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does your company have a very specific problem, would you like to have a competitive advantage over your competitors, have you tried a multitude of solutions and none of them fit?
Whatever your situation is, chances are that you need custom software development that fits exactly that particular need that is keeping you awake at night. Don't think that any kind of design and development is going to solve the problem, especially when most of the developers in our society put almost all their attention on building the software, leaving aside the analysis and discussion of the problem.
"Intelligence is not about finding solutions, but about not losing sight of the problems" - Nicolás Gómez
what are the phases of custom software development?
Before we tell you about the process of creating software, we want to tell you something. Did you know that custom software often generates a positive impact on the company where it is implemented? This is due to the number of advantages generated by development experts that guarantee a good result. Among the main benefits are:
- Greater flexibility and scalability.
- Implementation of improvements adapted to the needs of the company.
- Easy integration with the company's IT infrastructure.
- Increased security and better technical support.
Now it's time for the phases of custom software development:
- Consultancy
It involves making a strategic study of the project, understanding the needs of the client, their company and its context. Any decision you make will influence in one way or another the success of your idea. Therefore, the first step in software development is expert advice. The unstoppable technological evolution in which we are immersed is driving us towards digital transformation and invites us to have tools and computer devices to streamline the processes of our work. For example: a corporate application, a CRM for sales management and customer tracking, an ERP to improve productivity, an RPA for process automation, or document management software.
It all depends on your needs.
- Analysis
This is a vital stage to understand the problem to be solved with the project. It is where the requirements and functionalities that the user wants the software to have are defined, the briefing is created with all the necessary specifications and requirements. This document will contain all the necessary information to outline the project in phases and execute it later. Having this information will help the developer a lot, and some of the data that should appear are: objectives, means available to achieve them, description of the company, specific needs, target audience, technical specifications, budget and deadline.
This document must be very well detailed to avoid any kind of delay in execution or spending more time than necessary.
- Design and architecture
In this phase, it is determined how the system is going to work in a general way, but without going into too much detail. The process consists of specifying some requirements of the technological implementation, such as the network or the hardware. In addition, use cases for the software functions must be defined. Finally, a programming model based on objects and interactions is obtained in order to design the system. Did you know that object-oriented programming became popular in the early 1990s?
- Development
The system is built by the programmers. However, there is no single development model, so each team or company may have its own to produce the same type of software. In any case, there are a number of common characteristics that should not be lost sight of: ease of support, reliability of the process, visibility with clear and identifiable results, clarity, speed to get it from the specification and maintenance, to be able to incorporate new requirements or modify existing ones.
- Testing
This is the moment to make sure that there are no functional failures and that every indication defined at the beginning has been covered. To do this, it is important to check that the software performs all the tasks correctly and that it works perfectly. However, what kind of tests can we do to verify this? A very common technique for this is to test each module separately, and then test it as a whole.
It is advisable that the tests are carried out by a person other than the developer. In short, it is possible to organise an area composed of inexperienced personnel, or by programmers with extensive experience and capable of detecting errors in the application.
- Documentation and maintenance
This process will help us to deal with possible errors discovered, as well as to incorporate new features or requirements in the software. Did you know that maintenance can take even more time than the initial development of the application itself? In fact, most of the architecture and work is focused on the construction of maintenance, as there is no better way to invest in a system than betting on continuous improvements. This is the only way to guarantee the quality of the product. The objective is to satisfy the needs of the client while guaranteeing quality.
- Methodology
Every project involves some steps. Following a methodology is part of the custom software development process, as it is a job that involves risks and control. Disregarding a working methodology would only cause dissatisfaction in the client. Be careful! It is not enough to use just any methodology, the best known ones are: RUP:
- RUP, which may be the most adaptable for long-term projects.
- XP: Ideal for short-term software.
- MSF: No matter what the size of the project, it adapts perfectly.
do you already have a clear idea of the scope of your project?
Development, development, development
We are living the transition towards digital transformation, and that, of course, is having its consequences. The popularity of custom software development for companies is one of them, the perfect intermediary between human intelligence and information, the direct communication channel between companies and customers, the ideal way to improve the presence on the Internet, and so on.
It is unstoppable for several reasons: it guarantees the quality of the results, it saves time, it facilitates maintenance, it is a tailor-made suit, it is an ideal solution for the integration of programmes and it allows efficient and reliable technical support.
don't be afraid of custom software development and explore new worlds with the right consultant!
