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When you have an idea for a new software solution that addresses the specific needs in your business, you require a development company to make this concept a reality.
Custom applications are specially crafted in a software design process according to the particular requirements that are established in-house with the help of expertise or by contract with a third party. This is achieved through several stages of software development.
“Firm A” (a construction manufacturing and management company) handles large projects across the length and breadth of the country.
They deploy skilled labor forces to remote sites and these workers are away for long periods.
They wanted to foster a strong corporate culture while expanding employee experience, learning, and support models across the board.
Firm A should understand that the program development process involves various phases of the system development cycle. Each step in this development life cycle gives rise to the end-product required by the next stage in the sequence.
While we have a broad idea of what Firm A needs, specifics need to be noted such as the number of employees at remote sites, duration, and longevity at a particular site.
Several meetings need to be held with a development company to discuss the software development process requirements in detail.
This will serve as a forum for experts to learn specifications, focus on the particular goals that need to be achieved with the software, consider the other stakeholders who will be using it and why, etc.
After this discovery phase, the software development company can pick the most efficient approach to ensure the project is carried out with minimum risks.
A thorough review of all the information gathered enables the development team to optimally address Firm A‘s needs.
Firm A and the development team commences documentation. It could be named a “Business Requirement Document,” or a “Software Requirement Specification,” document on which the final solution development will be based. Approval of the document by both sides is a must before moving on to the next phase.
This helps mitigate misunderstandings between Firm A and the software development company. This will also serve as a roadmap for the phase-by-phase development of the final solution.
The development of custom software requires a unique approach tailored to the requirements of a client. In this development phase, the architecture of Firm A’s software is designed and includes the structure of the necessary modules specified in the document.
The design outcome is based on essential aspects such as budget, time constraints, design modularity, resource availability, and risk assessment. Firm A can request external designs, mock-up interfaces, and screens to understand how the solution will pan out.
This software development process stage is usually the longest one as it involves building the actual solution in line with the design considerations from the established agreement made in step 1.
Once components such as system requirements, the architecture, and the wireframe are in place, executing the plan should be a lot easier and faster.
It is highly recommended to have an agile development methodology that includes short iterative meetings wherein every member of the development team reports glitches and issues encountered along the process. This technique enhances the smooth functioning of workflows and improves productivity.
Once the software is developed and is ready for release, it is necessary for Firm A to carry out this testing phase. This involves the dedicated developer team carrying out various types of functional and non-functional testing.
Since the primary stakeholders are those employed at the site, they must be involved to point out features and functionalities that could be improved upon, etc. The core application itself needs to be checked out for function, text input, and localized machine installation. It should also be evaluated for all other aspects such as security and scalability.
Bugs and lapses will be fixed and go through repeat testing. Firm A should ensure that this process continues until the quality of the given solution matches the original requirements.
A product launch is likely to uncover issues that are addressed on the fly or set aside to be systematically resolved later.
It is important to note that custom development companies will support the application post-release as well. Users will be trained on how to use the software after it is installed on the company computers. Gradually, the integration of this application with existing systems can be identified and implemented.
Custom software development uses technology to solve specific problems for a business. Firm A happened to pose the right questions, check all the boxes, and find the right service provider to develop a custom software application to address its special requirements.
Ultimately, the software development process generated an application that increased employee engagement, communicated HR benefits, and created better automation/utilization for workflow.
Customized dashboards not only improved the project flow, but it also provided the management team with a simplified view of the KPIs that were important to the business.
Following a systematic and regimental process to developing a custom software application can tide over the hidden costs of adapting to the new system, help to integrate with existing systems, improve ROI, and ultimately allow scalability.