The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) turns a business requirement into working software through a defined, repeatable sequence: plan, build, test, deploy, maintain. Skip that structure and the cost shows up fast. According to a 2012 McKinsey and University of Oxford analysis of large IT projects with initial budgets above $15 million, the average project ran 45% over budget, took 7% longer than planned, and delivered 56% less value than promised.
