Custom application development is a way to design software applications for specific users or groups in an organization. If your marketing team needs a new metric tracking tool, custom applications are your best bet. When you need a financial analysis tool, custom applications help immensely. When your business has specific needs, custom business applications are the answer.
Why Custom Software Development is Important
Developing custom software products is similar to buying packaged software, but with a centralized approach. Packaged software is built to appeal to a large crowd. Everyone can use Microsoft Word and its many functions with minimal effort, but they will need to find outside sources to run them if they have any specialized needs.
Customized software development is the process of commissioning, developing, and releasing a product that is made specifically for a single entity, such as a company or a division. Development companies will take a request, question the needs of your company or organization, then create a tailored product based on your specifications.
Application Development Best Practices
Tridius provides application development services, utilizing Agile Methodology and a wide range of tools to create your business’s ideal product. We help your business processes flourish in the long run through carefully curated applications. There are a few best practices to be mindful of when you start looking for custom applications to help make the best product possible.
Define Your Needs
The build process starts by analyzing the needs of your business. What do you need, when do you need it, and how will your needs evolve? Defining the software’s requirements helps shape the final product and gives you a better idea of the current status of your organization. For instance, let’s say you need software for your marketing team. The questions you want to consider before you make the request might be:
- What is the current marketing process? What tools do they need and which of these could be combined or replaced by a custom application?
- Why do you want to make changes? Are there issues you frequently encounter with your current software? Are the current services too costly?
- What do you want the result to look like? This includes features, tools, processes, workflows, and more.
- How will this impact your current operations and will your needs change in the future because of these adjustments?
Defining the software’s requirements helps shape the final product and gives you a better idea of the current status of your organization.
Realistic Planning
When you need a team to take on the development process, you need to set realistic and easily attainable milestones. Work with your application developer to create a road map for the project you’re happy with and achieve in a set time frame. Plan out a series of milestones to keep the project on track and help you gauge the progress. Each step of the development process has its own time frame and budget constraints, with actionable goals to attain by the end of the step. These steps can be reviewed by you and can be adjusted as needed, so long as they haven’t been completed already or conflict with current steps.
Testing and Documentation
Once created, the software should be tested in safe environments to ensure it can be rolled out across your company or to the necessary positions. This occurs in two phases: technical testing, where developers and IT professionals set the groundwork and test the application’s foundations, then comes user testing, where the software is slowly implemented into the necessary groups to ensure that everything is running correctly.
Every step of the development process should be properly documented. This helps you define your business operations and their needs and helps guide the development teams while they work. Your project plan documents the groups responsible for specific steps, the dates they are expected to finish, and the project’s overall expectations. You need a test plan and checklist, scope statement, implementation plan, and training plan to make sure everything is understood and moves smoothly.
Tridius is an expert at providing for your IT needs. Whether you need a professional application developer or an IT advisor, we can help you succeed. Our use of Agile Methodology helps us create the product you need on an acceptable timeline. When you need a custom application developed, call the experts at Tridius today.
