What is Application Lifecycle Management? (6 Stages + Benefits)

If you’re an application developer you will always have to manage the project deadlines and deliver high-quality code.

But, what if you’re working on multiple projects?
How would you ensure the code is aligned with the business goals?

In such a scenario, you will have to identify and address potential issues early in the development. You need to know about application lifecycle management.

By understanding the different stages of the ALM process and the tools and processes involved, developers effectively communicate about the status of the work and any issues or challenges.

So, we being one of the leading mobile app development service providers, we can understand what goes into building an application. Thus, have written a complete guide about application lifecycle management.

In this article you will understand about:

Let’s get started.

What is Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)?

Application lifecycle management devises the framework for quality software development. It brings together the people, tools, and development process that will help the development team work through all aspects of development- from planning to development. The application lifecycle management also accounts for the maintenance and retirement of the application. It helps enhance the quality of the solutions, enhances the productivity, and eases maintenance.

Let’s understand the six stages of ALM that are crucial for developers.

6 Stages of the Application Lifecycle Management

An application lifecycle management comprises six stages. The entire lifecycle together helps implement agile software development. Let’s check out each stage of the application life cycle management in detail.

Stage 1: Planning and Design

The first stage involves gathering the requirements for the application development. Connect with all the stakeholders for the application to decide the purpose, business objectives, and need for the application. You must create the user stories for the application during the initial planning phase.

Simultaneously, you can start working on the budget estimate and timeline for app development. You might have to think through the wireframes and prototype design based on the user stories you have created. During this phase, the development team will get an insight into the detailed tasks to complete.

For example, when you are creating a healthcare application to improve appointment schedules, you will have two user stories- the care provider and the user. The prototype design will need to have screens for both the patient and the care provider.

Stage 2: Governance

Compliance management and governance requirements for an application from this phase. You will need to initiate the data security factors for the software application. You should also identify the compliances that are important for the seamless movement of data within the application.

For example, when you are planning a healthcare application to maintain patient records, you should incorporate HIPAA compliance. It is very important for healthcare to adhere to this compliance and other data policies for safe data collection and usage. It assures the patients that their data will remain safe.

Stage 3: Application Development

Once you have identified the tech stack, determined the compliances, and planned the backend, it is time to start coding your application. You will need to create the coding to ensure smooth communication and interaction between the user screen and the backend. It is equally important at this stage to implement the database solution for the application. The developer will also create reusable software components for accelerated deployment.

Taking the healthcare application example, you might need to ensure that when the user picks a date and time, the schedules are booked in the backend. The application should send a message confirming the booking to the patient.

Stage 4: Software Testing & Quality Assurance

The application development is incomplete without quality assurance testing. At the end of the development stage, the testing team will create a standardized environment to assess the application. While the continuous integration in agile development ensures a test-driven environment. You will need to test the entire system with the integrated modules at the end of the application development. It will help identify the performance, scaling, and usability of the application.

For example, if the application has been developed for in-person health checkups alone, and the care provider takes up video conferencing and chat, they can test the application and get the developer to add them.

Stage 5: Deployment

Before the deployment, the team will optimize the application. It is during this phase that the application’s future is also determined. Release management is defined for future requirement management and to identify ways in which new feature additions will be managed. This is an important part of the application’s lifecycle as it can provide the base to incorporate feedback and enhance the application.

Stage 6: Maintenance & Continuous Improvement

It is very important to maintain the application and introduce effective management. New updates and managing upgrades are a part of the maintenance schedule. This is the stage when developers will employ the feedback and enhance the app’s ability.

Let us understand the 7 key benefits of why your software development process requires the ALM framework.

7 Benefits of Application Lifecycle Management

Application lifecycle management is crucial for putting out quality solutions within the predetermined budget and as per the timeline schedules. Here are the top ALM benefits for software development teams.

8 Best Application Lifecycle Management Software and Tools

Application lifecycle management tools can enhance application planning, development, and tracking management. They can help businesses with monitoring the application from planning to deployment. It can also help with sorting files and recording the changes.

With these tools, the project developers can identify the requirements, create user stories and identify the coding errors early. It can also help discover the key features and compliance requirements for the application for better planning and development. It can also help with controlled change management.

Here are all the popular ALM tools you can use:

Logo	ALM Tool	Description
	Jama Software	This tool helps project managers determine the requirements, complete the test management and implement risk analysis for better control
	Visure	This tool helps the different teams collaborate and streamline the processes related to acceptance testing, configuration management, and resource management to enhance project lifecycle
	Atlassian Jira	This is a complete ALM tool that helps businesses unlock the features and identify best practices that help with agile development.
	Tuleap	This ALM tool allows businesses to enhance agile software development, design the project, and requirement management.
	Basecamp	This is an effective project management software that helps streamline the ALM process and track the project status
	SpiraTeam	This tool can integrate with your developer IDEs to help project leaders track, view, and manage the requirements and tasks for the project
	Helix ALM	This ALM system helps manage tasks, analyze and document the defects and ensure complete deployment control.
	Micro Focus ALM	This tool allows businesses to govern the different development activities and implement well-audited testing processes.

Now let’s learn how does the application lifecycle management differ from the software development lifecycle?

ALM vs SDLC: 3 Key Differences

Here’s a detailed look at ALM vs SDLC

Let’s take a look at the difference between Application lifecycle management and Product lifecycle management.

ALM vs PLM: 3 Core Differences

Two Important Methods of Application Lifecycle Management

The way to a successful application lifecycle management is by choosing the appropriate methodology. Here are the methodologies that are prominently used- Waterfall and Agile. Including DevOps to your methodology can also improve the outcome substantially.

1. Waterfall Methodology

   Businesses that plan their ALM with waterfall methodology implement traditional development services. The app testing occurs at the end of the development. This is a sequential development process, where the next phase occurs at the end of the first one.

2. Agile Methodology

   This methodology breaks the software development plan into smaller and shorter iterations. At the end of an iteration, the developer will release a small and shippable software that is tested for the different components. The agile methodology is used for continuous development and faster deployment.

Note: In the current agile methodology, most companies consider implementing DevOps which can help translate their ideas into a proper application.

Ready to Implement ALM for Your Next App?

Application lifecycle management is an incredible development approach that also considers the future of the application. With ALM, developers can release consistent and high-quality applications into the market with greater speed. It offers several key benefits that can translate your idea into a full-fledged app solution.

If you are planning an incremental and test-driven approach for your next application, you can consider ALM. There are several tools that can help through the different stages of development and planning. As a leading mobile application development company, Space-O Technologies has delivered capable solutions with ALM. You can look through our portfolio and resources to learn more about how we implemented ALM.