"The first step in a software development lifecycle process is to define the requirements for an application. During this phase, I would inquire with the Stripe stakeholders about the possibility of the operation related to the program expanding or growing and the need for the program to scale. Once I confirm this need, I'd then go about developing a program with scalable features. The methodologies I use to accomplish this include using microservices instead of a monolithic architecture, assigning the appropriate caching, queues, databases, and selecting the appropriate development language and deployment platform. Languages I prefer for scalable programs include Ruby and Django if it is a web application. I'm also more inclined to develop the application to run on a cloud platform which provides the greatest flexibility and scaling."