How to Speed Up the SDLC Without Sacrificing Quality

If you've spent much time in software engineering, you've probably heard the old truism.

"Good, Fast, or Cheap: You Can Only Pick Two."

Even as innovations like Agile methodology and Rapid Application Development have increased the velocity at which engineers can ship high quality code, the fundamental constraints are still there.

We're all too familiar with the challenge of increasing software development speed without cratering code quality or completely breaking the bank.

How can you do it, and is it even possible in the first place?

In this post, we'll introduce Archie, an AI-driven tool that helps teams rapidly develop comprehensive product specs and cut down on cycle times.

Pros and Cons of SDLC methodologies

Software development can feel agonizingly slow at times, especially when trying to keep pace with the demands of the business. Competition is fierce, and deadlines must be met.

Software development lifecycle (SDLC) methodologies arose to manage these demands in software. Each SDLC model offers certain benefits to help teams work more effectively, but at the end of the day, none is perfect.

• Agile model - Focuses on iterative development, customer collaboration and flexibility.some text
  • Pro - High flexibility and adaptability to changes.
  • Con - Requires significant collaboration and can be hard to scale.
• Scrum - A subset of Agile, scrum emphasizes roles, events and artifacts to streamline work.some text
  • Pro - Clear roles and responsibilities improve team productivity.
  • Con - Strict structure can be limiting and may not suit all projects.
• Waterfall model - A sequential approach, where each phase must be completed before the next begins.
  
  some text
  • Pro - Easy to understand and manage.
  • Con - Inflexible to changes once the project is underway.
• Spiral model - Combines iterative development with systematic risk management.some text
  • Pro - Strong focus on identifying and mitigating risks early in the development life cycle.
  • Con - Can be resource intensive. 
• DevOps - Integrates development and operations to enhance collaboration and productivity.
  
  some text
  • Pro - Improves collaboration and accelerates delivery cycles.
  • Con - Requires cultural shift and significant tooling investment.

Each SDLC methodology provides structure that can help software development teams work more effectively and more quickly.

However, these methodologies are only as effective as the teams that implement them. You'll notice that just about every "con" involves a human factor that can affect software teams.

For example, the Agile model can become cumbersome if ongoing collaboration with stakeholders is challenging. Waterfall requires comprehensive and thorough requirements analysis and stakeholder communication before the project starts.

How Can We Control For The Human Factor?

While SDLC models have streamlined and systematized the software development process, the truth is that the human factor still plays a critical role in the success of any software project.

Engineers are highly skilled problem-solvers, yet they often face challenges due to poor requirements and specifications from internal customers. This issue has plagued software development since its inception, leading to missed timelines, budgets and expectations.

One common problem is the pressure to start coding before thorough planning is complete.

Engineering teams are frequently blamed for project failures, despite rarely having high-quality inputs before or during development sprints.

High performance software organizations empower their engineers to think critically, with well-written documentation.

Introducing Archie AI: Addressing the Human Factor

Archie, 8base's AI-driven Product Architect, offers a solution by bridging the gap between business needs and engineering execution.

Start by giving Archie a simple explanation of the product you'd like to build. It will quickly get to work, building out detailed architectural requirements, specifications and UX designs.

Archie also provides feedback on regulatory requirements, so it can help you see potential legal roadblocks coming up as you build the product. It can also help your team think through the features you add to the project.

We know that the people giving product requirements are human, and their specifications are often incomplete or inconsistent. 

No matter what kind of SDLC model you use, that's hard to avoid, and this can lead to significant speed bumps and delays in the software development lifecycle.

Archie helps eliminate any ambiguity, miscommunication and mistakes, elevating the SDLC and transforming technology leaders into customer-centric delivery machines.

Archie acts as a team of high-performing product professionals, rapidly delivering full requirements, specifications and designs based on simple human prompts.

Bridging the Gap Between Technical and Non-Technical 

The "simple human prompt" aspect is one of Archie's truly revolutionary features. 

Non-technical stakeholders too frequently feel like outsiders-looking-in in the SDLC. It's incumbent on product managers and engineers to take their specifications and translate them into technical requirements.

When things get lost in translation, that's yet another pitfall in the SDLC, and it can make the relationship between an engineering team and its stakeholders feel tenuous or even adversarial.

Archie helps bridge the gap between technical and non-technical, providing a platform for both non-technical stakeholders and technical product leaders to directly collaborate. 

Archie not only accounts for the human factor in software development, helping quickly develop fully defined technical requirements from the outset of the project, but it also strengthens the human connections between engineering teams and stakeholders, improving collaboration.

To Sum It Up

Balancing cost, quality and speed is at the heart of every engineering project — not just software. 

Archie can help teams navigate these constraints more effectively. By providing clear, comprehensive product specifications and fostering better collaboration between technical and non-technical stakeholders, Archie addresses the human factors that often slow down the SDLC.

This allows engineering teams to maintain high standards of quality while accelerating development cycles and managing costs.

Next Steps

• Give Archie a try (it's free)
• Get a demo to see Archie's end-to-end capabilities