A good reference matrix mapping documentation, diagrams, and deliverables to each phase of the Software(Product) Development Life Cycle. (with help of AI)
This shows the phases involved in producing a software product, and within each phase, what documents and diagrams need to be created. So that the output of one phase becomes the input for the next phase.
💡 So instead of diving straight into code, making chaos, skipping the early project stages, or hiring a product designer at first... developers can rely on this!
This framework supports both traditional waterfall projects and agile MVP/MLP/SLC development paths.
- Phase 0 - Ideation & Brainstorming
- Phase 1 - Conception & Feasibility
- Phase 2 - Planning & Requirements Analysis
- Phase 3 - Design
- Phase 4 - Implementation
- Phase 5 - Testing
- Phase 6 - Release & Deployment
- Phase 7 - Maintenance & Improvement
- MVP/MLP/SLC Path
- Notes
Goal: Identify real problems, market opportunities, capture raw ideas, and generate initial product concepts.
Artifacts
- Documents:
- Ideas list
- Research report
- Market Validation Report
- Risk register
- JTBD
- High-level user interview
- Diagrams:
- Mind map
Output
- Documents
- Diagram
- Final validated idea
Goal: Determine if the product is viable and decide whether to build.
Artifacts
- Documents:
- Project charter
- High-level timeline roadmap
- Feasibility study report
- ROI Projection
- Initial stakeholder register
- Initial product requirements document (PRD)
- Business case
- Diagrams:
- System context digram (L1)
- High-level feature map
- Business process flow diagram
Output
- Documents
- Diagrams
Goal: Define WHAT to build, priorities and WHAT the product must do.
Artifacts
- Documents:
- Software requirements specification (SRS) – functional & non-functional
- Full PRD
- Performance Requirements Specification (PRS)
- High-level security requirements
- User stories with acceptance criteria
- Requirements traceability matrix (RTM)
- Diagrams:
- Use case diagrams
- Container diagram (L2)
- UI sketches / Lo-Fi Wireframe
Output
- Documents
- Diagrams
- Initial designs
Goal: Define HOW the product will be built and define architectures.
Artifacts
- Documents:
- Technical specification document (TSD)
- System design document
- Data architecture document
- Database design document (DDD)
- UI/UX design specifications
- Security architecture
- Deployment architecture
- Scalability Documentation
- Architecture decision records (ADRs)
- API design and specifications
- Diagrams:
- User flow diagrams
- Design system / UI Kit
- Data flow diagrams (L0, L1)
- Component diagrams
- Sequence diagrams
- Entity-relationship diagrams (ERD)
- Wireframes / mockups
- Network and infrastructure topology
Output
- Documents
- Diagrams
- Final designs
Goal: Build/Develop the product.
Artifacts
- Documents:
- Developer guides
- Code review checklist
- Dependency update policy
- DevOps Pipeline Documentation
- Coding standards
- Diagrams:
- Updated user flows
- Updated data flows
- Code architecture diagrams
- Deployment topology
Output
- Documents
- Diagrams
- Product source code
Goal: Verify the product works correctly. Functionality, performance, & security.
Artifacts
- Documents:
- Test strategy
- Test plans
- Test cases
- Test results and reports
- Security test report
- Diagrams:
- Issue lifecycle flow
Output
- Documents
- Diagrams
- Reports
- Verified product source
Goal: Release/Deploy the product to users.
Artifacts
- Documents:
- Release process documentation
- Deployment runbook
- Versioning scheme
- Rollback procedure
- End-user guides
- Installation guide
- Administrator guides
- Changelog
- Diagrams:
- CI/CD deployment pipeline
- Environment topology
Output
- Documents
- Diagrams
- Stable product
Goal: Keep system healthy; manage incidents and maintenance.
Artifacts
- Documents:
- Incident response plan and post-incident report templates
- Monitoring and observability guides
- Backup and disaster recovery procedures
- Vulnerability disclosure policy
- Operations runbooks
- Technical debt register
- Compliance checklist
- Diagrams:
- Incident response workflow
Output
- Documents
- Diagrams
- Reports
For fast-paced or resource-constrained projects, focus on these essentials:
| Phase | Essential Items |
|---|---|
| Conception/Feasibility | Project Charter • Short PRD • Stakeholder Register |
| Planning/Analysis | High-Level SRS • Prioritized Backlog • Acceptance Criteria • Risk Register |
| Design | TSD + ADR Index • Data Model (ERD) • Deployment Architecture |
| Implementation | Coding Standards • CI Spec • API Spec • Unit Test Target |
| Testing | Test Plan • Automated Test Suites • Test Environment Setup |
| Release/Deployment | Release Checklist • Rollback Plan • Release Notes Template |
| Maintenance/Improvement | Monitoring Specification • SLOs • Incident Runbook • On-call Rota |
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SRS | Software Requirements Specification |
| PRD | Product Requirements Document |
| TSD | Technical Specification Document |
| ADR | Architecture Decision Record |
| ERD | Entity-Relationship Diagram |
| RTM | Requirements Traceability Matrix |
| CI/CD | Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment |
| SLO | Service Level Objective |
| JTBD | Jobs To Be Done |
| MVP | Minimum Viable Product |
| MLP | Minimum Lovable Product |
| SLC | Simple, Lovable, Complete |
| PoC | Proof of Concept |
| QA | Quality Assurance |
| UI/UX | User Interface/User Experience |
- Full matrix: for regulated/enterprise projects requiring thorough documentation.
- MVP/MLP path: for agile/startup environments or initial product versions.