The life cycle of the software product begins always with the need, the demand for the software. Startups and established companies come up with applications that would fill a certain niche, a gap in their or their customer’s operation. It is the “what” that comes first. And that is the easy part.
Capture the customer’s vision
The first struggle comes with the “how”. How to capture the customer’s vision of the product? Understanding the requirements in detail is the backbone of the entire software development process. Companies spend a lot of time in the process of building the grounds for a successful project and this involves many conversations with customer representatives and a higher expertise in envisioning the client’s wish. Here is where the foundations of the project are laid and it is the software architects who contribute most to this part of the endeavor. They are the application designers and need to go through a line of choices based on profound programming experience.The modern environment allows and even demands using professional software service providers for developing top class digital products. If you lack the development capacity or the knowledge of the right software technologies, this might be the right choice for you. When you start working with a software development partner it is important to discuss together the product and the requirements you have. According to their experience, they should advice you for the right approach develop the best digital product for your audience.
Budget issues
“How much will it cost?”: the question companies ask the most before starting any project. There are numerous examples of wrong budgeting of projects and software development is not an exception. In most cases, software products do not come from a catalogue and don’t have a fixed price. Failure to calculate the budget can lead to missing deadlines and even cancelling the project. That is why different payment models exist, tailored to the type of labor, put into the project. In the permanent struggle to cut costs, not getting the numbers right can be a painful experience. Things can get out of hand very quickly so it might be best to be flexible and choose the respective approach, like a dedicated team, or go with the time and material option. This way you will be able to work agile, define the priority of your tasks and test the demo product or features accordingly.Coding
Writing the code is the longest phase of the project, where the developers start building the structure of the software solution. Tasks are divided into units and spread among the development team. If one can assume that the coders know their craft, the challenge here is to have them work as a team in consistency and harmony. Enter the scrum master: an important role, that keeps the teams together, coordinates and helps on the way. They are the bonding agent, holding the structure and making sure targets and deadlines are met. The scrum master keeps the team’s communication upright and is always prepared for project deviations and headwinds.Quality Assurance and implementation
OK, the software product has come to life. It is the bigger part of the project. The main goal is achieved and: hooray! – a happy customer. But if the software company cannot provide proper maintenance and support, regular updates and bug fixes, that product will reach the end of the road very soon. Software support should also be part of the project’s planning. It is a way to measure the reliability of the product and the business, that created it. Successful applications have a long lifespan and go through many updates and iterations, which are constantly improving the software, also adding new features to broaden its capabilities. From the beginning, your software development technologies should be defined according to the project specifics, but also the possibility to scale up the digital product.The people
All of the above is in relation to specific functions that require knowledge and experience. Software development might be automated one day, but until then businesses will fight for the best talents on the workforce market. You can create top notch software only with top notch coders and architects. And a big issue companies run into, is getting those professionals. The demand for programmers in Western Europe requires a change in the way companies approach the software development process. It is now more often that they reach out to external software providers in order to fulfill the requirements and keep within the defined project timelines.Those are obstacles that every software development business faces sooner or later, in one form or another. And some companies can handle one issue better than other. But to master them all, one needs to be an established software development player, or partner with such to be successful and up to date with the tendencies in the digital product development.