Which of the following best describes the role of a software development lifecycle (SDLC)?

The correct choice highlights that the software development lifecycle (SDLC) serves as a comprehensive planning and management process for software development. It encompasses a series of structured phases that guide the creation and maintenance of software applications, from initial feasibility analysis and requirements gathering to design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. This methodology ensures that each stage of development is well-defined, organized, and executed, leading to higher quality software and more efficient project management.

While the other choices suggest different roles or limitations of SDLC, they do not capture the full essence of what SDLC encompasses. Continuous deployment is just one aspect that can arise from an agile approach to SDLC, coding guidelines pertain to best practices in writing code but don’t represent the overall lifecycle, and suggesting that SDLC is only relevant for hardware development is a misconception, as it fundamentally applies to software processes across various platforms and industries.