There are three major Phases -

1. The Pre-Development Phase
2. Development and Implementation
3. Product Maintenance.

Each of these phases have various Milestones like commencement of the Project, Project Launch/Feasibility Study, Preliminary Requirements Development etc. and each of these Milestones will have one or more deliverables.

The first phase is Conceptualization of the Idea The 'idea' is screened for technical and economic feasibility in the "Pre-Development Phase" (PDP). If required, a prototype model is also built during this phase to prove the concept. Initiation of this phase is to be approved by MRB/Review Team. Based on the results of this phase, Management may decide to go ahead with the product development and in that case the project is initiated and the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) phase begins.

The "Development and Implementation Phase" is the second phase. It may be possible that one PDP may lead to a number of sub-projects and in that case a number of independent SDLC's would begin. It may be necessary to integrate the various sub projects into one final product. It would also be essential that all the teams working on the sub projects maintain close interaction so that the focus on the end product is not lost. SDLC constitutes a significant portion of the PDLC. These activities, although are identified here, are explained in detail separately in the Quality Management System. After the development, the product undergoes Alpha and Beta testing and Launch of the Product takes place. Once the product is launched, then it enters the third phase, which is "Product Maintenance Phase".