System development life cycle (SDLC) and product development life cycle (PCLC) are two terms that are sometimes mistakenly used interchangeably, but that mean entirely different things. The two life cycles do have quite a few things in common, so it’s an understandable mistake. It’s important though, to understand what each one is and how they are different.
SDLC is a structural approach that is used to develop new software products. It consists of seven stages:
- Planning
- Systems analysis
- Systems design
- Development
- Testing
- Implementation
- Maintenance
The primary purpose of the SDLC procedure is to ensure that quality software is produced.
PDLC (product development life cycle), on the other hand, defines the process of bringing a new product to market. This life cycle is generally divided into seven stages, as well:
- Requirements
- Design
- Manufacturing for hardware and development for software
- Testing
- Distribution
- Use and maintenance
- Disposal
Some models of the PDLC use slightly different stages that describe a similar path.
SDLC and PDLC: Similar, Yet Different
The PDLC and SDLC both differ and overlap simultaneously.
A good example is the process of bringing a new laptop computer to market. The new computer will include both hardware and software components. The computer and all its components will be developed following the product development life cycle. Any custom software contained on the computer would go through the system development life cycle.
One way to look at it is to consider the system development lifecycle as providing a detailed structure for step three of the product development lifecycle; however, it is not only used in that context. The SDLC is also often employed independently especially when handling large or complex IT projects.