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Software development is time-consuming, requiring technical knowledge and a deep understanding of management and business practices. You need to hire a team of experienced software developers to deliver high-quality software. You need to understand the fundamentals of software management if you plan to build, maintain, and manage a team for software development over the long term. This guide will provide a comprehensive and up-to-date handbook on custom software development.
What Is Custom Software Development?
The process of custom software development services involves designing, developing and maintaining software to meet the needs of certain users, functions and businesses. Custom software development is based on specific project requirements, unlike off-the-shelf software. The software market is diverse, but it often fails to meet the needs of management and business processes. Businesses often demand specific features in their applications.
Custom software is often developed by large-scale companies for key functions such as inventory management, HR management, content and customer experience management. Although creating custom software may seem appealing, it's only for some. Custom software development can be time-consuming and expensive.
Custom software is created to meet specific requirements. For example, an online banking app that satisfies the bank's and its customers' needs. An in-house or outsourced development team can perform custom software development. The processes used for custom software development, such as requirement gathering, code creation, testing, and deployment, and methodologies like DevOps or Agile and Rapid web and mobile app development, are similar to those used in any other software development project.
Why should a business choose custom software development? Find out more!
Custom Software Development: Its Importance
Custom software is important because it can meet specific requirements and be cost-competitive with commercial software.
The following are some of the reasons why custom software is important:
- Scalability: As an organization or business grows, so will the custom software. Developers and designers can evaluate future needs during the requirements-gathering phase. These factors can be integrated into an application instead of buying additional licenses or subscribing to packaged applications.
- Efficiency: Custom software allows you to implement processes quickly and efficiently without fiddling with COTS applications.
- Lower Integration Cost: When purchasing commercial software, the first question is: Can it integrate with legacy and existing applications? Businesses will need to spend more money if the retail software is not combined with existing applications or works with them. Custom software can be developed to integrate with existing infrastructure.
- Independence: There are both positives and negatives to using custom software. Businesses can avoid being stuck with packaged software if the vendor discontinues their product or ceases to exist. The downside is that the cost of maintaining custom software falls entirely on the company that developed it. Before deciding to create custom-made software, organizations must carefully examine each equation.
How To Build Effective Custom Software?
There are many software development models. These include the Spiral, Waterfall and Agile software models. The agile model is by far the most popular among these models. Each software development model has its approach to ensuring the final product's success. Although the methods may differ, all models include certain stages. Software development companies can achieve success by following these steps:
Initial Requirements Gathering
This is the first phase of your project when you contact a software company. A development company will hold many meetings with a client during the initial requirements gathering stage to collect all project specifications. Designers and developers are at this stage to understand the project specification, the goals of the software and the users. They also want to know how the client wants the product to function. The software company can use this information to determine your project's match.
Analysis And Planning Of Requirements
The development company begins analyzing the requirements after gathering them. This is done to create a solid software application. The most important stage in the development process is requirement analysis and planning. To meet client requirements, it is important to conduct research with care. This stage involves converting client goals into a plan to allow two visions to meet.
Both sides must document and verify the client's demands before moving on to the next step. The client's requirements are documented in a Software Requirement Specification document (SRS), on which a product is designed and created. Planning requirements also help to avoid misunderstandings.
Visual And Technical Design
The development company must then identify the best way to accomplish its task. The system architecture of each IT Tech solution is different. In the SRS, the internal design of each software module will be described. The design modularity and the risk assessment are considered at this stage. This stage may also include the creation of an external design. Deliverables at this stage include wireframes and technical architecture.
Development & Implementation
The actual product may take the longest time to develop. The software is programmed by developers who follow the Software Requirement Specification and the visual and technical design. Coding can be done smoothly if the stages before development are completed with attention to detail.
Each team approaches the development process from a unique angle, depending on the type of software development model. The Agile method is used by most companies today. It includes iterative daily Scrum meetings and has each team member reporting progress on their task.
Testing
Testing is done to fix and find defects after a product has been developed. Testers perform various types of functional and non-functional testing during testing. The critical features that are tested during the testing phase include:
- The core application functions.
- Installation on localized machines.
- Compatibility with different devices.
- Text input.
If a bug has been detected, the software is fixed and retested. Testing is carried out until the software meets all quality requirements. Both the development team and the client team should test the software. It would be best if you used the following types of software testing methods to ensure the quality of the software you develop:
Functional Test: Functional testing is a testing type that tests the functionality of software applications. Available tests require you to test every single feature of the software. You need to check whether or not you're getting the desired results. Automation tools and manual testing are both possible. Selenium, Watir, soapUI and JUnit are all tools that can perform functional tests.
Functional testing can be divided into:
- Unit Testing
- Smoke Testing
- End-to-end testing
- Integration Testing
- Acceptance Testing
- Regression Testing
- White Box Testing
- Interface Testing
- Black Box Testing
Nonfunctional Testing: Non Functional testing includes testing an application's reliability, usability and security. These tests are conducted after the functional testing. You can improve the quality of your software by using nonfunctional tests. Non Functional tests are concerned with how the software works and other aspects.
The following are examples of nonfunctional testing:
- Performance Testing
- Load testing
- Failover Testing
- Tests of Usability
- Efficiency Testing
- Localization Testing
- Security Testing
- Reliability Testing
- Endurance testing
Deployment & Maintenance
After thorough testing, a software application is released. Some people consider the project finished once it has been released. You may encounter unexpected issues when you first start using the software. Depending on their priority, problems can be fixed immediately or improved later. You need to decide whether to deploy software on-premises or in the cloud. On-premise software deployment means the software is installed on the company's servers and is protected by an internal firewall. It was previously the only option for integrating external software or custom applications into the company's codebase.
This is a good option if you want complete control of integrations. On the other hand, deploying cloud-based software means creating a virtual computing infrastructure. Cloud-based deployment gives organizations scalable and flexible computing resources. Cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure and Google Cloud can be used to deploy cloud-based software. One of the benefits of custom software is that a company will take care of your project after it has been released. The software company will manage any upgrades or added functionality as part of its maintenance service.
Read More: What Should You Know About Custom Software Development?
Technologies And Methodologies For Custom Software Development
After defining the custom software requirements, the next step is to choose the cognitive technologies, methodologies and practices for the development.
Considerations For Methodologies
- Agile: Agility is a method of software development that relies on iterative development.
- DevOps: DevOps is a set of practices that combine IT operations with software development to reduce the development cycle of a system, which includes design, development deployment, and support. DevOps is partly derived from agile methodologies that increase the development team's ability to deliver high-performing software continuously.
- Rapid Application Development (RAD): RAD refers to a development method that uses a nonlinear approach and prioritizes rapid prototyping, feedback and testing cycles. This allows developers to make many software iterations and update them without starting from scratch.
- Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe): SAFe consists of organizational principles and workflows that help scale lean and agile methods at the enterprise level. It facilitates communication and alignment across a wide range of agile teams.
Considerations For Technologies And Practices
- Open Source: Open source technology stacks are software platforms or software distributed with a license allowing users to study, modify, and distribute software and the source code.
- Cloud-Based Development: Cloud-based development is a process for creating and developing software that uses cloud computing and hosts the development environments on the cloud. These cloud-based platforms allow design, coding, integration, testing, and other development processes.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): With AI, mobile applications can learn to make decisions and act like humans. AI can improve the development process. Natural language processing systems, for example, can be used to analyze suggested improvements and requirement text following some best practices.
- Blockchain: Blockchain consists of a digitally connected, secure ledger that eliminates the expenses and vulnerabilities introduced by parties like banks, regulatory organizations, and other intermediates. Blockchain technology is being used to develop certain financial and transactional apps. It can improve corporate processes and help release money from the financial sector.
- Low Code: Low Code is a practice of development that reduces the need for coders and allows them to help develop custom web applications quickly at a low operational cost.
- Analytical Technologies: Using an analytic tech stack, developers can build software applications that analyze data using visualizations, dashboards, and predictive capabilities to offer insights to users. Cloud-based custom development services, AI, and APIs also easily integrate analytics into custom software.
What's The Difference Between Custom Software And Off-The-Shelf Software?
Enterprises looking for software solutions continue to be affected by the build versus purchase question. Available off-the-shelf software is ready to use as soon as you install it on your device or computer. Custom software is developed and designed to meet specific needs.
These two technologies vastly differ in functionality, usability, and performance. Here is a list of the pros and cons of each technology.
- Implementation: Coding has become easier every day. Programmers used to spend several weeks running code lines. Students are taught to code in high school, and there is a growing number of open-source code snippets for every functionality. IDEs provide intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces allowing you to create highly complex applications without writing code. A basic understanding of coding is sufficient to make the customizations needed quickly.
- Ease Of Coding: The ease of coding does not guarantee that software development will be a breeze. Coding is just one part of the software development process. Other stages of software development that require skilled and experienced resources include requirement gathering, UI/UX, testing and upgrades. Enterprises can get distracted from their core business by development tasks. The internal IT resources may be involved in maintenance tasks, and the development tasks can affect their efficiency.
- Custom Software Drawbacks: Custom software can have drawbacks that enterprises must endure until they are resolved. This is how software grows. By using off-the-shelf software, businesses can learn from others' mistakes.
- Competitive: They also implement agile and best practices in the development of the software. To stay competitive, they also keep up with the latest technologies. Before creating commercial software, it must be thoroughly tested to eliminate bugs.
- It Takes Work To Buy Software Off The Shelf: An enterprise must still perform a requirement-gathering exercise to find the best product. Even off-the-shelf software solutions need to be evaluated for UX design and required infrastructure. They also need compatibility with various devices, ease of use, and compatibility. Off-the-shelf solutions can only grow with your business if you own them.
- The Integration Of Technology: Regarding integration possibilities, off-the-shelf software may only integrate with some software systems. Off-the-shelf systems may not be able to integrate with other software. However, custom software can be developed and designed to ensure seamless integration. When creating a blueprint for the project, a software developer should consider the existing IT system to ensure that the new software integrates seamlessly with the existing IT ecosystem.
- Scalability: When choosing technology for your company, scalability is a key factor. Software for your business needs to be scalable to meet current and future demands. You should add more features and functionality as your business grows. It is, therefore, better to have software developed in a way that can be scaled. This facility cannot be provided by off-the-shelf products.
- Upgrades: It's a fact that software available off the shelf offers excellent customer service. Sometimes, however, the software must be updated for quite some time. You may have to deal with outdated products, which can negatively impact your business. You can make any changes you wish to your custom software whenever you like. When developing custom software, you are in charge of making decisions regarding new features and upgrades. It is unnecessary to wait for new versions to add new features to your software.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Custom Software Development
Pros
- Needs-Specific Solutions: Custom software is the ideal solution for every business. It is tailored to the specific needs of an individual or group of individuals. It also improves productivity since you get exactly what you want. This gives you a competitive edge.
- The Security Of Your Own Home: Every software and business must be secure because no one wants an easily compromised app. You can reduce security risks by using custom software. It allows you to include as many security features as you like. You do not have to rely on the limited security features of any commercial product.
- Easy Integration: Custom software is designed to integrate your existing business programs and software easily. Software developers will help you create software that integrates seamlessly, improving business productivity and adoption.
- Use And Control Of Freedom: Custom software allows businesses to have complete control of the application. They can update it and use it as they want. The custom software is yours; you can edit or use it however you like.
Cons
- High Cost Of Development: Market forces have driven down the price of commercial software. Custom software costs can also include the cost of support and maintenance. The cost of customized software seems to be worth it once the program is in place.
- It Takes A Long Time To Build: It takes time to develop a full-fledged, custom software application. Business needs are sometimes more clear than people think. It takes a lot of time to research and analyze all requirements and find out the ones that aren't clear.
- Working With The Wrong Developer Can Be Risky: Working with a bad company or person is an issue that affects many industries. Software development is no exception. The right vendor could save both your time and your money. You may select a company that provides low-quality software development because so many companies are on the market. It is important to take your time hiring a software developer. Research more to avoid losses in the future.
Which Mistakes Should You Avoid When Creating Custom Software?
Custom software has its benefits and drawbacks. Before investing in custom software, it is important to know the common pitfalls.
- Develop Wrong Features And Unnecessary Complex Solutions: Everyone hopes that custom software will add value to their company. If you build software from your imagination, you can waste money on the wrong features. To avoid costly mistakes, it is important to allow interaction between the product's end-users and the app developers during the early stages of development. A prototype will enable people to be involved at all stages of development. It can also help them communicate their vision. A prototype can be developed before development to help visualize and answer questions regarding features or functionality.
- Make Important Decisions As Quickly As Possible: Early decisions can be risky. Early decisions may have crippling and unavoidable consequences throughout the life of a project. It doesn't mean you can avoid making decisions. First, collect the requirements for your product and then decide how to reach the desired goal. Making decisions and developing features close together can help ensure that all the required elements are set and there is less room for change.
- The Parts Are Not Accepted According To The Criteria Provided: Acceptance criteria must be met to mark software development tasks as successful. The team will be able to define the desired outcomes, testing criteria and scope of the functionalities they are working on. Determining the expected results before development begins promotes shared understanding. Experienced Developers should understand the acceptance criteria. Acceptance criteria must be clear and concise and reflect the user's perspective.
What Qualities Should You Look For In A Custom Software Developer?
It is not easy to develop a custom-made software application. People look for software companies that can deliver robust and scalable software that can meet their exact requirements. There needs to be more than understanding criteria. Look for certain characteristics and qualities to help you find the right partner.
These are the qualities that you should look for in a team of custom software developers:
- Experience And Technical Skills: Software development companies are only considered the best if they can build successful applications and have a high success rate. A portfolio of successful projects will be available from software development companies with strong technical and leadership skills. A company with a deep understanding of the latest technology and experience working with Fortune 500 companies and startups can deliver a scalable product.
- Communication Skills: To understand the goals and needs of your customers, you need to have strong communication skills. Software development companies can design and develop software with the help of proper communication skills. It is important to communicate with clients regularly if you want to build a relationship that will last. A software development company that uses enterprise-grade tools such as Zoom and Skype for Business to connect with clients can be more efficient.
- Business Skills: Knowing a programming or technical language is not sufficient. Software development companies must also have solid business skills to convert project ideas into reality. You can better understand their custom software experience by checking their past projects and references.
- Pricing Structure: Be sure to ask for a detailed breakdown of all costs before you sign any contract with a software development company. Avoid hiring companies that hide fees.
Why Outsource Custom Software Development Projects
You can hire individuals within your company to perform different development tasks, which can be costly and time-consuming if you choose to outsource the development of your custom software development services provider, such as Cyber Infrastructure.Inc, you will only need to provide the requirements. Our experienced team of developers will then design, develop and test the application and deploy it. This will reduce costs and improve the user experience.
