Understanding The Web Development Lifecycle

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, the web development lifecycle (often referred to as the WDL) is actually a variation of the framework utilized for developing any sort of project. Unlike these general projects, however, the WDL actually followed a particular pattern or structure, meaning that it can be used as a reference point for the development team and for the client (who can work out exactly what stage their website is at). The lifecycle actually involves 8 specific stages as outlined below:

1. Initial consultation
   This stage of the WDL is aimed at giving the web development team a good understanding of the requirements of the client, the scale of the work, the desired schedule, the possibility of the project coming to fruition and the overall cost of the project.
2. Project Specification
   This stage involves the client and the development team sitting down together and establishing the requirements of the website. They will look at the rules that the client must follow and what they are trying to achieve with the project; all decisions are documented for future reference.
3. Website Architecture
   This stage sees the software and the hardware requirements of the website determined, including: the most appropriate web development language, operating system, content management system (CMS), and hosting environment. A number of considerations are taken into account when making these decisions.
4. Website Design
   This stage of the WDL does not actually involve the development team at all; the designers are given free reign to bring the visual ideas of the client to life. It is, however, important for the design team to work in conjunction with the developers to ensure that all requirements are being met and that usability is key.
5. Content Collation
   This stage involves the client providing the web development team with all of the textual and graphical content that is required for the website to be deemed ready.
6. Website Development
   This stage of the WDL involves the website being coded and tested to ensure that it functions and performs as expected. The client is supplied with a Beta version of the site, which allows them to explore the pages without them being ‘live’ to check it’s what they wanted.
7. Quality Assurance
   This stage actually crosses over with the one above, but it involves the web development team themselves actually testing the website to ensure that all links and buttons are working accordingly. This stage also sees usability and functionality, in terms of the user, taken into account.
8. Website Launch
   Once the client is happy with how the website looks and functions, the development team are able to begin making the site live. This means that it will be released into the world wide web (WWW) where users can view and explore it.

Whilst the above stages are a little more complex, this does aim to give you a basic outline of what to expect with the WDL.