development cycle
nounUK /dɪˈvɛləpmənt ˈsaɪkəl/
US /dɪˈvɛləpmənt ˈsaɪkəl/
A development cycle is the set of steps something goes through as it grows or gets made.
The butterfly's development cycle takes it from egg to caterpillar to butterfly.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. In software, the repeated steps of planning, building, testing, and releasing a program.
Our team follows a development cycle that ends with a new app release each month.
3. The stages a product passes through from idea to finished item.
The toy's development cycle started with a sketch and ended in stores.
4. The repeating pattern of change in a living thing from birth to adulthood.
Frogs have a development cycle that includes tadpoles.