Skip to content
SimplyCPA
Glossary/Systems development life cycle (SDLC)

What is Systems development life cycle (SDLC)?

In short

The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is the structured process for building or acquiring systems: planning, analysis, design, development, testing, implementation and maintenance.

Key takeaways

  • Waterfall follows the phases in sequence; agile works in short iterations.
  • User acceptance testing confirms the system meets business needs before go-live.
  • Conversion approaches range from parallel (safest) to direct cutover (riskiest).

Where it's tested

ISC: Systems Development & Change Management — study notes, a five-minute revision sheet and practice questions.

Practise: 3 questions

Question 1 of 3 · 0 answered

Which system conversion approach carries the highest risk?

Browse all 886 terms