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The Documented SDLC: Why Every Team Needs One (and When) episode artwork

Oct 21, 2025 57 min

The Documented SDLC: Why Every Team Needs One (and When)

from How Many CTOs Hosted by How Many CTOs Podcast

In this episode of "How Many CTOs Does It Take?" podcast, hosts Scott Porad and Brad Hefta-Gaub start with a quick retrospective, or is it an encore, of recent rock concerts before stage-diving into a lively discussion about the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC): what it is, when it matters, and how teams can keep it useful instead of bureaucratic. They explore how the SDLC functions as the connective tissue between engineering, product, and leadership, ensuring teams stay aligned as they grow. Drawing from experiences across startups and mature organizations, Brad and Scott discuss: When and why a documented SDLC becomes necessary How process can scale collaboration without killing creativity The SDLC as a living agreement, shaped by retrospectives and real-world feedback The intersection of feature briefs, technical design docs, and version control Why AI coding agents still need human-governed structure How over-rigid process can backfire — and how to keep the human element front and center They close with reflections on teamwork, accountability, and the shared satisfaction of building something great together. Whether you're defining your first deployment script or revising a 50-page SDLC document, this episode offers practical insight into keeping your software process both disciplined and alive. 00:00 Introduction and Hosts 00:48 Music Talk: Concerts and Bands 05:26 Taylor Swift and Music Industry Insights 08:13 Transition to Software Development 08:32 Understanding the SDLC 10:41 Documenting the SDLC 16:15 Compliance and Security in SDLC 21:02 Product Management and SDLC 28:31 Version Control Chaos 29:26 Deployment Strategies 29:48 The Build Process 30:20 Managing Code Changes 33:36 Commit Messages and Versioning 41:13 The Importance of Requirements 50:50 Challenges in Software Development 55:56 The Team Aspect of Software Development 56:52 Conclusion and Outro Resources: How Many CTOs Pod: https://howmanyctospod.com Scott Porad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottporad/ Brad Hefta-Gaub: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradheftagaub/ #TechPodcast #EngineeringPodcast #DevTalks #PodcastForDevs #HowManyCtos #Podcast #Ctos #CtoPodcast #Technology #Engineering #SoftwareDevelopment #TechLeadership #EngineeringLeadership #SDLC #SoftwareDevelopmentLifeCycle #Compliance #Teamwork #DevProcess #CICD

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The Documented SDLC: Why Every Team Needs One (and When)

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