Developing custom software can be a daunting task. Fortunately, there are several different factors that can lead to smoother custom software development. In this article, we’ll go over how to make your custom software development dreams a reality.
Process
Process is all about transforming an input to an output. Among professional custom software development services, the input can generally be seen as specifications. Detailed specifications and acceptance criteria allow for the creation of a highly specific custom software that fits business needs. A big part of figuring out these business needs comes from business analysis.
For custom software development services to do this sustainably, there needs to be frequent, constructive feedback, which will allow for agile, iterative improvements. Each iteration should have specific goals - because this allows for a measurement of progress. Relying on sustainable and measurable results allows custom software development services to have control over the scope of product that is being developed.
The best custom software development teams know that - from the outset - your process should be set up in a way that encourages best practices. This means you shouldn’t skip steps. Also, you should have thorough automated testing and validation.
Dev Team
In custom software development, a self-organizing team can often lead to many benefits. By self-organizing, you’re empowering your team to take action. Additionally, it also nurtures their proactiveness and creativity. A team that feels fulfilled creatively will strive to ensure that all their business partner’s needs are met. A happy development team will push to understand the user’s needs, the business domain, and have a more fundamental belief in the product they are creating.
When searching for the best custom software development team, you’ll want a team that is balanced, and - ultimately - greater than the sum of its parts. A big part of this is having a team with different backgrounds and experiences. Also, it’s paramount that they respect and appreciate each other. Communication and trust are the best way to ensure this.
Communication should be regular, timely, and clear. Everyone on the team must know the purpose and value that follows each part of the process. Reaching a common understanding like this might take some time, but it will lead to an improved expertise among the whole team. Again, experience and applying the best development practices are huge indicators of success.
Product Owner
A reliable and experienced product owner (PO) is key to the best custom software development. A product owner is a person who deeply understands the business and domain. It’s also preferable that they have participated in other software development projects. It’s also incredibly beneficial if the PO understands basic software development principles, disciplines, workflow, the nature of creative work, and the need for iterative improvements as the project develops.
A product owner should be very engaged in the development process and communicate with the development team. A good PO will clearly communicate their goals and vision for the product, clearly prioritize these details into correct and sufficient specifications, and participate in the iterative development of design and functionality.
Even the best custom software development team can struggle with sudden changes in requirements and specifications. That’s why a PO should try to limit changing priorities and scope increases after estimations have been finalized.
Additionally, the PO should be visionary behind the project. The PO should inspire people, make decisions, and lead. Working alongside the dev team, the PO should have a large role in creating a good and appropriate plan for development. Ultimately, the PO should have the leading business insight that is necessary for the project to succeed.
Partnership Management
Successful custom software development does not come about unless you’re taking care of the relationships between people that are developing the product. This means unconditionally supporting each other in every step that is taken. People create the software, and people use the software.
Partnership management is all about maximizing delivered value and giving everyone the tools to become the best version of themselves. Communication is essential to this. A partnership manager’s greatest asset - at any level - is communication. The PM is responsible for managing expectations, prioritizing the right features and specifications, planning, and ensuring that there is a shared understanding of every topic of development.
KitelyTech has a roster of experienced custom software developers, partnership managers, and other professionals that would love to bring your vision to life. Please contact KitelyTech today on (800) 274 2908 to find out how we can help you realize the full potential of our custom software development services.
