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A reputed custom software development company follows standard practices and methodologies for developing enterprise-grade solution. However, making a custom software solution with desired features is a complex process that involves many steps and technologies. In this post, we will go through the step-by-step process and popular methodologies for developing tailored enterprise software. Let’s get started with the definition of SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) and how it works.
SDLC or Software Development Life Cycle is a set of processes that custom software development service providers follow to plan, build, and test enterprise-grade solution. SDLC aims at building user-friendly software that can meet the client’s business needs and expectations. The software development life cycle comprises six important steps that can simplify complexities of the project and streamline the entire process.
SDLC can save time and money enabling development teams to design and develop feature-rich software. It can also reduce project risks through proper planning and enable developers to meet the deadline. SDLC can be of different types based on the methodology of a custom software development company.
Image Source :- Radixweb
Linux has remained a preferred choice for developers to build a tailored software. Over 55 percent developers use this platform globally. Windows and Docker are other popular software development platforms. Different development companies select the platform considering skills of their in-house teams and other parameters. However, most software development service providers follow the best practices of SDLC. Let’s dig deep into these practices before discussing the steps of development process.
Irrespective of the type, developers need to follow best practices for SDLC. Here we mention these five practices-
Data can play a vital role in overall performance and usability of software. Whether it is customer data, usage data, or even training data, it is necessary to keep it secure every time. Companies should maintain data hygiene throughout their plants and tools like Git. Simply put, software development service providers need to get the necessary data in a clean and secure way for developing robust solutions.
The code review process is necessary to ensure that the team of software developers adheres to coding guidelines and follows the best practices. This review is also useful in preventing bugs and improving the code quality. Though it may take a long time, it is essential to make standards for reviewing software code regularly during the development process. However, once the development company standardize the process, it will accelerate the cycle time.
The source code can play a pivotal role in the functionality of bespoke software. Low quality code can hamper the performance, and therefore, maintaining high-quality code is essential. Code with high quality can increase the chances for your software to meet the client’s expectations and enables the development team to stay agile. Though writing such code can take some time, but it is a useful investment.
When you hire software developers , it is necessary for them to optimize their workflow. It can help them meet the deadline and develop a tailored software with optimum performance. DevOps and other emerging concepts can help developers optimize workflows by streamlining processes and make the development process less time-consuming. However, it is necessary to consider various aspects for ensuring workflow optimization.
Consistency and accuracy are of utmost important in custom software development services. When developers deliver what they say consistently, it can help clients get the seamless and secure software as and when they need. Though accurate planning needs effort, it can streamline the process over the period and save valuable time of developers. Moreover, software development companies plan accurately to accomplish multiple projects effectively.
As per the Statista report, the number of software developers is expected to reach 28.7 million by 2024 . They need to follow the standard practices for SDLC to meet the project deadline effectively, and without compromising on performance.
Image Source :- Statista report
Let’s go through the key steps for developing bespoke business software for your company.
Diverse custom software development process involves many tasks and activities. Moreover, the process follows a specific methodology like Agile or Waterfall. Here we mention the key steps a software development company follows irrespective of the development method-
First things first. Software development process initiates with the blueprint or planning. Once you hire software developers, they initiate the process to collect and analyse your project requirements. Developers analyse the project based on medium to long-term business goals and market trends. When analysing the project, it is essential to check whether software will make tasks easier and bring automation in several processes.
Once the planning is over, developers start the process for creating architecture for your business software. It will define the complete workflow as designers take care of both appearance and the overall performance for your software. All you need to explain the objectives and ideas behind developing the business software. Designers can assist you to define how the prospective users will interact with the software at this stage.
It is the most crucial stage that decides the destiny of software! The development stage begins after the team of developers gets the plan with the design and necessary features. It involves writing the necessary code based on project requirements. Though it is the riskiest phase, a reputed software development company can handle it with the necessary expertise and experience of in-house team of developers.
It is a part of development process as QA executives perform testing alongside software development. Testing can check the functionality, stability, and usability of the software during the ongoing development process. Most custom software development service providers have a separate team of QA testers for analysing every code manually and using automated tools. Development companies keep comprehensive approach through dedicated QA teams .
This stage comes after development and testing in the SDLC. Once the company approves the software for functionality and stability, deployment on the necessary servers and devices can be done. It is beneficial to come up with an Alpha release before deploying your software on multiple servers. In this Alpha release, a small group of users can use the software and give their feedback. You can make the necessary modifications based on these valuable suggestions in a Beta release in which more users can access to your software.
Your custom software needs maintenance and updates on regular basis. In other words, deployment or go-live is not the last phase of the custom software development process. You need to upgrade it regularly for maintaining its performance and attracting more people. Software maintenance offers many business benefits to your company. You can ask for maintenance and 24x7 technical assistance from the software development company.
After understanding six critical steps, let’s understand the methodologies to build custom software solutions .
Various development companies use different methodologies to build a tailored software. Here we give a quick table to understand the role and benefits of best development models.
Number | Model | Useful for | Main Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Waterfall | Projects that have well-defined needs and stability in scope | Clear milestones and easy management |
2 | Agile | Projects that need flexibility and involve frequent iterations | High adaptability and quick response to any changes |
3 | Prototyping | Projects that have vague or unclear requirements | Early feedback for better understanding of requirements |
4 | Iterative | Projects that have evolving needs and frequent feedback is necessary | High flexibility with increased satisfaction of stakeholders |
5 | Incremental | Projects that have long-term goals and require big budget | Early delivery of software functionality with better risk mitigation capability |
6 | V | Projects that have clear requirements | It focuses on testing and clear deliverables |
7 | Spiral | Projects that have high risk and continuous risk assessment is essential | Easy identification of risks with higher adaptability |
8 | RAD | Projects that have time-sensitive projects and deadlines are fixed | Quicker development with reduced TTM (Time-to-Market) |
Customized software can drive growth for modern businesses irrespective of industry sectors and scales. Hope these comprehensive guide on six top steps of developing a custom software solution will help you get an idea of a diverse and complex process. You can consult a reliable custom software development company to define the right model to build a seamless solution with user-focused features.
Silicon IT Hub is a renowned custom software development company. Headquartered in India, we serve an esteemed corporate clientèle globally with top-notch business solutions. We integrate advancements of trending technologies including AI, IoT, and blockchain to give businesses an edge over competitors. Do you want to grow business and take your company to a new level with advanced, feature-rich software? Contact us and we will make it possible!
The major stages of software development are requirements gathering, design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance.
Agile is an iterative and flexible approach where development is done in sprints, allowing for quick adaptation to changing requirements.
Testing ensures that the tailored software meets requirements and functions correctly, identifying and fixing defects before deployment.
Waterfall is a linear approach where each stage must be completed before moving to the next, making it less flexible but easier to manage.
Waterfall follows a sequential process, while Agile is iterative; Waterfall requires detailed upfront planning, while Agile embraces change throughout development.
QA can make it sure that software meets quality standards. It involves testing and identifying defects throughout the development process, contributing to a reliable and functional end product.
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