There is no need to sugarcoat it — building and maintaining software takes a lot of money. Suppose you want to deliver a high-quality product that caters to the needs of a broad audience. In that case, you must allocate significant resources to find qualified specialists, sponsor marketing campaigns, manage projects, and perform other essential business operations.
It might sound pessimistic, but do not let these gloomy financial aspects discourage you from pursuing your business aspirations. Even though there is a thin line between cutting costs and reducing quality in software development, there are many ways to achieve the former and avoid the latter. Whether you are pondering building your own software company or just looking for practical business strategies, this article will present you with the most valuable advice on steps needed for successful software development.
The best practices to elevate software development
1. Work out clear goals and technical requirements
Everything starts with the plan, and the more deliberate it is, the easier it makes for you to move forward with all stages of software development. Documenting all the requirements might seem tedious initially, but it ensures everyone is on the same page. Communication can be more efficient when every team member understands what needs to be achieved and how exactly it can be accomplished. It applies to developers, project managers, clients, and other team members. Clear guidelines also minimize the amount of errors and the time needed to fix them.
2. Try outsourcing
Outsourcing has gained much popularity among business owners in recent years. According to statistics, almost 25 percent of companies choose outsourcing teams to work on their projects. This trend is growing and for a good reason. Outsourcing offers a vast array of benefits for the company, namely:
- Access to talented specialists worldwide without the need to bring them in-house. This significantly lowers costs for salaries, medical insurance, etc.
- Talented and qualified specialists bring their extensive expertise, which will increase product quality and efficiency.
- By delegating routine tasks to external teams, the business will have more opportunities to focus on the vision and strategic initiatives.
3. Establish efficient project management
Project management ensures that your teams deliver high-quality products by all deadlines. Agile is one of the most popular and effective project management strategies. It is compatible with software development because software constantly evolves, and Agile can be highly adaptable and flexible.
The main principle of Agile is to divide the project into several cycles, which are called sprints. The feature that makes Agile stand out is its focus on communication and teamwork rather than individual work. The ideas are born in the work process and can be applied immediately. Additionally, Agile focuses on customer satisfaction in the early stages of development and always looks for simple solutions to problems.
4. Opt for open-source programming languages
As the name suggests, open-source programming languages, like Python, Java, and JavaScript, are free of charge. Additionally, they have extensive libraries and a large community of supporters you can contact if you need advice or profound insights.
5. Use pre-built features
Sometimes, using the features built by another company is more sensible than spending your time and resources creating your own. Because those features have already been developed and tested, it will significantly accelerate software development on your end. Additionally, developers can customize pre-built features to fit project requirements, ensuring efficiency and quality.
6. Build an MVP
The MVP, which stands for ‘minimum viable product,’ is a simplified version of your software with only the necessary features installed. It can be launched on the market to ‘test the waters’—gather customers’ feedback, verify your assumptions about business plans and market demands, and test the software’s usability in general. Starting with MVP is an excellent business strategy—in case of failure, you still save the money you could have spent on the full-fledged software.
7. Shift to cloud computing
Cloud services are highly cost-effective for software development. Once you switch to cloud computing, you can forget the costs of maintaining physical infrastructure, like servers, storage devices, and networking equipment. Cloud providers also offer managed services like databases, machine learning, and analytics. By utilizing these services, businesses can save on development costs as there is no need to create and maintain them in-house.
8. Automate your processes
By automating repetitive tasks like code testing, deployment, and monitoring, you and other developers can save time and effort that you would have spent on manual intervention. This improved efficiency enables you to shift your focus towards more valuable tasks like designing new features and optimizing code. Consequently, the development process is accelerated and time-to-market is reduced. One way to achieve smooth automation is by implementing AI and ML devices into your work routine.
9. Implement shared license
Shared licensing is a system that enables multiple users or teams to utilize the same software tools or resources by using a single license or subscription. This approach effectively lowers the overall licensing expenses compared to procuring individual licenses for each user or team, particularly for costly or specialized software. It can also foster collaboration and teamwork, as all team members have access to the same resources and tools and, hence, share their insights with them.
Wrapping up
Software development is not an easy task. It demands deliberate planning, talented specialists with extensive expertise, and many other resources. All this amounts to the large sums of money you must allocate and even more effort to make your product feasible and find clients on the market. Luckily, there are many solutions to make software development less costly without losing quality.
Besides the life hacks mentioned, the secret sauce is how you perceive your business. If you value clear communication with your employees and shareholders and are a fan of devising plans and detailed requirements, these qualities will prove valuable in software development.
So, arm yourself with these insights, implement them into your work routine, and watch your products thrive on the market while keeping costs in check.
