Custom Software Development Process Explained

Companies looking for software to solve problems and fuel growth must choose between a fully customized solution and a ready-to-use product. We've spent years assisting organizations in achieving their goals by creating custom software solutions based on a thorough understanding of their processes, issues, and demands. Because of the incredible value, they provide to customers, custom software solutions have deservedly grown in popularity in recent years. Continue reading to learn why a customized solution might be a good fit for your business.

What is Custom Software Development

Custom software development is the process of designing, developing, deploying, and maintaining software for a specific group of users, functions, or organizations. Unlike commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software, custom software development focuses on specific requirements. COTS meets various requirements, allowing it to be packaged, marketed, and distributed commercially. Commercial software products and services, such as Microsoft Office and Sitebuilder.com, are packaged together. They cater to a wide range of workplace efficiency and website development needs. Custom software, on the other hand, is developed to meet a specific set of specifications, such as:

• a manufacturer's or distributor's field service equipment maintenance program
• an internet banking software tailored to the bank's and its clients' specific needs

Custom software and its development are referred to as bespoke software. The term comes from the tailoring industry in old English. Consider a one-of-a-kind suit. Development teams often handle custom software development in-house or outsource it to a third party. The same methods and methodologies apply to custom software development as they do to other types of software development. A bespoke project would go through the same stages as any other software project, such as gathering requirements, developing code, testing, and deploying it, and would employ the same methodologies, such as Agile, DevOps, or Rapid Application Development. Application modification, application modernization, and application administration are all part of custom software development. The process of modifying commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software to meet specific requirements is known as application customization. Modernizing a company's unique software is critical to ensuring that it remains viable in the face of changing user and market expectations. Application management boosts software's efficiency by assisting with tasks like installation, upgrades, performance and availability optimization, and service desk functions.

Why Custom Software Development

Custom software development is important because it allows specific needs to be met at a lower cost than purchasing, maintaining, and changing commercial software. Among the benefits are:

• Efficiency: Custom software is designed to support processes quickly and effectively, eliminating the need to deal with or modify off-the-shelf software.
• Scalability: Custom software can grow and develop with an organization or corporation. Designers and developers can anticipate future demands as part of the requirements gathering process. Instead of spending money on additional licenses or subscriptions to bundled programs, these features could be built right into the application.
• Integration costs are lower: When purchasing commercial software, one of the most important factors to consider is whether it will work with existing and legacy applications. If the answer is no, companies will have to invest more money to get commercial software to interact and work with their existing infrastructure. Custom software can be created to work in conjunction with the environment in which it is to be used.
• Profitability: Developing custom software can be profitable. Businesses that develop their own software may own it and thus be able to license or sell it to other companies, depending on the terms and conditions of the project.
• Independence: There are mutual benefits to being independent of a commercial software vendor. On the plus side, businesses can avoid price hikes for licensing and maintenance and be stuck with maintaining packaged software if a vendor goes out of business or discontinues a product. On the downside, the cost of maintaining and supporting bespoke software is borne by the company that created or built it. As a result of the equation's result, each company must carefully consider whether it is better to build or buy.

Custom Software Development Process

Custom software development is an iterative process that entails going through defined process phases to incorporate all of the required features and produce the desired result. Even if we want to create a custom product for a specific group of customers or an organization, the development process is still heavily reliant on your software development partner's software development technique. The main stages of iteration, however, are very similar.

1. Analysis and Planning

In bespoke software development, gathering requirements is a crucial step. We have a good understanding of our client's specialization, business values, and goals at this point. We must first go through a Discovery Session, regardless of whether the client wants to launch a logistics web app or build an IoT platform. This is an online or offline meeting between the client and developer teams to identify a tech stack and product features that will be implemented. Ruby, PHP, Node.JS, GoLang, Python, Swift, Kotlin, Elixir, and other technologies may be used in a custom software development stack. A technical specification provided by the software architect or lead developer specifies them. Learn about the Discovery Session's additional tasks, key participants, schedule, and outcomes. The goal of this software development study was to gain a better understanding of current technological trends as well as key aspects of the technologies that would be used in this project. All issues and best practices are taken into consideration. Aside from technical considerations, the project manager and business analyst investigate implementation and maintenance options. A SWOT analysis of current competitors should also be completed. Following this investigation, we usually develop a software development strategy and wait for customer approval. We can plan for, prepare for, and implement any potential changes that may arise during the bespoke software development process with change management. Because changes in technology, design, business demands, and customer or end-user objectives can happen at any time. Change management and risk management are linked in software engineering. In this context, risk management refers to risk containment and mitigation. When a risk arises, we must be prepared to respond, drawing on the expertise and knowledge of the entire team to reduce the project's impact. Working in a software development company exposes you to five different types of dangers:

• Cutting edge technology (that are not tested yet)
• Functional prerequisites: There's a risk that changes in elemental requirements will spread throughout the project and that changes in user requirements won't translate into functional requirements.
• System architecture: Choosing the wrong platform, component, or architecture can have serious consequences.
• Regardless of changes and failures that occur during the product development process, users' and clients' performance expectations should be met.
• Organizational: This risk is heavily reliant on the dependability and professionalism of your software development partner. Design

One of the most important aspects to consider when developing a web or mobile application is how the app looks and feels. If you work in eCommerce, for example, a poorly designed app will cost you a lot of potential customers. As a result, your digital product's graphic design, brand identity, and user experience all play important roles. We spent an entire page explaining the goal of excellent UI/UX design and the key terms, history, some examples, and design development procedures. And when you need the help of some of the best designers to come up with a visually appealing and functional design.

2. Development

Backend development is in charge of web app functionality. Backend development enables every interaction in the human-computer system, even if it is not visible on the screen. The server-side of development, where you're mostly concerned with how the site works, is known as backend development. It's the code that keeps track of user connections, connects the web to a database, and runs the web app. In our company, we use a variety of languages for backend development, but Ruby is our preferred language. Backend development with Ruby on Rails (Ruby's core framework) relieves architects and developers of the burden by supplying a set of pre-packaged scripts that make backend development simple and quick. It speeds up and improves the profitability of the entire programming process. Because most businesses now want to have a web application, we created a list of reasons why Rails is great for web app development. You can also take a look at some of the most well-known Ruby-based web apps right here. We mean everything you see on the screen when we say frontend development. The three major components of your digital product created by code in frontend development are look, feel, and design. Frontend development is responsible for providing a consistent user experience on the client side of the development process. At Mobirevo, we use JavaScript and its core frameworks, such as React and Angular (and explore Vue.js as we see a lot of potential use cases for it). CSS and HTML are also used. We use Ruby on Rails for mobile backends and RESTful APIs in bespoke mobile development. We use React Native when no significant effects or calculations are required. This technology is useful for marketplaces and CRM and projects that require simply duplicating what's already online and adding geofencing, alerts, and other mobile features. Swift is the programming language used to create native iOS apps. Similarly, we chose Android SDK when features could only be implemented using the native tech stack. We also use Python, Node.js, and PHP as the project requires. Flutter is another one of our favorites. Of course, depending on the needs of the client, the tech stack for bespoke software development can be configured in any way imaginable, and we are not limited to one technology just because we like it. Because of our diverse skill set, we are self-sufficient when it comes to selecting technologies for custom development.

3. Testing and quality assurance

Quality assurance is a set of actions aimed at ensuring that software engineering processes are of high quality. This step ensures that the software meets and adheres to the established or standardized quality requirements. QA is a procedure for ensuring that the software produced meets the required quality standards. Software testing is the process of checking generated software for errors or flaws. This aids in invalidating the product's market readiness and verifying it. What's the difference between testing and quality assurance? Simply put, testing improves quality by detecting defects, whereas QA improves quality by improving the development process. Of course, depending on the needs of the client, the tech stack for bespoke software development can be configured in any way imaginable, and we are not limited to one technology just because we like it. Because of our diverse skill set, we are self-sufficient when it comes to selecting technologies for custom development.

4. Intermediate Deliveries

Intermediate deliveries are beneficial because they create a quick feedback loop that allows developers to see the results of their efforts right away. Errors are quickly corrected, and positive enhancements can be created and distributed to clients without having to wait for a long-awaited release date. Find a continuous integration and delivery example using Github, Gitflow, and Jenkins.

5. Documentation

All written papers and resources related to the development of software products are included in the development documentation stage. With the exception of pre-development documentation (which should include information such as; Papers written during the software engineering process should also be included (vision statement; first assessment document with phases of development; roadmap; technology stack; software requirements specifications; wireframes and UX roadmap). They are divided into two categories: Coding and testing documentation. The software development firm must also submit post-development documentation that includes the following items; A user manual and support documents are available.

6. Maintenance

Software maintenance refers to the client's ongoing involvement in improving, altering, and upgrading the software product after it has been delivered in order to correct flaws and improve performance. Software maintenance can be divided into four categories:

• Corrective - to address issues that arise while the system is in use, or to improve the system's overall performance.
• Adaptive - to change and update when a customer requests that the product work with new platforms, operating systems, hardware, or software.
• Perfective - in response to client requests, support new features or adjust functions.
• Preventative - to keep future software problems at bay. Some difficulties may appear minor at the time, but they can quickly escalate into major issues.

Maintenance is the most important indicator of a software development partner's dependability and experience.

7. Reporting

Reporting allows us to inform our clients about the current state of development, as well as any issues that have been identified and resolved during the software development process. This is an important part of a successful project management and communication strategy. We create a project status report at each stage of development, from start to finish, as well as when the product is released. A project management report is also available, including basic product information, status information, milestone reviews, project overviews, challenges and risks, project metrics, and so on. Reporting keeps the customer up to date on the progress of the custom software while it is being created. Furthermore, reporting fosters trusting relationships between a software development firm and its clients, ensuring transparency and loyalty, both of which are essential components of successful collaboration.

How Can We Help You Build a Custom Software Development

Are you looking for a team of highly skilled custom software developers? We create high-performing custom software for businesses that require more than a standard solution at Mobirevo. Our team has extensive experience developing custom software products, whether it's a complex enterprise platform or a simple single-page application. Simultaneously, we are proud to contribute our best expertise to the development of custom software, which is our area of expertise. Mobirevo provides full-cycle custom software development services to help your company create a one-of-a-kind software product that meets your exact needs. We specialize in the development of SaaS applications, ERP software, and management software (ERP software development). We are a design and agile software development team with expertise in all major technology stacks. We have more than 5 years of experience designing and developing custom software that promotes growth and gives our clients a competitive advantage. The cost of custom software development is determined by the scope and complexity of your project, which is influenced by a number of factors including:

• Software and platforms that are supported include (web, mobile, desktop).
• The number of software features and their complexity.
• Custom software design's uniqueness and difficulty
• The number and complexity of integrations with other software systems has increased.
• Infrastructure requirements (availability, performance, security, latent capacity, and scalability). We will gladly provide you with a quote for your project.

 

Conclusion 

If you read about all of the bespoke software development process steps, you shouldn't be concerned because your trusted development partner will handle them. Yes, custom development is difficult, but it has more advantages than ready-made alternatives. And if you're willing to entrust your project's development to a reliable software development team. Our team at Mobirevo has created a large number of engaging and robust progressive web applications. If you have a software development project in mind, please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss it. Mobirevo is delighted to help our clients increase brand visibility through fast-loading and engaging mobile software. Do you need assistance creating great custom software for your company? You can contact us today to get a free quote. Our team at Mobirevo strives to provide unrivaled services to all of our valued clients. You can also check out our case study page to see our client's portfolio and better understand the quality of products we deliver. Also, contact us if you have any questions about our services, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Want to receive more content like this? You can signup for our newsletter, which features curated opinions, and product discovery tools for building remarkable digital assets. If you sign up for our weekly newsletter, you will be the first to know when we publish awesome content like this. You can also visit our blog to see other content created with love by our amazing team.