Important Things To know About Software Development Process
Software development is divided into stages. Although this may vary for a certain software development agency, they usually include pre-development, UX/UI design, coding, QA, and maintenance. Going from one stage to another is how professional software development is done. Let’s dive into them and find out what the stages are about.
Pre-development
Analysis and Estimation
Once an interested party has contacted us with their idea, our RFP team gets the development process going and conducts requirements analysis and cost estimation.
This stage has its consequence for actions:
- The salesperson gathers requirements from the potential client and hands them over to the RFP team;
- The RFP team evaluates the development cost and work scope based on the provided requirements and sends the information to the customer;
- If clients agree on the terms offered, both parties agree to collaboration by signing all the necessary documents.
Technical Specifications
After the requirements are gathered and analyzed, next is understanding the technical requirements for the particular project. Every software is needed to solve a client’s problem. At this stage various types of research are carried out to get the answers to the questions:
- What problem will the product solve?
- Who is the potential user and why will they use the software?
- What kind of data input/output is required?
- What kind of integrations will be needed if any?
- How is security/privacy going to be achieved?
As soon as the team gains acknowledgements, they will be able to determine what should be implemented to solve the user’s problem. Also, this knowledge will give the development team insights into stack and testing methods. Knowing what is to be implemented in the app is also significant to divide the cycle into sprints.
Design
Considering all the requirements, it’s time to start visualizing how this software will look and how it will function. UI/UX design may also include several stages which are sketches, wireframes, mockups, and prototypes. Each of these stages serves its own goals and delivers different insights on how to design software.
Coding
Now that both parties came to an agreement on the functionality to be implemented and the design, it’s finally time to code backing the requirements. Whether you’re working under the agile approach, building an MVP, or using the more conventional waterfall approach, the goal is to adhere to SOW, avoid deviations, and result in a bug-free and efficient digital product.
Testing
Most likely, the development agency’s QA will test, track and fix problems alongside the software being built. However, once the product is considered to be developed and ready to be launched, full testing will be needed to conduct.
Although testing can be a lengthy SDLC phase, it is extremely important to avoid selling defective software. Bugs can ruin a reputation, cost you money, and, worst of all, take away development hours that could have been spent on new features.
Launch and Maintenance
Developed and tested software is delivered to the market and made downloadable to the users. However, it’s not the end, the software will need to be upgraded alongside user reach growth. As more people use the software, the bigger their demand for the software gets. So, the advice is to partner with a full-cycle development studio that will continue work after the deployment.
Picking a Trusted Partner for Software Development
Celadon is a professional software development company that keeps focusing on your business success. We develop software from the ground up, rescue existing software, and provide related services. Whatever the need is, we already have a solution. Let’s get the software development started.
