What is Salesforce development lifecycle?

Salesforce Development Lifecycle is like a software developed on cloud, tested on cloud and deployed on the cloud environment.
Force.com is the Salesforce Development Environment. It is built using Eclipse hence it can be effortlessly integrated by using a plugin. It is strongly equipped with Apex, Visualforce and metadata components making it eligible for developing Force.com Apps. Data is saved on local file system and the developers migrate the files to source control repository makes the changes and it is fed into the system again. For source control most developers use Git or SVN.

The following steps will very clearly demonstrate the entire Salesforce Development Lifecycle:
1. Setting Up Source Control Repository: It is always beneficial in the long run from a development point of view to have a separate Git repository for every project, with a default branch acting as the Master branch. It is will be more suited to the purpose of storing the production metadata in the master branch.
As discussed above there are a number of actors involved during the entire lifecycle of the development. Release Manager helps to create entirely different branches for different features which are supposedly handled by different developers. He/She also helps in creating package.xml manifest while also using the same to populate the Master Branch with Metadata and very rightfully uses Force.com Migration to migrate all the data.
2. Development Phase: There is this concept of sandboxes in Salesforce. Sandboxes are totally isolated from your Salesforce production, so it implies that the operations that you perform in your sandboxes don’t affect your main Salesforce production enterprise, and vice versa. The developers start coding in their own sandboxes.
They use Force.com IDE to make connection with their sandboxes and thereby retrieve the matadata from sandbox to the IDE. They do the necessary coding and after performing initial level of unit testing they commit the code to the Git repository.
For subsequent development this fresh code that has been committed is migrated to their sandboxes and they continue with further development. After completion commit the latest development to the repository.
But there can be a possibility that two or more people are working on the same code, hence they definitely have to check for any possible conflicts before committing their code.
3. Testing: As the normal software development lifecycle flows, so is this here in this case. After the development is over it is time for testing. Similar to the developers the testers or QAs also create their own sandboxes and migrate the code to be tested from the repository to their sandboxes.
Sometimes the QA might be assigned with the task of testing only a particular feature. In such a case they use Partial Copy Sandboxes. They deploy only selected features and allows specialized testing of the app features.
QA members can also share their sandboxes if situation demands for a more thorough testing of vital and crucial features but it largely depends on the organization’s workflow pattern.However any changes suggested at this level would take it back to the prior phase of development.
4. Acceptance Testing: After this level of testing is completed it goes for further user acceptance testing. Apart from the QAs and tester the developers, product manager and other parties concerned will perform the final level of testing.
The release manager at first creates partial sandboxes for testing and the same are used by the product managers to carry out the ad hoc testing. And then he/she prepares the final presentation for the end users or clients. These sandboxes can also be used by the trainers of the company to prepare manuals for the trainees. Again in this phase if any further changes are suggested it goes back to the development phase to inculcate the necessary changes.
5. Product Release: The last phase is all about performance testing. This testing is performed on intermediate sandboxes which unlike partial sandboxes has all the features of the app.The testing team performs rigorous testing and regression testing. After it passes all levels of testing then it is successfully deployed in the production environment.
However it is always expected that some or the other important changes will definitely crop up after the final deployment. These end moment changes are handled in the patch releases. Patch cycle has a lifecycle of it’s own but it is quite faster process than the normal development cycle.

Salesforce Development Lifecycle (SLD) is a methodology followed by Salesforce consultants. The methodology goes in phases - The Implementation Phase, The Testing Phase and The Delivery Phase. The salesforce development lifecycle starts with the Salesforce consulting engagement. A Salesforce consultant engages with the organization and thus becomes a salesforce service provider. The consultant strategizes the best approach that would make the client's business goals achievable and ROI-positive. It starts with Salesforce implementation. The implementation phase consists of business requirement analysis, Business System Analysis, Data Migration, Business System Design and Development, Implementation, Integration, Testing and Migration. The implementation phase is basically the beginning of the salesforce development lifecycle. To get acquainted more about Salesforce, consulting the right company is a must. Visit the top consulting companies, for more information

The Salesforce development lifecycle is like a roadmap for making changes or adding new things in Salesforce. It starts with figuring out what you need to do. You chat with the people who'll be using what you're building to understand what they need.
Then you start planning. You look at those needs and start sketching out how you're going to build it. You might use diagrams or flowcharts to help visualize everything.
After that, it's building time! You start writing code, setting up workflows, or whatever else needs to be done. Once you've got something built, you test it to make sure it works as expected.
If everything looks good, you move your changes from a testing environment to the real deal. This is called deployment. It's a big step because your changes are now live and people can start using them!
And you're not done yet. After deployment, you monitor your changes to make sure they're working well. If you spot any issues, you start the cycle over again to fix them.

The Salesforce development lifecycle is a structured process for designing, building, testing, and deploying software applications on the Salesforce platform. It typically consists of several stages, including requirements gathering, design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance. Developers use tools like Salesforce DX and version control systems to collaborate on code. Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) practices ensure a smooth transition from development to production environments. The lifecycle aims to deliver high-quality, scalable, and maintainable solutions while adhering to best practices, security standards, and user needs.

360smsapp.com

Salesforce Messaging App | Send SMS From Salesforce - 360 SMS App %

Salesforce sms messaging solution by 360 sms App. Now businesses can send SMS From Salesforce to communicate effectively with clients

The Salesforce development lifecycle encompasses the stages of planning, designing, coding, testing, deploying, and maintaining Salesforce applications. It begins with gathering requirements and creating a blueprint, followed by coding the solution using Salesforce technologies. Rigorous testing ensures functionality and performance meet expectations. Once validated, the application is deployed to a Salesforce environment. Continuous monitoring and updates occur in the maintenance phase to address evolving business needs. This iterative process ensures efficient and effective Salesforce development, aligning technology with organizational objectives.

360degreecloud.com

Salesforce Development Company Summit Platinum Partner

Customize your Salesforce with Certified Professionals at 360 Degree Cloud, A Salesforce Summit Platinum Partner with More than 10+ years of experience in providing salesforce solutions.