Which SDLC Phases Correspond to IT Operating Environments?

This chapter maps common IT Operating Environment Types to the SDLC phases and Activities they support while preserving the distinction between lifecycle work and technical contexts.

Phase and Environment Are Different

An SDLC phase is a governed body of work and outcomes. An IT Operating Environment is a technical context in which technology, configuration, data, integrations, and controls execute or are evaluated. A phase may use several Environments, and an Environment may support several phases.

Common Relationships

Environment Evidence

Evidence produced in an Environment should identify the Environment Instance, deployed version, configuration baseline, data context, dependencies, and material differences from Production. Deployment into an Environment does not prove the corresponding phase is complete.

Connections to Related IF4IT Practices and Inventories

Apply IT Operating Environments Best Practices to govern environment purpose, progression, segregation, readiness, promotion, and evidence, and use the Software Technologies Inventory and Attributes to identify the deployed technology baseline.

Release scope, environment progression, deployment evidence, cutover, rollback, and closure are governed through Release Management guidance, IT Operating Environments Best Practices, and Agile, Waterfall, or Hybrid: An IF4IT Framework for Choosing Delivery Methodology.