Software Development: 7 Essentials Every CEO Needs to Know

Estimates show that, by 2025, there will be 175 zettabytes, i.e., billion terabytes, or trillion gigabytes, of data – all of which companies can leverage for business intelligence (BI) purposes. 

Organizations rely on BI software for data collection, consolidation, processing, analysis, visualization, and distribution. 

Nearly 70% of businesses deem software integration “very important” or “critical” for their operations, especially highlighting its benefits for the Research and Development, Sales and Marketing, and IT company sectors.

However, in the path of adopting vital software technologies for a business, often stand those who’d benefit the most – CEOs. Reasons for this differ – some regard it as the easy part of running a business, others prefer outsourcing software services and focusing more on the things they do better, while the remainder doesn’t comprehend the significance and advantages of software.

In this article, we list the essential things about the software that CEOs should be aware of.

1. Software is Never “Done”

Just like a company’s marketing campaigns or customer acquisition efforts are never finalized, nor is software. Software development is an iterative process with revisions and updates happening incessantly over its lifetime. 

Creating quality software means learning and growing with each iteration, testing new concepts and ideating new features. 

Trends change, competitors invest, employees share new ideas, bugs appear, software frameworks require updates – development doesn’t end on release, and all these are entirely typical elements of your software.  

Problems don’t necessarily mean your product isn’t great; it’s just that there’s always to build upon to improve efficiency and security. 

2. Design Isn’t How Something Looks; It Is How It Works

The legendary Steve Jobs quote stresses the critical role UX design has on the workflow and interactions of software.

Design is more than just mere looks; it entails understanding psychology, keeping up with software trends, and predicting user expectations and behaviors.

A design may be attractive and sleek, but first and foremost, it ought to be intuitive, straightforward, and actionable.

3. All Information Matters

There is no such thing as giving out too much information when setting out the software development process. Developers shouldn’t – and mustn’t – assume a company’s business model, plans, and goals. 

Thus, sharing even the slightest idea could become an excellent opportunity to improve your project further.

Good communication is crucial when developing software, so share all ideas on desired looks, features, needs, etc.

4. Features Size Doesn’t Imply Its Development Time nor Quality

Feature size is entirely unrelated to how long it will take developers to create the said feature. Likewise, building an extensive and complex feature does not necessarily mean it’ll yield any value to businesses or customers.

The development process includes time for testing, training, deployment, and unexpected personnel leaves, so have faith in your dev team’s estimates and avoid trying to rush their work.

5. You Get What You Paid For

Software development need not come with a hefty price tag – but building a lasting and quality product probably will.

If you cut corners with your software investment, it will reflect in the final tool you are delivered. 

So, whether you try to save money by hiring less-experienced developers, cut on some essential features, or shorten the deadline to an unattainable limit, you can probably say goodbye to a fantastic product your business surely deserves.

Moreover, initially choosing a poorer solution will cost you later as your technical debt increases. Technical debt signifies the future work required due to choosing an easy solution at the start of your dev process. 

6. Software Is a Team Effort

The best IoT companies have multidisciplinary teams usually consisting of product managers, UX designers, quality assurance analysts, technical writers, and operations engineers – just to name a few. 

Ditch the myth of a “full-stack developer” working on all these completely different tasks. There are more involved in a software development project than you could ever think of.

Creating a versatile team that will take care of the whole software development process is the most important thing you can do for your future software.

7. Everyone’s Perspective is Limited 

The dev team won’t always focus on the same aspects as you do. Instead, their priority is to write quality, functional, and clean code, and it’s up to you to explain the product’s vision and purpose to the development team. 

Transparent and efficient communication lies at the heart of a successful software development process, so make sure to establish one such with your team.