Software development has become essential
for businesses of all sizes, in all industries. However, increasing demands and
rising rates of competition have seen business struggling under the cost of
software development. Looking for ways to slash expenditures in your
development processes? Don’t make the mistake of sacrificing your product or services’
quality; use these strategies to cut software development costs in the New Year
and set up your business for profitable success in 2017.
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| Cutting Software Development Costs in the New Year : eAskme |
Understand the Requirements Before Starting
Your first priority is coming up with a
detailed requirements analysis. Because the success of software development is
dependent on so many factors, you need to understand every facet of the
process. Detail every last feature, workflow task, and equipment requirement
for your first phase of development. Adding requirements later on can greatly
derail the process’s timeline. This will help you understand your employment
needs, finance requirements, and realistic timeline opportunities. Taking the
time now to clarify the processes you expect over the next few weeks, months,
and years will save you money and time down the line.
Agile is Your Friend
There are numerous variables that can
impact every step in the development process. In decades past, companies would
use what is known as the waterfall method, in which software development
follows a sequential lifecycle. This involved a step-by-step process in which
companies would draw out their needs, hire an outside company to build the
necessary application, and wait for the developer to return their efforts. The
problem with the waterfall method? It resulted in a bevy of miscommunications,
misunderstandings, and expensive reworks on issues that could have been spotted
much earlier.
That’s where Agile comes in. This methodology
emphasizes multiple iterations with constant attention and updates. Developer
and client must define their goals multiple times throughout the process. As
small portions of the development are completed, the client is tasked with
determining what works and what needs to be changed. This saves time down the
line and can prevent costly reworks at every step of the process. This allows
you to provide better feedback to your developers and get the features you want
– exactly to your specifications.
Consider Outsourcing Your Development Needs
Hiring an in-house development team or
individual will almost always cost more than outsourcing the same tasks. You
may have heard those nightmare stories meant to scare you away from outsourcing
your efforts, but in reality, hundreds of thousands of companies wouldn’t be
where they are now without the help of outsourced employees. Some of the most
successful product and companies were launched through outsourced development
teams, including Slack, GitHub, and Upwork. You
can find outsource development teams and individuals through a variety of
avenues. Network with colleagues and others in your industry to get
recommendations and referrals from teams they’ve used, or use a site like ShineTechChina to gain access to
trusted outsource development workers.
So long as you follow rigorous screening
processes and find the right candidates, outsourcing can provide the same
high-quality results as an in-house team. You can also take advantage of
technology tools that improve the speed and output of your development
processes, especially as they relate to outsourced teams. The right defect
tracking tools can highlight mistakes in the development process before
they result in costly reworks, and ALM software can help you watch live updates
of your remote employees’ progress.
Develop
One Platform
Want to pare down your software development strategy? Focus your efforts on
building one platform for your initial version.
Companies are often enticed by the idea of capturing a wider audience by
producing multiple versions. This is often a mistake, unless your product requires
interaction between numerous operating systems. Be patient and build for one
platform, then expand to other platforms as you work out the kinks in your
initial product.
Looking to slash costs in your development
processes this year? Utilize these strategies and make software development
more suited to your business aims, and better suited to your wallet.
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