In the world of software development, every project follows a well-defined process, from conception to final product delivery. Understanding these essential steps is crucial to ensuring the success of a software project.

Design: This initial phase involves defining customer needs, analyzing requirements, and creating a software architecture.

Development: Developers start coding following the specifications established during the design phase. Agile development methods can be used to promote flexibility and adaptability.

Testing: Testing is performed to ensure that the software meets functional and quality requirements. This includes unit testing, integration testing, and acceptance testing.

Deployment: The software is deployed to the production environment, ready for use by end users.

Maintenance: Once the software is in production, updates and patches are regularly released to fix bugs and add new features.