Fewer actually know how to manage it effectively. This paper will describe the basic elements of the software development process, with specific emphasis on how departments can create and manage their development processes more effectively. A Model Software Development Process A development process is simply a set of procedures which takes a product idea and turns it into an actual software product. If you ask most development departments to describe their development process, chances are you will get an answer which includes these basic steps. But ask them how they know when to move from one procedure to the next and the answers get muddled.
Gates are the key to effectively managing the entire development process.
Without smartly implemented gates, the development process cannot be properly managed. Another possibility is that gates do exist in a development process, but they are spaced too far apart to be effective. Figure 1 is a good example of when gates become counter-productive. In Figure 1, each block represents a separate stage of development. Quality control gates are placed only at the end of each stage.