":"2025-01-16T09:34:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-02-18T10:52:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1916,"url":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/software-development-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Hassan Basharat","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hassan Basharat","Estimated reading time":"38 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/"},"author":{"name":"Hassan Basharat","@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5d951ff407ab7970aedbba312684f444"},"headline":"Software Development: A Complete Guide","datePublished":"2025-01-16T09:34:32+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-18T10:52:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/"},"wordCount":8188,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/software-development-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["Software Development"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/","url":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/","name":"Software Development: A Complete Guide | GoodCore","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/software-development-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2025-01-16T09:34:32+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-18T10:52:03+00:00","description":"If you\u2019re considering a piece of software, then read this detailed guide to software development from the team at GoodCore first.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/software-development-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/software-development-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1916},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/software-development-a-complete-guide\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Software Development: A Complete Guide"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/","name":"GoodCore Blog","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#organization","name":"GoodCore Software Ltd","url":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/goodcore_logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/goodcore_logo.jpg","width":313,"height":54,"caption":"GoodCore Software Ltd"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5d951ff407ab7970aedbba312684f444","name":"Hassan Basharat","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/HassanBasharat-105x105.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/HassanBasharat-105x105.jpg","caption":"Hassan Basharat"},"description":"With over 25 years of experience in the software industry, I have developed a deep understanding of the challenges faced by organisations of all sizes, especially in keeping pace with the rapid evolution of technology. My expertise spans the full software development lifecycle, from conceptualisation and design to development, implementation, and ongoing support. This hands-on experience enables me to guide organisations in leveraging technology as a strategic enabler, helping them streamline operations, enhance decision-making, and stay ahead of the competition. Beyond my professional pursuits, I am a strong advocate for fostering a positive work environment and a culture of continuous learning within our team. At GoodCore, we believe that empowering our people with knowledge, skills, and the right tools is the key to driving innovation and delivering high-quality solutions. This philosophy has not only resulted in a high-performing team but also ensured long-lasting partnerships with our clients, built on trust and mutual respect. As a leader, I am deeply committed to staying abreast of emerging trends and technologies, ensuring that GoodCore remains at the forefront of the digital transformation journey. My mission is to enable businesses to harness the power of technology to achieve their goals, whether it is improving efficiency, meeting regulatory requirements, or creating exceptional user experiences.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/hassanbasharat\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/author\/hassan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5444"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5444"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5493,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5444\/revisions\/5493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodcore.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}