“First solve the problem, then write the code.”
Apparently in today’s world, codes solve more problems than medicines.
Irrespective of the diversity of verticals, software development has made this planet a lot more convenient place to live in.
The secret to great development is bringing the best of solutions in alignment with the best of planning and processing.
And trust me, even abstract art is less challenging than the rules of development.
To push you in the right direction, we have jotted down the steps that would help you or your team of developers to create an ultimate end-product that shall work for the best of 2021.
Procedure for Software Product Development
Topics Covered:
- Steps Involved in Effective Software Development
- Tips to Lower the Cost of Development
Brainstorming
It all starts with an idea!
But when development is at cost, the planning has to be as solid as a 24karat diamond.
People often tend to ignore this at first which eventually results in poor execution of the workflow, missed deadlines, and an unsatisfactory end-product.
Better determination of the scope of the project helps in meeting a business’s strategic objectives, resolve cost related issues, settle on resource availability and defining timeframes.
Tools like GanttPRO can help you in creating a detailed plan flow while defining all the checkpoints in particular.
In-Depth Analysis
The second step is to do feasibility analysis to determine whether your methods are equally economical as they are effective.
In order to build a good solution, only a clean code and an alluring UI is not enough.
You need your development team to understand the idea of origin or development of the product.
This will help in producing a roadmap of the product that shall outline all the essential tasks, resources, ROI, and time duration.
A clear structure like this will also help in identifying risks early and chalking out mitigation strategies just in case.
When the product is complete, you can opt for conversion rate optimization services for a better analysation of its success.
Software Designing
Something irregular, something abstract, or something bright and eye catching, designing is all about something that conceptualizes a detailed software architecture.
To hit the right balance between business goals and user needs, the product design should include prototypes and mockups.
While the wireframing, workflows, search engine optimization and standard setting, should be done keeping the end goal in mind.
Custom designs and tailored solutions catch the more attention these say since they are aligned with the concepts and objectives of a particular business.
It also reflects the goals and capabilities of the business in a more refined and attractive manner.
After the design has been identified, you should then move on the development part.
POC and POV
Proof of concept and proof of value are two most important aspects of software development.
No development should start without implementing both of these concepts to gain maximum benefits.
POC refers to the validation of an idea way before the development process comes to the point of initiation.
It helps you confirm whether all the ideas and concepts are in place and bringing your business the desired outcomes or not.
The potential blocks of technical feasibility and the scope to accomplish them can also be determined using this method.
Whereas POV swims in the fact of what the product means to the business.
It not only helps you understand if your goals are achievable or not but also inspects all the elements of your business to fill in the lose points on the way.
In technical terms, POV provides a better understanding of the predicted value of the developed products and measure their success.
Development & Coding
After everything said above is achieved, comes the part of coding and development.
Now is the time to fill in the life in your final product.
The software engineering team should make sure that their code meets all the requirements from the previous stages of development, and also conforms to the investor’s requirements.
Once the architecture is complete constituting of APIs, DB, etc. and the planned functionalities are put in place, the testing stage shall begin.
Software Localization
I should add a quick word on software localization here. If you’ve got global audiences in your sights, you’ll need to adapt your software for each of the regions you plan to launch in.
That means putting your developers to work delivering a native-feeling experience for each particular location. Practical details such as currencies, date formats, and address conventions will need to be adjusted for each region, as will the language that the product is delivered in.
With myriad details adjusted to each audience, it’s time to test.
Testing & More Testing
After completion of the custom-built product, the testing stage starts.
Although it varies with the project, engineers and developers can conduct a series of tests that include system integration, functionality testing, user acceptance testing, etc. to validate if the business goals are being met.
The various stages of testing include:
- Releasing the product to beta testers and taking their feedback.
- Implementation of various UX tools that keep a track of how users interact with the product.
- Improving the product according to the feedback and removal of all the bugs.
In simple words – No amount of testing is enough testing!
Implementation and Delivery
After completing the steps of designing, coding, testing, etc. in the process of software development, comes the time to implement the best-known things and deploy the product.
This part is all about transferring the components where specific changes are addressed with the help of system analysts and users.
These changes are then implemented in the product to use and experiment with, until the application is ready for its final release.
Marketing
While the development team is at work, let’s also put the focus light on the marketing team.
The marketing team will have to simultaneously devise the best strategies for the promotion of your developed product.
By turning the multi-platform focus on the back story of the product through paid social advertising, implying the best of search engine optimization practices, and doing competition analysis, the marketing team can set the stage for a perfect launch of the product.
Operations and Maintenance
Don’t take a deep breath!
Now that you have handed over the product to the concerned client, you think your work is over?
Sorry to break the ice bubble, but you can say that maybe your work just started.
As per the actual and real-time needs of the end-users, the capabilities and functionalities of your product needs to be upgraded from time to time.
This means a never-ending series of customizations, modifications, and improvements.
No product can succeed without proper and regular maintenance which makes this step ultra-crucial.
Tips to Lower the Cost of Development
The average cost of app development in India is somewhere between 5-6 lacs.
While you can get websites made at only 5k INR, it is important to remember that websites/apps are the face of your business. If they are not up to the mark in terms of UI/UX, traffic, coding, etc. then the whole reason for them being there goes to the bin straightaway.
Here we are going to highlight a few key points that can help you lower the cost of overall development.
- Leave Insufficient Planning at Bay
Insufficient planning, or unclarity on what you specifically want in the product can be drastically problematic.
It can not only lead to unplanned expenditures and budget extension, but it will give rise to a poorly developed product.
To avoid this, one should document all the requirements and eliminate the room for vagueness by frequent discussions among the concerned parties and team members.
Paid social advertising is something that can be invested upon though.
- Testing
Testing doesn’t imply that it only can be done when everything is complete.
Testing should be done on every step of the project completion to ensure whether the standards are being maintained and to save time later on.
The later you find the problem, the worse. Which is why it is recommended that the developers start the testing process right from the start or beginning of the designing phase.
- Outsource the Idea
Did you know? The market of IT outsourcing is expected to grow by $98 billion by 2024.
Outsourcing has become a popular trend because it results in the reduction of actual costs by over 40% on an average.
Considering this method can lead you towards saving management costs, salaries, taxes, etc.
And the best part? You get to choose your favourite designers, developers, and marketers from the global pool of talent and not just the ones limited to your country’s geographical boundaries.
Conclusion
The development of a concept into an actual product is a tricky task.
Each and every step on the way has to be put to test and considered again to bring out the best results.
We also discussed the ways in which the cost of production can be brought down and how conversion rate optimization can help you track the success of your product further.
So now you can produce a functionally-rich, error-free, and unique product with as minimal cost as possible.
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