I am not convinced that anything during the development of software happens in phases. Usually, testing, prototyping, development, and deployment are all happening in tandum and can't be unwound from eachother.
What Are the Proper Phases of New Product Development Life Cycle (NPDLC)?
All of us have our own view of what MUST be the proper New Product Development phases. I believe those are:
1. Ideation: Come-up with an idea you think it could be a market winner.
2. Patenting: Evaluate the merit of getting Intellectual Property (IP) protection for your new product idea.
3. Design: Develop non or partially functioning models of your new product idea and start soliciting user feedback.
4. Feasibility Proof: Perform various technical/business studies to determine IF your new product idea is feasible.
5. Development: Develop a product/process to yield a number of fully functioning new product prototypes as if each of them were to be used by the final user/customer.
6. Controlled Field Use Trial: Let potential users use the new product as IF it were purchased by them and generate feedback based on a previously approved protocol.
7. Design-Verification/Validation: Fine-tune new product design/development and complete design verification/validation studies to confirm the new product meets User Requirement Specifications (URSs) per its respective Labeling Claims.
8. Regulatory Filing (if required): Prepare any required documentation and submit it to appropriate Regulatory Authorities for securing their approval to market it.
9. Full Field Use Trial: Repeat above phase 6 but using a comprehensive pool of potential users/customers.
10. Scaling-up: Scale-up your process so your new product could be manufactured in high quality/low cost conditions.
11. Technology-Transfer: Develop documents' list for new product's production in high volume.
12. Process Validation: Validate your process so it produces final product consistently meeting specifications.
13. Manufacturing: Start manufacture and ship product to market.
14. Launch: Launch product and monitor its acceptance by the user.
15. Line Maintenance/ Improvement: Compile, analyze user feedback and continuously improve product.
What is your opinion? Please explain, if you could.