For developers looking to iteratively test and develop smart contracts in Hyperledger Fabric without the overhead of the full lifecycle process for each update, the recommended approach is to run the chaincode in development mode. This mode allows developers to test and debug chaincode directly on their machines without having to package, install, approve, and commit changes on the network each time. Development mode simplifies the iterative development process by allowing direct interaction with the chaincode during its development, making it easier to make and test changes quickly and efficiently. This contrasts with other methods that involve manual updates, redeployments, or using a production network, all of which are more time-consuming and complex​​.