--- title: "Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Phase Analysis and Control Gates" date: 2025-10-27 canonical: "https://codeandcypher.com/papers/csol560-csol-560-module-1-assignment-table/" author: "Joshua A. Wortz" institution: "University of San Diego" report_type: "Academic Research Paper / CSOL560" doi: "10.5281/zenodo.22287623" pdf_url: "https://codeandcypher.com/papers/csol560-csol-560-module-1-assignment-table.pdf" description: "Comparative evaluation of eight software development life cycle (SDLC) models across requirement volatility, risk management, and security control integration." --- # Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Phase Analysis and Control Gates **Author:** Joshua A. Wortz, MSCOL, CISSP ([ORCID: 0009-0003-6722-1019](https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6722-1019)) **Institution:** University of San Diego **Publication Date:** October 27, 2025 **DOI:** [10.5281/zenodo.22287623](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22287623) **PDF Download:** [Full Research Paper PDF](https://codeandcypher.com/papers/csol560-csol-560-module-1-assignment-table.pdf) --- ## Abstract GeeksforGeeks. (2025). Top 8 Software Development Models Used in Industry. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/software-engineering/top-8-software-development-models-used-in-industry/ --- ## Research Paper Body CSOL 560 – Module 1 Assignment Table SDLC Models Factors Waterfall V-Shaped Evolutionary Prototyping Spiral Iterative and Agile Incremental RAD Unclear User Requirement s Poor – Waterfall needs fixed requirement s before starting. Poor – V- Shaped relies on stable requirements. Excellent – Prototyping helps clarify changing needs. Excellent – Spiral refines unclear requirement s through iterations. Good – Iterative allows gradual refinemen t. Excellent – Agile adapts easily to changing requiremen ts. Good – Incremental adds functionality as clarity improves. Excellent – RAD involves users continuously for clarity. Unfamiliar Technology Poor – Waterfall doesn’t adapt well to new tech challenges. Poor – V- Shaped lacks flexibility for experimentati on. Good – Prototyping supports early experimentati on. Excellent – Spiral manages risk with unfamiliar tech. Good – Iterative allows exploratio n in cycles. Good – Agile adjusts quickly to tech learning curves. Good – Incremental integrates learning per release. Good – RAD allows rapid testing of new tech. Complex Systems Good – Waterfall handles complexity via structure. Good – V- Shaped provides strong testing for complex builds. Good – Prototyping visualizes complex processes early. Excellent – Spiral manages complexity through risk analysis. Good – Iterative simplifies by breaking complexity down. Excellent – Agile uses modular sprints for complexity. Good – Incremental manages complexity with staged builds. Good – RAD handles complexity with iterative prototypes. Reliable Excellent – Excellent – V- Good – Good – Spiral Good – Good – Good – Poor – RAD Systems Waterfall emphasizes documentati on and predictability . Shaped ensures reliability via verification steps. Prototyping validates reliability progressively. increases reliability through repetition. Iterative improves reliability with each version. Agile adds reliability through testing at the sprint level. Incremental ensures reliability by integration testing. trades reliability for speed. Short Time Schedule Poor – Waterfall takes a long time to complete all phases. Poor – V- Shaped extends development with testing stages. Good – Prototyping delivers quick partial builds. Good – Spiral enables faster iterations per loop. Excellent – Iterative allows early deliverabl es. Excellent – Agile releases working software fast. Excellent – Incremental provides usable builds sooner. Excellent – RAD is designed for speed and quick output. Strong Project Management Excellent – Waterfall needs strong control to stay on schedule. Excellent – V- Shaped depends on strict alignment with management. Good – Prototyping needs coordination to avoid scope creep. Excellent – Spiral relies on disciplined planning and risk tracking. Good – Iterative benefits from coordinate d team leads. Good – Agile depends on skilled facilitators. Good – Incremental needs management for staged planning. Good – RAD requires balancing speed with control. Cost Limitation Good – Waterfall manages predictable costs, but changes are expensive. Good – V- Shaped is cost- effective when requirements are fixed. Poor – Prototyping can increase costs from iterations. Poor – Spiral can be costly due to risk assessments. Good – Iterative spreads cost across phases. Good – Agile controls cost via prioritized sprints. Excellent – Incremental offers ROI per release. Excellent – RAD reuses components to save cost. Visibility of Stakeholders Poor – Waterfall Poor – V- Shaped has Excellent – Prototyping Excellent – Spiral Good – Iterative Excellent – Agile Good – Incremental Excellent – RAD keeps hides progress until late. limited visibility until testing. keeps users engaged. involves stakeholders in each loop. provides regular feedback cycles. ensures transparenc y through reviews. gives visibility after each phase. users active throughout. Skills Limitation Good – Waterfall guides inexperience d teams via structure. Good – V- Shaped’s defined process helps less skilled teams. Good – Prototyping promotes hands-on learning. Poor – Spiral requires expert risk management . Good – Iterative supports learning by doing. Good – Agile encourages team collaboratio n and mentorship. Excellent – Incremental allows skill growth across releases. Excellent – RAD supports rapid learning with user involvement. Documentati on Excellent – Waterfall documents every phase. Excellent – V- Shaped ensures traceability and records. Good – Prototyping captures iterative updates. Good – Spiral maintains documentati on across loops. Good – Iterative document s each phase’s progress. Good – Agile maintains minimal but effective records. Good – Incremental updates to documentati on with each release. Poor – RAD prioritizes speed over documentati on. Component Reusability Poor – Waterfall rarely reuses components. Poor – V- Shaped focuses on testing over reuse. Good – Prototyping allows reuse of prototype elements. Excellent – Spiral supports modular reuse. Excellent – Iterative encourage s reusable designs. Excellent – Agile promotes modular, reusable code. Excellent – Incremental fosters component reuse. Excellent – RAD reuses templates and components to speed up development. ### References Existek. (2025). SDLC Models: Agile, Waterfall, V-Shaped, Iterative, Spiral. https://existek.com/blog/sdlc-models/ GeeksforGeeks. (2025). Top 8 Software Development Models Used in Industry. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/software- engineering/top-8-software-development-models-used-in-industry/ Ransome, J., & Misra, A. (2013). Core Software Security: Security at the Source. Auerbach Publishers. Vasudevan, V. (2015). Application Security in the ISO27001:2013 Environment. IT Governance Ltd. --- > **Archival Artifact:** The complete, formatted research publication can be accessed directly as a PDF at [https://codeandcypher.com/papers/csol560-csol-560-module-1-assignment-table.pdf](https://codeandcypher.com/papers/csol560-csol-560-module-1-assignment-table.pdf). --- ## Citation (APA 7th Edition) Wortz, J. A. (2025). *Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Phase Analysis and Control Gates*. Code and Cypher. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22287623