Solution designing is a crucial activity in any software project. Even when not much customization is involved, we still need to envision the how of the project.
Do we really need a separate phase for designing the solution? This is an often-heard question. Some claim to initiate solution designing during the Analysis phase, while others include it in the Development phase, or even when convenient. From a waterfall perspective, you can plan your design activities in one or more phases as long as you execute what you planned for in a specific phase. So, there is no real waterfall reason for a specific Design phase. However, phases represent a breakdown in time, in order to plan and manage our project life cycle better. That's why Sure Step plans for a separate Design phase with dominant solution designing processes. After capturing the scope baseline, we can now concentrate on further developing our solution concept during a well-managed timeframe...