SDLC Phases & Documentation Matrix

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 development paths.

Contents

• 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 Path
• Notes

Phase 0 - Ideation & Brainstorming

Goal: Identify real problems, market opportunities, capture raw ideas, and generate initial product concepts.

Artifacts

• Documents:
  • Ideas list
  • Research report
  • JTBD
  • High-level user interview
• Diagrams:
  • Mind map

Output

• Documents
• Diagram
• Final validated idea

Phase 1 - Conception & Feasibility

Goal: Determine if the product is viable and decide whether to build.

Artifacts

• Documents:
  • Project charter
  • High-level timeline roadmap
  • Feasibility study report
  • 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

Phase 2 - Planning & Requirements Analysis

Goal: Define WHAT to build, priorities and WHAT the product must do.

Artifacts

• Documents:
  • Software requirements specification (SRS) – functional & non-functional
  • Full PRD
  • 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

Phase 3 - Design

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
  • 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

Phase 4 - Implementation

Goal: Build/Develop the product.

Artifacts

• Documents:
  • Developer guides
  • Coding standards
• Diagrams:
  • Updated user flows
  • Updated data flows
  • Code architecture diagrams
  • Deployment topology

Output

• Documents
• Diagrams
• Product source code

Phase 5 - Testing

Goal: Verify the product works correctly. Functionality, performance, & security.

Artifacts

• Documents:
  • Test strategy
  • Test plans
  • Test cases
  • Test results and reports
• Diagrams:
  • Issue lifecycle flow

Output

• Documents
• Diagrams
• Reports
• Verified product source

Phase 6 - Release & Deployment

Goal: Release/Deploy the product to users.

Artifacts

• Documents:
  • Release process documentation
  • Deployment runbook
  • Rollback procedure
  • End-user guides
  • Installation guide
  • Administrator guides
  • Changelog
• Diagrams:
  • CI/CD deployment pipeline
  • Environment topology

Output

• Documents
• Diagrams
• Stable product

Phase 7 - Maintenance & Improvement

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
  • Compliance checklist
• Diagrams:
  • Incident response workflow

Output

• Documents
• Diagrams
• Reports

MVP/MLP Path

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

Notes

• Full matrix: for regulated/enterprise projects requiring thorough documentation.
• MVP/MLP path: for agile/startup environments or initial product versions.