A software development methodology consists of two complementary components:

1. a standard process and
2. a standard notation .

The standard process is the sequence of tasks and decisions that moves the project from inception to completion. A software development notation is the form of communication used to document the knowledge and the decisions accumulated as products of the overall process.

There is no standard software development process. The process that you will use in this course is a generalization of the common elements of the leading software development methodologies. If you understand these essential elements, you will be able to customize the application of the general methodology to your specific domain or even choose one of the current methodologies that best supports your needs.
The SlideShow below names and describes the phases making up a the project life cycle for developing software:

The Unified Modeling Language (UML) defines a standard for the notation used to describe the products of object-oriented software development. The UML does not define a process for developing these products, however. It is a form of communication used to document the knowledge and the decisions accumulated as products of the overall software development process.