Hello readers, in this article we will discuss the spiral model in SDLC (system development life cycle). Spiral Model is such a topic that is very important in software engineering as well as competitive exams. Many people don’t understand this topic while reading in the book as it is somehow written in a complicated language. So, we are going to discuss this topic in a simple language that a high school student can also understand.
Contents
What is Spiral Model in SDLC?
In System Development Life Cycle (SDLC), whenever you talk about risk and risk finding, solutions, etc. then the first thing that you should think of is the spiral model because the spiral model is a type of model in SDLC which basically focuses on risk analysis. In the spiral model, the basic meaning of the spiral is every loop that is iterating. Every rotation of 360deg is called a spiral. And every spiral consist of 4 phases. They are:
- Objective Identification and finding alternative solutions.
- Identification and resolving risks.
- Developing the next version of the project.
- Review and plan for the next phase.
You can even see these phases in the diagram of the spiral model of SDLC. Here, the very first phase is objective identification and finding alternative solutions. In this phase first of all we identify the objective of the product and requirements of the customer and find out the possible solutions to that requirement. Then the second phase starts, it says identification and resolving risks which basically means that we have to identify what kinds of loopholes i.e. risks are prevailing in our system, and then we have to find out the possible solutions to these loopholes and risks i.e. resolving risks. Then comes the third phase of the spiral model in which we develop the next version of the project after resolving all the risk factors in our project. Here we solve all the risks and then apply the solutions to our project and develop the next version of it. But here, the best practice can be that we can develop a prototype and then follow these steps so that we can save time as well as money. Then at the last phase, we review our project and make changes as per the user requirement and then start planning for the next phase which means that we have to keep the loop running i.e. we keep on developing the project as per the customer requirement and then identify and resolve the risks and follow the spiral model again and again until the final version of the project so that we can have a very refined and stable version of our product to deliver to the customer. We do all this hard work for any type of large project where there should be no loopholes in our system.
Here we have to understand some concepts that are very important. In this spiral model of SDLC, the more we run the loop the more time and money it requires. Thus, the more the radius of the spiral model, the more the cost of the project. So, we also should keep in mind this point while working on any project. Also, here angular dimension represents the progress of the project. Here angular dimension is every rotation. For example, if you complete the spiral model 180deg then it is considered that you completed 2 phases and if the rotation is 360deg then you completed one loop.
Spiral Model is also called the meta-model. It is because it is using multiple models in a single model. It follows the classical waterfall model as we follow these phases step by step, we also create prototypes so it also covers the prototype model, etc.
Diagram of Spiral Model in SDLC
Advantages of Spiral Model in SDLC
- Risk handling
- We can create large projects.
- It is a flexible model
- Customer Satisfaction
Disadvantages of Spiral Model in SDLC
- It is a complex model.
- It is a comparatively expensive model.
- Too much risk analysis
- Lack of time management
