The popularity of custom software development is steadily growing, affecting all major business tendencies, and by now for a company of any size, the request for custom software development has become almost a matter of brand reputation. But how is it different from ready-made software and how to implement it in the everyday workflow if you are engaged in software development?
The custom software development process
Custom software development is a type of outsourcing software development in which the design, creation, deployment and maintenance of an application are adapted to the specific needs of the business and a specific target audience, unlike standard software. This can be done both by your own development team and by an involved third-party company.
The custom software development process consists of common steps, such as collecting requirements, writing code, error testing and deployment, and refers to known flexible methodologies, but still has important features:
- The project begins with a thorough study of the direction of business, niche, target audience, needs and desired KPIs to achieve the ultimate goals of the application on demand;
- Together with the customer, the development team determines the mandatory and additional functionality of the future application. Importantly, the requirements may change during the development process, if necessary;
- The expert team chooses the most suitable technical stack, as well as creates an individual design taking into account the brand book and corporate identity of the customer;
- The next step is to create an MVP version of the application to show the client some intermediate results and test the prototype;
- Next comes the creation of a working version of the on-demand application and its launch;
- If necessary, the development provides additional support to solve possible technical problems.
In addition to creating applications, the custom software development business process often includes configuring existing applications, upgrading legacy systems, and optimizing operations management. These processes play a crucial role in maintaining business viability and meeting the needs of the market and users.
The main advantages of custom software development
We in Digitalsuits believe that custom software development is beneficial to any business, as it allows you to quickly get unique software created for specific needs, and at almost the same price as buying, modifying, and maintaining ready-made software. Here we have listed a number of the main advantages of custom software development:
Workflow optimization
Custom software significantly increases the overall productivity of the company, as instead of numerous manual or inefficient repetitive tasks on outdated software, employees can perform the necessary operations in a few clicks.
Easy to scale and maintain
Custom applications can be easily expanded and modified as a business does, without any special operations and associated costs. This is possible due to the fact that designers and developers imply even the future needs of the company right in the development process, which significantly reduces staff turnover.
Reduce costs in the long term
Most user applications can easily interact with existing and outdated business applications, so the company can reduce their maintenance costs. In addition, there is no licensing and support fee, and a small configuration and modification of the application in most cases does not require a technician, which is also important in the long term.
Increased security
User applications are created taking into account business security requirements, which is not possible in commercial environments. Thus, the data of companies and users is much better protected, the risks of cyberattacks are less, and the level of potential damage is much lower.
How to organize it and useful tips
Now that we have stressed the importance and main advantages of custom software development for any business, it’s time to figure out how to implement it correctly to achieve the best result for both business and software companies:
Determine the reason why
The most important factor in a successful custom software development project is to determine why it is better than a standard solution in each individual development case. According to RTS Labs, the best way to do this is to find a comprehensive solution that covers the following functions by more than 80%:
- Automate the daily workflow, optimize business processes and financial transactions
- Ensure the necessary levels of confidentiality and security
- Interaction with existing legacy applications and other business systems
- Assistance in improving the overall productivity of the company
- Be able to change and adapt to new requirements
If you find such a solution, you should first try it and decide whether it suits you or what you would like to customize. If you can’t find it, individual development is definitely your choice.
Good cooperation gives a good result
For the success of a user software project, it is vital to have friendly and productive cooperation between all team members. Both the customer’s side and the developer’s side must be aware of the final and intermediate goals of the project, have the same view of the requirements, and be able to quickly change them if necessary.