Are you thinking about building a new software program from scratch? That’s a good move because doing so comes with plenty of perks.
You get to fix the problems that have been plaguing your business and if you are in the software development business, building a new program means that you have a new product in your product line up which means more money.
It’s not only newbies that are intimidated and confused on how to go about building their first software. It can also be confusing even if you had built a program before, but the one that you are building now is in a completely new area.
If you are in such a situation you shouldn’t worry as you can break down the project into actionable steps and you approach one step at a time.
To help you out, here is how to break down the software development process and complete the project fast and successfully:
Understand your needs
Start with taking the time to thoroughly grasp the problem that your software intends to solve and how it intends to do so.
To have a 360 degree understanding, brainstorm the capabilities of the software with stakeholders and study competition. You should research your competitors’ pricing models, product features, customer feedback, customer acquisition methods, drawbacks, product efficiencies and any other details.
If you want to develop software for your company, you should know what it will do and whether there are cheaper options available.
Also Read: Building Your Custom Chatbot From Scratch
Plan your project
After brainstorming, the following step is to plan. Simply define software needs and communicate them to the development team.
The team will then define the software components, data and process flow, and project roadmap. You must also calculate ROI (Return on investment) to complete a cost-benefit analysis. Obviously, you don’t want to invest in a project that will see you wasting money, do you?
The project plan includes everything involved in the project. Estimate how many software developers will be working on the project and how they will design and implement software architecture.
This is the time when assumptions are validated. And measuring it allows developers to estimate project timelines and budgets.
The development team then starts estimating the amount of money that the project will take. The team first comes up with a rough estimate and then a complete estimate to offer the business a proper understanding of the cost of the project.
As you build software from scratch, you should note that having a plan is like building a proof of concept that allows you to examine the viability of the project early on. You only move forward with the plan once you have ascertained that it’s workable.
Due to the importance of the planning stages, you should spend a substantial amount here together with your team.
Execute and deploy
Everyone in the team should understand the goals and needs of the project. They also should be able to collaborate and expertly execute the project.
To ensure that everything is running properly, you should adhere to a well-defined development approach. This can be agile, waterfall or any other.
Of course, you should discuss this during the planning stages but if you find that the approach you had discussed isn’t working, you should get back to the drawing board and agree on the best suited approach for the situation.
Testing
The software development team begins testing as soon as the first few lines of code are written. This allows testers to walk through the entire product while it is still in development.
In this stage, software development businesses provide quality assurance services that outline the scope of testing and deliver a faultless product.
The requirements analysis, test planning and execution, defect tracking, and pre-launch regression testing are all part of this process.
Following that, the development company has to decide whether to do manual or automated testing.
Manual testing is preferable when the project is small, and the company will test the product from the standpoint of the end user. For large projects requiring continuous testing, automated testing is a viable option.
To have an easy time, it’s wise that you involve quality assurance specialists as early as the requirements formulation stage. A QA team must ensure that the requirements are completely testable from the start of the SDLC: this will allow for more thorough testing and avoid costly redevelopments later on.
Deliver the project
After creating the project, now is the time to deliver it.
If you had hired a systems development team, the team must ensure that the software is fully functional before delivering it. It’s also their responsibility to help the company’s users, such as the team at the client’s company, understand how the system works.
In most cases, training in the software program is required. The development firm you hired ensures that the client is fully conversant with the software and resolves any concerns that may emerge.
Parting shot
Creating a software program that will solve your problems or your clients’ problems requires you to have the right people by your side. Thankfully, this isn’t a problem as there are many dedicated software development companies you can hire to work on your project.
When you are hiring the development company, ensure they are experienced and have handled similar projects before.
Don’t hire just any company you meet online. Make efforts to visit their offices so that you can tell whether the information they are giving you is true. You also get to experience their culture and determine if they are the right fit for your project.
After delivering the program, remember to be prepared to respond to customer support queries and problem notifications.
Your software will also require frequent upkeep, and your users will be more likely to stick around if they feel heard and understood when they contact support.
Besides the development team, create a maintenance staff to keep the program working well and oversee the rollout of future updates.
Also Read: Building Software Products As A Startup: 7 Tips For Success