Software Development Practices (SDP) Vocabulary

Vocabulary study cards covering core software development concepts, methodologies, roles, testing levels, visual structures, and project management tools from the SDP course module.

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

A structured process used by software engineers and project teams to plan, design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain software systems within predictable timelines and budgets.

Waterfall Model

A classic, linear approach to software development where each phase must be completed before the next phase can begin, with no overlapping of phases.

Business Analyst (BA)

A development team role responsible for translating business needs into detailed technical specifications and producing the User Requirements Document (URD).

System Architect

A development team role responsible for designing the high-level system structure, database, and tech stack, producing the System Design Document (SDD).

Software Developer

A development team role responsible for writing, debugging, and integrating code according to design specifications to deliver working source code and builds.

QA Engineer / Tester

A development team role focusing on bug prevention (QA) and actively finding bugs (Tester), delivering test cases, defect logs, and sign-offs.

Operations / Deploy

A development team role responsible for managing environment configuration, release pipelines, and staging, delivering deployment guides and rollback plans.

Project Manager (PM)

A development team role responsible for overseeing scope, resources, schedule, and budget constraints, producing Gantt charts and milestone trackers.

Scrum Framework

An iterative Agile model focused on delivering working builds in fixed-length iterations called Sprints lasting $2$ to $4$ weeks.

Product Owner

A key role in Scrum who represents business value and manages product backlogs.

Scrum Master

A key role in Scrum who removes roadblocks and protects team processes.

Kanban Method

A highly visual workflow management system that continuously pulls work using Work-In-Progress (WIP) Limits to prevent bottlenecks.

DevOps Model

A cultural and technical methodology that unites development and IT operations teams to deliver software faster, more securely, and more reliably through continuous automation loops.

Functional Requirements (FR)

Requirements that describe specific system services, behaviors, and functions — focusing on WHAT the system shall do.

Non-Functional Requirements (NFR / Quality Attributes)

Requirements that specify quality attributes, operational constraints, and performance targets — focusing on HOW the system should perform.

Mandatory Requirements (Must Have)

The highest priority URD tier consisting of compulsory features; if any are missing, the system or project is considered failed.

Desirable Requirements (Should Have)

Important and highly valuable features that can be deferred if project costs or timeline constraints become too high.

Optional Requirements (Could Have)

Non-essential features that can be built if team resources and budget permit.

Possible Future Enhancements (Won't Have Now)

Feature ideas planned for future versions that fall completely out of the current project scope.

Software Design Document (SDD)

A comprehensive technical blueprint that bridges user requirements and final functional code, defining how the software will be built.

Wireframe

A low-fidelity visual design deliverable featuring simple black & white layouts and grayscale boxes strictly focusing on structure and content placement.

Mockup

A medium-to-high fidelity visual design deliverable applying brand colors, custom typography, images, and specific icons strictly focusing on visual style and brand compliance.

Prototype

A high-fidelity visual design deliverable featuring interactive, clickable screens simulating functional user navigation strictly focusing on user testing and flow mechanics.

Black-Box Testing

A software testing method where the tester has NO knowledge of the internal code or structure, basing tests purely on inputs and outputs.

White-Box Testing

A software testing method where the tester has complete knowledge of the internal code architecture, structural paths, and design.

Grey-Box Testing

A software testing method combining black-box and white-box techniques where the tester has partial knowledge of internal database schemas or logic.

Unit Testing

The first level of testing, conducted by developers on individual components, single functions, or modules in isolation to catch syntax and logic errors early.

Integration Testing

The level of testing performed on interfaces and connections between combined modules to ensure they pass data and work together.

System Testing

The level of testing performed by QA teams on integrated software as a single, complete system to validate functionality against URD requirements.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

The final level of testing performed by end-users and clients on real-world business workflows to gain formal stakeholder sign-off and release approval.

Deployment

The SDLC phase where the fully tested software build is officially migrated from testing or staging environments into the live production environment.

Rollback Strategy

A contingency plan within a deployment plan detailing exactly how to restore the last working backup if deployment fails during launch.

Definition of Done (DoD)

A formal, shared agreement within an Agile team outlining all technical, operational, and quality standards a work item must satisfy before being considered complete.

Storyboarding

A visual representation of a user's journey through an application, breaking down abstract features into concrete scenes along a narrative arc.

Linear Layout Structure

A simple sequential page layout structure with only forward or backward navigation links along a single path.

Hierarchical Layout Structure

A tree-like page layout structure with a main home page branching into sub-pages, which branch further.

Non-Linear Layout Structure

An unstructured page layout structure with links allowing free, open movement between content screens without a fixed path.

Gantt Chart

A visual project scheduling tool used by project managers to track tasks, durations, timelines, milestones, and critical dependencies.

Escalating Cost of Fixing Software Defects

The concept showing that bug fix costs escalate significantly across SDLC phases, costing $1\text{x}$ in the Design Phase, $6\text{x}$ in Implementation, and $15\text{x}$ in the Testing Phase.