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It’s easy to get excited about a custom software development project, and even to hire a programming team and get started. When it comes to ending up with a finished product that everyone is pleased with – from management to the end-user – though, things get a little harder.
That’s because custom software programming, like everything else in the world of business, is all about results. In particular, there are certain key results that matter more than others. Manage and plan with those in mind and you’ll be on the right track. Lose sight of them and you can easily find yourself sliding backwards with delays, cost overruns, and ultimately failure.
To help illustrate this point, and keep you from falling into common custom software development traps, let’s look at the five kinds of results that will ultimately make or break your project…
If your software doesn’t do what you need it to, then it doesn’t really matter how it looks, when it’s delivered, or how much it costs. The project will be a failure if it doesn’t serve some kind of business purpose. That’s important to keep in mind because it’s easy for custom development to move off track if you don’t have a very strong sense of what you want to accomplish.
Functionality is almost all-important, but usability and visual appearance also have to factor in. If your app is difficult to use, then all the features in the world probably won’t save it. Likewise, users expect a certain kind of cleanliness in software design. They want clean menus and interfaces. If your software looks clunky or low-budget, that can affect its perceived value.
This is an easy aspect of your custom software development project to overlook, but it’s incredibly crucial. The release version of your software doesn’t just have to be stable enough to work consistently on a variety of platforms without any problems; it also has to operate without conflicts resulting from other applications or operating systems. Otherwise, it won’t be usable by you and your team.
Even the most useful, stable, and elegantly-designed piece of software can turn into a bad bargain if your project runs over the established budget. At some point its value is exceeded by its cost. That’s why you should only work with experienced development teams that have a reputation for being efficient and dependable. And, it’s a good reminder to keep one eye on the bottom line as the programming process moves along.
In the same way, your custom software development needs might be tied into some sort of specific event or deadline. In that case, the ROI you see from your investment could be dependent on getting a usable app by a specific date. If that’s the case, make sure your programming team knows about this hard calendar target and why it’s so important.
When you need a new piece of software developed to meet the needs of your business or organization, you want an experienced team with a track record of success. Why not contact WebRevelation? We’ll be happy to set up a free consultation so you can get answers to your most pressing questions.