You’ve decided to create a startup—congratulations! Every great business relies on great software to deliver the goods, services, and experiences that their audiences expect.
In order to create the software they need, many startups rely on a software development services company. Whether you’re looking for enterprise software, system integration, a mobile app, or other types of software solutions, it helps to look to experts so that you can continue to focus on the other facets of your new business.
If you’re considering software development consulting services to help meet your business needs, you probably have a lot of questions, from what software development includes to who can help you turn your software ideas into reality. Thankfully, we’ve got some answers. Let’s dive in.
What Is Software Development?
You’ve probably heard the term “software development,” but what exactly does it mean? A quick Google search will get you a lot of complicated answers, but they all point to one simple definition:
Software development is the process of planning, designing, building, testing, deploying, and maintaining the programs that we use every day.
Software development services firms are dedicated to using this process to create cutting edge software products with new technologies that allow businesses to grow and thrive in even the most competitive markets.
Software Development Lifecycle
To understand software development, you’ll want to become familiar with the software development lifecycle. Just like your startup, software never stops growing and evolving. There is no finish line. Instead, the software moves in a cycle, and a dedicated team of developers constantly updates and maintains it.
The software development lifecycle can be divided in many ways, but to keep it as simple as possible, let’s look at the four major phases of agile software development: design, build, test, launch.
Design
In this phase, we’ve combined planning and designing. Before anything else, you’ll want to establish what your main goals are for your software. Perhaps you’re looking to improve supply chain management, make better use of big data, simplify project management, or complete another form of digital transformation. This is where a consulting partner or similar expertise can help guide you.
Once you’ve nailed down your needs, you can start considering potential solutions. Software engineers will make suggestions as to the best choice for your project’s architecture, data model, and technology stack.
While the developers prepare your environment, you and the other members of your software development services team will develop the requirements and design mockups of the interface. In this phase, you’ll pay special attention to users, scope, UX/UI design, and more. You’ll ask the following questions:
- What should it do?
- How should it work?
- What should it look and act like?
This phase is all about asking as many questions as possible and considering even the smallest details.
Build
During the build phase, software developers will use the requirements and mockups to make your designs come to life. This is where the programming happens, and your developers are encouraged to come back to the design and planning teams with any questions.
Test
As the software is developed, your team will begin quality assurance (QA) testing. This testing phase is meant for quality management, ensuring that the business’ vision has come full cycle. Ask questions such as:
- Does it work like we expected it to?
- Does everyone agree that it works correctly?
Testing will happen continuously as developers complete more of the software build. Even in a relatively small project, there are many functionalities to test, as well as how the front-end code translates into UX/UI design.
Therefore, a quality plan will be imperative for efficient and successful testing. Your software development services partner will test, but so should you. You and your team know your business better than anyone else, and that expertise is key is catching anything you want to fix before your project goes live.
Launch
Once the build and test phases have been completed, it’s time for launch. Release your software for users and celebrate!
Once you’re done celebrating, it’s time to start the cycle once again. There will always be room for improvement and you will keep inventing new ways to make your digital solution work for you. The cycle will repeat as your organization grows and evolves.
What Are Some Best Practice Strategies for Developing Software?
So, you already know that software development is essential for your startup, but where do you start? Let’s talk about some of the best practice strategies for developing software.
Identify Your Goals
It’s easy to want to jump into the software development process with big ideas but not enough details. Before the software development life cycle begins, you’ll need to pinpoint exactly what you want users to be able to do with your software.
Start with your main goals, such as customers making purchases on your e-commerce website or enhancing project management by allowing easy access to data across departments. Once you’ve identified your larger goals, you can break them down into smaller, more detailed ones. Doing so will help your development team stay on track and direct your funds toward what matters most to your business.
Keep It Simple
When it comes to software development, you have the option to add a lot of bells and whistles to your solutions, but remember: The user should always come first. Focus on user experience before anything else.
Ensure your technology is easy to use for your target audience, not just for you and your team. Without simple, easy-to-use functionalities, users will get frustrated, and you won’t get the return on investment you hoped for. Once you’ve built software that’s dedicated to making life easier for your users, you can decide to add on those extra features and capabilities.
Test Continuously
Technology and behavioral patterns are constantly changing, and your startup will continue to grow. So, you have to make sure your software changes and grows with it. Perform QA testing on your software applications regularly to identify areas for improvement and to find and address bugs early. By doing so, you can ensure both your customers and your business are getting the most out of your investment.
Partner With a Software Development Company
Software development is no walk in the park, and it requires experience and expertise to create cutting-edge technology solutions. Thankfully, there’s no need to struggle through it alone.
Partner with a custom software development company to ensure your dreams become a reality. When you reach a fork in the road and aren’t sure which direction to turn, your development team will be there to guide you and help you make the decisions that are best for your business.
What Services Do Software Development Companies Provide?
By partnering with a software development services company, you get access to experienced software developers, consultants that ask you the right questions at the right time, and a variety of development services. Each service offers functionalities that you may have not been able to achieve on your own. Let’s take a look at some of the possibilities.
Web Application Development
Rather than traditional software that runs locally on your computer, you might decide to take advantage of web application development. Web development offers greater flexibility by allowing users to login and use the software from any location, as long as they have access to a web browser and a stable network connection.
If your team often works remotely or your business has several locations, web development may be a great choice, allowing your employees to do their work and access information from anywhere.
The software developers on your team will have to take greater precautions when it comes to security for web applications, since there is greater risk for attack online. Thankfully, when you partner with a reputable and experienced development team, you can trust them to keep your applications as secure as possible.
Mobile Development
How many apps do you have downloaded on your smartphone or tablet? From social media to budgeting tools, you can create apps for almost anything. With the rise of smart technology, mobile development continues to become increasingly popular because it gives your customers access to your software from any device.
Whether it’s time for you to move your retail operations to a more accessible application or you want to develop a solution that allows your employees to clock in and out from their smartphones, the possibilities are endless. Here are just a few of the options you could add to your mobile apps:
- Chatbots
- Interactive videos
- Mobile payments and security
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning
Mobile development is complex and includes a combination of market research, user experience, mobile platform architecture, cloud and service integration, and more. But don’t let that scare you—with the help of a custom software development company, you can keep the process simple. By working with an experienced team, you can make sure your business processes and ideas can translate into a mobile app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Cloud Computing
We’re sure you’ve heard about the cloud, but do you know what it means for your software? You can access cloud-based applications through the web or a mobile device, but what really sets it apart is the fact that it uses third-party data storage, processing power, and other infrastructure. There are many pros and cons to cloud computing, and you’d want to discuss them with a development team to decide what’s right for your business.
You may have heard of some popular cloud technologies, such as Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and SharePoint. Along with saving companies money, cloud solutions typically lead to increased flexibility, scalability, computing power, and storage. These benefits have made cloud-based solutions popular, and they may make cloud computing a great option for your business if you’re looking to save money and evolve over time.
Compliance
Will your startup deal with confidential information? Are you involved with healthcare and need to comply with HIPAA requirements? Or perhaps you must meet government cybersecurity regulations?
Ensuring your business is compliant can be overwhelming and may feel impossible to achieve. Whatever your situation is, with a dedicated team of developers and custom software development, you can rest assured knowing your business is compliant with the strictest regulations.
Cybersecurity
While not all industries have strict data regulations, all companies should be concerned with protecting their data. If your business suffers a cyber attack, such as a data breach, it can hurt both your business and your customers. Don’t suffer through downtime or risk sharing your customers’ confidential information.
Invest in custom software development services that can address your cybersecurity concerns and secure your data. Protect your customers’ privacy and your bottom line by prioritizing the security of your software.
Systems Integration
Is your startup already using multiple different systems and applications? Are you losing time having to constantly switch between them? With systems integration, you can create enterprise software that links these systems and applications together and combines their data to create one central hub for your users.
With systems integration, you can:
- Create one dashboard to view data, make comparisons, and identify trends
- Give your employees access to many tools in one place
- Reduce errors by replacing manual data entry with automation
- Maximize your cybersecurity by only having to protect one system rather than many
- Get transferred to your central system from third-party applications in real-time.
These are just a few of the many benefits of systems integration. Your business can experience a digital transformation, but it’s a complicated process that requires expertise and experienced software engineers. That’s why partnering with a custom software development company may be the best choice for your business.
Why Hire a Custom Software Development Company?
So now you know what services software development companies offer, but you may still be wondering why you should hire them over developing in-house or purchasing packaged software. Let’s take a look at why investing in custom software development services may be the right choice for your business.
Versus Developing In-House
You may have considered hiring a team in-house to take care of your software development. While this is certainly possible, especially for large corporations with plenty of resources, it often isn’t the most cost-effective choice for a startup.
With a custom software development company, you can count on the expertise and experience of developers who work on a variety of projects in a wide range of industries. You can save money by not having to hire an architect, UX/UI designer, business analyst, project manager, developers, and quality assurance analyst full-time.
Instead, you can trust a custom software development team for only the time that makes sense for your project. Then, when it’s time to add new features or modify the current ones in your software, you can take advantage of their software development services once again.
Versus Packaged Software
There are countless packaged software options available on the market. Whether you’re looking for software to help you manage projects or create a budget, you can find a packaged solution. While this may seem like the easiest option, it probably won’t be the most effective.
With packaged software, you get the same functionalities as every other company using that software. As a result, you’ll likely be paying for features you don’t need or want, and you may get charged additional for add-ons. Plus, if it’s a subscription-based software, you could unexpectedly experience a price increase in your monthly payment.
When you partner with a custom software development services team, you get exactly what you want, and you won’t have to pay for anything you don’t need. Plus, with custom development services, you own your code, so you’ll never have to worry about unexpected charges or pricey licensing fees.
Start Developing Your Software Today
When you’re ready, Geneca is here to help you make your startup’s software dreams a reality. We measure our success by your success, and we are ready to lend our expertise and years of experience to your project. Contact us today if you’re ready to get consulting advice for your next world class project.