Whether a startup or a Fortune 500 company, custom software has a critical and long-term impact on business processes, customer service, and an organization’s bottom line.
Even though custom software development could give a competitive advantage, it can help businesses increase efficiency and reduce costs only if carefully planned and executed. A highly experienced and professional custom software development services provider will ensure all the development stages go smoothly and the solution can benefit its users.
Yet IT stakeholders often face numerous challenges regarding the development itself. However, there are ways to prepare for software development difficulties and learn how to solve them. In this article, Itransition experts will consider the five most common development problems and suggest ways to help businesses develop a project correctly.
Сhallenge 1: Lack of expertise on board
Even if a company has a full-fledged IT department, custom software development of a particular system or solution may go beyond their capabilities. When a team starts developing custom software, they could realize that they need more expertise to complete the project. For example, developing specific features, in addition to standard ones, could be more complex and require additional time and resources.
So if a company wants to create state-of-the-art custom software but lacks internal resources and needs more experience developing the software you need, it can consider outsourcing services with expertise in creating custom software solutions for a wide range of clients. A skilled outsourcing team will run any software development project from scratch and ensure its efficiency and productivity.
Solution:
- Make a list of companies specializing in custom software development that can help you with your goals.
- Research their services and whether they have worked with similar industries and projects to yours. Usually, they have a dedicated team of software developers with a broad set of technologies and experience in particular fields.
- Compare the services they provide, look at the portfolio on the site, and read customer reviews. Narrow your list of candidates according to your research and business goals.
Challenge 2: Unclear vision and ever-changing requirements
Custom software should benefit the enterprise, help generate revenue, and make life easier for employees and users. So evaluating a software development project involves many variables that vary significantly from project to project, depending on the requirements, the number of features and the complexity of the underlying technology.
But often, companies want to start developing a custom solution before they have defined all the requirements and necessary functionality. If they change requirements too often or add new features, the software development roadmap will change, significantly increasing the development cost and time.
Solution:
- Before working on a project, start with market research, determine the future product use, and who your target audience is. Begin the process by conducting a thorough business analysis and contacting the developer company of your choice.
- Document your needs. Determine all the mandatory and optional features of your software. Discuss your requirements with the software company to ensure they get you right. The compiled document should have a project plan with clear goals that serve as a roadmap for both the developers and the client.
- The software vendor will help you choose the most appropriate methodology for project implementation. For example, agile will allow you to receive feedback from the team upon every development stage and introduce necessary changes. As an iterative approach, agile is more flexible and will enable customers to participate actively in the development process.
Сhallenge 3: Lack of communication
Communication allows the software development company and business stakeholders to work together. Lack of effective communication leads to an inability to capture customer requirements and translate them into a fully working final product. As a result, it can threaten the success of a project or stall development to the point where it loses relevance and value.
Improper communication can cause missed deadlines and create unnecessary and dysfunctional features, leading to additional costs and time or poor quality products that do not meet stakeholder expectations.
Solution:
- Make sure you have a project manager assigned to the project who will be your point of contact and will provide guidance to the team, assign tasks and resources, and monitor project progress. Conduct product demonstrations to see progress and give feedback.
- Hold meetings with team members to address any doubts or concerns they have. Create a culture of asking questions, encouraging everyone to participate and discuss, and determine how to close communication gaps and avoid misunderstandings.
Сhallenge 4: Additional costs
The cost of most custom software development projects depends mainly on the number and complexity of the software features and their design patterns. Factors such as the type of development, the team involved in the development, their roles, seniority and location, UX/UI design, and further project support also play an essential role.
But even if a company has planned the project and chosen a reliable provider, the process can drag on and cause additional costs. Additional costs can arise when the customer adds new features or changes initial requirements. Or, for example, when they want to integrate the system with another one or realize that they need additional functionality. All these things will require a lot of time and human resources and, in turn, will affect the total project cost.
Solution:
- Ask the vendor for a cost estimate based on the stipulated business requirements document (BRD) before the project starts. A focused and detailed BRD will help you adhere to the development schedule and allocated budget.
- Interact with the development team. Keep track of the number of employees joining the development, taking vacations, or leaving the project. That way, you’ll understand who and what you’re paying for.
- Determine the model by which you will pay for the work; this could be a fixed-price contract or time and materials, for example.
Consider deploying an expense management system. The solution can help you oversee spending, streamline budgeting, and automate expense management processes.
Сhallenge 5: Information confidentiality
If the project is confidential and customers don’t want to release the details into the public domain, they should discuss this with their software development provider. Trustworthy software providers take care of data security, guaranteeing its safe storage and protection from cyber-attacks and leaks.
Solution:
The solution is to sign a nondisclosure agreement. A nondisclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract between the parties, i.e., between the software provider and you, that guarantees that all the project’s information will remain strictly confidential. The NDA means that you can share confidential information to evaluate a potential relationship without fear that the information will be disclosed or stolen.
The bottom line
Starting a new custom software development project is never easy, and you have to consider a wide range of issues along the way, as well as possible threats that could damage the project. However, a professional development vendor can solve most of these problems: help you document project requirements, build smooth communication, and ensure data safety and confidentiality.
