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Over the last year, we’ve seen a surge in organizations looking to develop custom software. Many times, specific pain points cannot be solved by an off-the-shelf solution. Companies want a solution that is specifically designed for their exact needs and the way they do business; something that will help optimize processes and improve efficiencies, all while seamlessly fitting into the workflow. And the question we hear the most during those first calls is, “What’s your process and what should we expect?”
Before we dig in, if you are thinking about custom software development be sure to download our Ultimate Guide to Custom Software to get started.
The Custom Software Development Process
Let’s explore our 5-step process and examine factors that can impact each step as well as some proven strategies for keeping costs down and everything on track.
1. Discovery and Design
Overview: The discovery phase involves a series of collaborative meetings, where we delve into clients’ business operations, meet with key stakeholders, take an inventory of the existing technology, and discuss objectives. This phase results in comprehensive system specifications covering functional requirements, integrations, user experience (UX) design, user interface (UI) mockups, branding, accessibility, technical architecture, security, and hosting needs. This process helps articulate all the specifications and technical requirements to get the project right on track from the very start.
These initial discovery sessions with multiple stakeholders act as a level-set on what the organization needs. It aligns the vision and allows us to clarify project objectives, requirements, target users, and potential technical challenges.
Determining Factors: The complexity of the project dictates the number of discovery sessions. Clients need to understand that there will be homework, and come prepared to provide background on the pain points they are trying to solve, their industry/business, how users will interact with the software and so on. While we are there every step of the way to help you, to ensure productive discovery sessions, information will be needed about what you are trying to achieve, the current tech-stack and short-term and longer-term software needs.
Success Strategies:
- Have a Realistic Budget: While it doesn’t have to be carved in stone (nor should it be), having a number in mind can help us determine the top priorities for the project, and plan the functionality and tech stack around these “musts” with a budget in mind. (Be sure to read Tips for Planning and Budgeting Custom Software Projects.)
- Know Your MVP: We always recommend companies start with their MVP (minimal viable product), a basic Phase 1 iteration and build from that starting point. Bells and whistles can be added later. The more specific you can be about your needs, the clearer the vision and the better the final product.
- Dedicate the Time and Team: Know that the discovery process can be intense. Your stakeholders must be able to carve out time from their day to answer questions or gather information. While there may be multiple people involved, assigning a clear project lead who has the authority to approve decisions will help move everything along nicely.
2. Software Development Process
Overview: This is where we bring in the needed resources (programmers, UI designers, etc.) to bring your project to life. Adapting to client preferences, we can use any software development lifecycle model, whether it’s Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid methodologies. Typically, an iterative approach is used, breaking the project into phases to enhance feedback and alignment with evolving business requirements.
Determining Factors: As with any project, the more intricate it is in terms of integration or a more robust solution stack—or whether we are leveraging an existing platform or completely customizing the solution—the longer the software development process will take. As well, the capabilities and expertise of the development team will play a crucial role in the success of overall project and its budget. One thing to consider is this, just because the proposal is approved doesn’t mean the kick-off starts tomorrow. It may be a staggered launch. On the developer’s side, there may be lead time required to ensure that the people are in place, and the client-side also needs to have resources ready to go, specifically a project lead. Get helpful tips with this recent article: Top 10 Custom Software Development Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Success Strategies:
- Know the Schedule: At the kick-off, thoroughly review the project schedule and its milestones. As the client, you also need to have all your ducks in a row and be cognitive of any deliverables on your side that could impact the custom software development process. (And don’t forget to factor in any vacation time where key people may be away!)
- Frequent Check-Ins: Constant ongoing communication will help keep everyone on the same page. Leading software developers will have an incremental process to allow you to see how the project is developing. This way you’ll be able to see the progress and course correct if required—saving your budget. Both the project lead/acceptor and the person paying the bills should be on these calls.
- Minimize Surprises: While changes do happen for a variety of reasons, it’s best to stick to the original plan and not open the door to “scope creep.” Be open minded about what can be part of Phase 2. Adding on new features or changing the plan midway can result in unanticipated and sometimes unpleasant issues.
3. Testing
Overview: Quality assurance (QA) is integral part of the development process, aiming to identify and resolve errors and usability issues before deployment. This includes verifying workflows, automations, integrations, UI/UX seamlessness, accessibility compliance, and conducting load and stress tests. User Acceptance Testing (UAT) ensures the software meets end-user expectations.
Determining Factors: Understand that typically 20% of development time should be devoted to testing. Factors that will affect testing include the number of integrations, features, languages and devices that need to be tested as users interact with mobile and web apps in different ways. User testing provides data-driven insights to prioritize features effectively. For example, by watching which features users find most valuable and which ones seem more challenging, you can earmark resources strategically, by zeroing in on the functionalities that truly matter to the end user.
Success Strategies:
- Don’t Skip Testing: To save money, sometimes clients want to skip or vastly cut back on testing. It’s crucial to thwart any bugs or errors before launch, so that deployment goes as smoothly as possible.
- Get Teams Onboard with Testing: The development company will do the heavy lifting in terms of testing; however, clients must participate as well to ensure that the features and functionalities of the end product are working as expected. It’s also a good opportunity to familiarize your “power users” with the new software so they can disseminate information and help train other users to ensure adoption.
- Plan Ahead: By the time the testing phase rolls out, all remaining bits of content need to be in place. Data migration happens during the testing period and again during deployment. This is also where we scan for vulnerabilities, and so communication and planning between departments is critical to make sure this goes smoothly.
4. Deployment/Go Live
Overview: Prior to release, a final round of testing and user training is conducted to ensure readiness for the production environment. The software development company provides comprehensive training and documentation to facilitate a successful launch.
Determining Factors: Some of the many factors that have an impact on the roll-out of your new custom software include the complexity of the data migration, whether or not there are legacy systems, and integrating the new functionality with existing applications or with third-party systems. This is sometimes where any compatibility problems or bugs not found during testing reveal themselves. If there are issues, it will require patches or updates to resolve and then additional testing.
Success Strategies:
- Timing is Everything: Together we will pick a date and time to go live. Usually, we opt for a time that is quieter that won’t interrupt users or customers. Teams on both sides of the project need to be at the ready to respond to any requests for help. If there is a planned outage that affects your clients, give them plenty of notice. Communication and collaboration cannot be underlined enough in the success of any launch.
- Accept That Things Will Happen: Things will and do go a little sideways as the software is deployed. Usually they are quick to fix; perhaps the emails aren’t flowing as the STMP isn’t working, or permissions need to be changed. Outages happen, and by integrating best practices throughout the development process these small glitches will be minimized.
- Accurate Documentation: All client-side documentation should be accurate and up to date so that any required configurations can be performed.
5. Support
Overview: Post-deployment, Whitecap offers three levels of support—ad-hoc assistance, standard business hour support, and 24/7 premium support—to ensure applications and infrastructure operate smoothly. Additional managed services include cloud computing/hosting management, cybersecurity, systems administration, infrastructure management, and more.
Determining Factors: You will need to evaluate your support needs. Review when upgrades might be needed so that your new custom software remains compatible with other hardware and applications. Most organizations do quite well with ad-hoc assistance or standard business hour support.
Success Strategies:
- It’s Not “One and Done”: Software is really like a living entity; it evolves and changes. Updates and patches will be required as you go to ensure the security and functioning of your new app. Investing in timely upgrades can give your business a competitive edge, reduce downtime and prevent costly security breaches. This will maximize the value of your software and safeguard its ROI.
What’s Next?
By now you should have a better understanding of each step of the development process as well as some of the factors that can impact each phase. When your current solutions are no longer meeting your needs and you’re looking to invest in technology that’s exactly suited to your business, it could be time to look at custom software development. Let’s chat.