1. Define the Problem & Requirements

• Who is the user? What problem are we solving?

• What’s the core value we must deliver?

• What metrics define success (activation, retention, revenue)?

Output: Product requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria.

2. UX Design & Wireframes

• Map the flow of the application (screens, actions, outcomes).

• Build lo-fi wireframes → hi-fi mockups → clickable prototype.

• Validate with users if possible.

Output: UX prototype + design system.

3. Architecture & Technical Design

Engineering decides:

• Frontend vs backend responsibilities

• APIs and data models

• Database design

• Cloud infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP)

• Authentication, role models, security

• Scalability plan (multi-tenant SaaS, rate limits, caching)

Output: Technical architecture document.

4. Set Up Development Environment

• Repositories (GitHub/GitLab)

• Branching strategy

• Dev → Test → Staging → Production environments

• CI/CD pipeline

• Monitoring and logging tools

Output: DevOps foundation.

5. Build the MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

Start coding:

Frontend

• Pages, forms, dashboards

• Authentication UI

• Error handling and notifications
  
  

Backend

• Core business logic

• REST or GraphQL APIs

• Security controls
  
  

Database

• Schema creation

• Migrations

• Seed data

Goal: build the smallest version that still solves the problem.

6. Internal Testing (QA + Developers)

Types of testing:

• Unit tests

• API tests

• UI tests

• Integration tests

• Security tests

• Performance baseline

Fix bugs, polish flows, strengthen reliability.

7. Deploy to Staging for Beta Users

• Push the MVP to a staging environment

• Share with internal users or selected customers

• Collect feedback on usability, performance, missing features

Goal: confirm real-world value before production launch.

8. Iterate and Refine Based on Feedback

• Improve UX friction points

• Fix bugs

• Add missing features

• Adjust onboarding

• Clarify messaging or empty states

This loop repeats several times.

9. Security & Compliance Review

Especially important for SaaS:

• Authentication & authorization testing

• Data encryption (in-transit & at-rest)

• GDPR / SOC2 considerations

• Audit logs

• Secrets management

Only proceed when the platform passes basic security checks.

10. Production Launch

• Deploy stable build to production

• Migrate initial data

• Set up monitoring dashboards

• Prepare customer support workflows

• Activate billing integration (Stripe, Paddle, etc.)

Now the SaaS is live.

11. Ongoing Operations (Run the SaaS)

• Monitor uptime

• Watch logs, alerts, errors

• Handle incidents

• Patch vulnerabilities

• Optimize infrastructure costs (cloud bills grow fast)

This is the DevOps + SRE lifestyle.

12. Continuous Improvement & New Feature Cycles

Every SaaS enters an ongoing loop:

1. Collect user feedback / data insights

2. Prioritize roadmap

3. Design

4. Build

5. Test

6. Release

This cycle repeats indefinitely.