A custom software development project is a strategic choice for private or public companies. Creating a tailor-made application brings many advantages for the entire team of users and makes it possible to generate many gains over the long term. You should look for the right custom software application development services to develop the perfect solution for your business. In this article, we tell you everything you need to know to succeed in your specific software development project .
What is custom software?
It is business software entirely designed and personalized to meet the specific needs of a team when the standard software offered on the market does not meet the uses or challenges of the organization.
The development of personalized web applications, specific business software, or even mobile web applications is relevant in many sectors: room management and booking, intervention management, commerce, recruitment, etc.
In all cases, the development of custom software represents an investment. It must be considered from the angle of the value to be created. Specifications must therefore be carefully defined upstream.
Benefits of custom software
The creation of business software adapted to your context releases the full potential of your employees: they have all the features that allow them to accelerate the execution of their missions and improve their performance.
Among the other main advantages:
- 100% of uses and needs are covered, both internally and externally,
- Full interoperability with your other solutions used,
- ownership of the solution versus a recurring fee,
- continuous technological improvement versus a system that cannot adapt to changes, new requirements, new uses,
- greater gains (efficiency, productivity, etc.) than an off-the-shelf solution, without capping over time.
In addition, by choosing reliable custom software application development services, you benefit from control over the security of your data.
The main steps for a successful project
Experts recommend the agile methodology to manage a project. This approach requires knowing WHY you are developing and WHAT VALUE you will create thanks to this development.
Let’s take a look at the 6 steps of a custom software development project:
- Step 1: Define the main objective in a short sentence. Like an elevator pitch, the exercise consists of forcing yourself to formulate in writing the most important thing in a minimum of words. This makes it possible to bring out the essential value to be created.
- Step 2: Map typical users. One or two workshops make it possible to assess their degree of influence, the importance of the objective to be achieved and the main value-creating functionalities. An MVP (Minimum Valuable Product) or functional minimum viable product is designed on this basis.
- Step 3: Entrust the writing of user stories to a product owner. Responsible for product (software) design, they represent the user’s profession. They describe what the user is doing in great detail and non-technical language. If a custom interface is required, they call on a UX designer.
- Step 4: Improve the efficiency of the software through iterations. User stories are confronted with technical constraints by focusing on creating value, then enriched and optimized to produce the maximum benefits.
- Step 5: Accurately assess the workload of the final development phase. The various feedback from the iterations and effective measurement of the team’s velocity provide the ability to determine the load necessary to produce the “MVP” software.
- Step 6: Launch production. Once all the user stories of the “MVP” application have been implemented, it is put into production. This optimization cycle continues by considering functions deemed secondary and user feedback.
To avoid false starts and develop the best tailor-made software adapted to your context, it is essential to mark out your approach to digitizing business processes.