Aiming to address industry-specific issues or end-user problems, C-level managers and business owners decide to build custom software.
However, how to develop software tailored to their needs, especially when there are no in-house employees with a technical background?
Step № 1 to develop software: Start with a winning business idea
No matter what type of software product you want to develop—a website, mobile/web app, or a new system module—you should start with a product idea.
The main point is to add value to users by addressing internal business challenges, ensuring an engaging user experience, or suggesting a new platform to the existing customers.
To develop software, a company starts with:
- conduct a competitor research
- research the target audience needs
- analyse the latest software development trends
Even if you have already had a product idea, these activities should be performed. Discovering the strong and weak sides of similar sites or applications, you can understand what users enjoy and what these solutions don’t provide.
By analysing the target audience, an organisation can find out their problems, preferences, expectations. Following trends is not as important as it may seem to be, but this knowledge can gain momentum and attract thousands of users much faster.
Step № 2 to develop software: Begin with making a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Before you start to develop software (especially when it goes about a large complex project), it is reasonable to start with MVP development to test the product idea in action.
By collecting and analysing user feedback, C-level executives and business owners can find out how they should improve and extend the software to meet their needs and fill a market niche.
Since the organisation gradually develops software (the app or website) according to the audience preferences, it doesn’t build many unnecessary features, thus saving costs and reducing time-to-market.
This approach is especially beneficial when:
- the client doesn’t have precise Software Requirements for the future system due to having multiple hypotheses
- there is a lack of a technical background
- the main goal is to launch a truly innovative startup
Step № 3 to develop software: Find a trusted software engineering company
Cooperation with a reliable software engineering company is crucial if you want to develop software of high quality.
Indeed, an organisation can turn to freelancers, but in this case, it’s challenging to assemble a team of designers, developers, and testers with the required skills. If a specialist has to leave the project due to illness or another reason, they have to be replaced, resulting in holding the project.
Before hiring the vendor, C-level executives should make sure it has the essential specialisation, for instance, on the Internet of Things or Machine Learning.
It is also important to check out the company’s profiles on trustworthy B2B review and rating platforms such as Clutch.co, AppFutura, GoodFirms, and review client testimonials.
Software engineering companies—including YSBM Group—can help customers in:
- analysing the audience needs and competitors
- offering recommendations on what business processes can be automated and how
- preparing a software requirements document
- designing the app or website, ensuring a seamless user experience, and creating a beautiful user interface
- developing software
- testing and bug fixing
- releasing the product
- providing post-launch project maintenance to detect and prevent issues
Step № 4 to develop software: Build a software product
If an organisation develops software with the help of an IT service vendor, this doesn’t mean that the client is not involved in the process.
At YSBM Group, we ask our customers to validate the outcome of each stage and provide feedback. Our software experts are available throughout the day to discuss business and technical issues, which allows us to automate communications.
If your main goal is to develop software of the best quality, C-level executives and CTOs should monitor the project completion to make sure everything is going on as planned.
Holding regular meetings and checking the team reports, it is possible to track task statuses and deadlines, analyse intermediate results, and estimate what has been already done.
Software engineering companies generally use applications such as Trello and Asana to manage projects. Clients should ask to provide them with access to these systems to monitor the software development process efficiently.
Step № 5 to develop software: Promote a software product
Even if a company develops the software of the highest quality that adds value to users, it doesn’t mean the product will allow generating revenue. For this purpose, an organisation needs to attract users and form their loyalty. However, it is almost impossible without clever marketing.
Common Startup mistakes In marketing
Besides, when you develop software, it is crucial to continuously work on a website or application, improving it according to user needs and preferences. C-level executives and business owners should:
- pay close attention to market changes
- monitor the audience feedback
- respond to customer reviews
That all will help to outrun competitors.
Having a clear marketing strategy and getting in touch with users, organisations can develop software that successfully enters the market, addresses the required challenges, and increases revenue.
With our simple recommendations, now you know how to develop software that will allow you to achieve business objectives.
