Software Product Development — 9 Things You Must Know and Do (in 2023)

Developing software may be different from using one. There is no denying the fact that software plays a vital role in the day-to-day lives of customers, yet developing one is complex.

The software can be anything. It can be a program, application, or tool. But, its role in today’s business space is invincible.

As software offers exceptional comfort to customers, the need for software is ever-growing. To meet the growing demands of customers, companies must develop software.

But, how to overcome software development challenges?

Well, if this is the question you’re seeking an answer to, then this post is exclusively for you.

The post discusses nine key points you should consider when developing software for you or your clients.

Let’s start with the key points you must know and consider for successful software development.

1 — Understanding the need for software product

Even before getting started, it is a must to do the groundwork on “why your business or your client needs software or in what way the software will help you/customers?”.

If you don’t have a finite answer to this question, the chances that your software will help you or your customers are slim.

So, it is apparent that you must dig deeper to understand the necessity and need for developing software that works for you.

Remember, software development involves many resources, time, and budget. If you don’t have the right reason to develop one, everything will go in vain.

Make sure that you have the perfect reason for developing new software.

2 — Understanding your/customers’ requirements clearly

A common problem most CEOs face today is that their Product Delivery Head or developers need help understanding the project scope and expectations of the customers completely. Communication plays a significant role here, and active listening skills combined with asking the right questions to customers are important for successful software development.

It is better to sort out any queries, indifferences, or practical difficulties with your customer in this phase than to communicate the same after product development.

3 — Understanding the target persona

After a thorough understanding of the project, either the Product Delivery Head or the CEO should share the exact details shared by the client. Especially the developers should thoroughly understand the type of software the customer wants. They should equally understand how the product will help the customer’s end users and should design/develop the product accordingly.

Miscommunication in the project scope or deviation from the project expectations could lead to customer dissatisfaction and disengagement with your business.

4 — Allocating the perfect team of resources & manager

After explaining the project scope, the Product Delivery Head will assign a dedicated Project Manager for the product development. The Project Manager will devise a team with a specialized pool of developers for the development program. The team also involves Testers to ensure the product is error-free when delivered.

The number of developers and testers involved in the project is based on the project type, scope, delivery date, and time.

Project Manager must ensure the team has access to all technologies, tools, and resources to make the entire product development process seamless and hassle-free.

After setting up the team and sharing the project details clearly, the Project Manager should sit with the team to develop a roadmap and milestones to ensure seamless product development delivery.

Setting short-term goals for milestones will help the Manager to track and measure the progress of the development and make necessary adjustments whenever there is a deviation.

5 — Understanding the significance of product design and development

It doesn’t matter whether the product you are developing is for you or your customers. User experience matters. Your developers and designers should possess unique abilities and constantly upskill to create safe, secure, and user-friendly applications.

Upgrading their skills with the latest technologies and tools will help them to create unique, intuitive, and user-friendly applications with rich interfaces. It is essential to encourage your developers and designers to go for the latest certifications and keep a tab on the latest happenings in the technology space.

In this space, the team will also decide the methodology for product development. It can be Agile, Waterfall, etc., depending on the customers’ scope and project size.

7 — Leveraging testers to deliver a bug-free product

Ensure a team of testers evaluates your application’s performance or product’s different conditions. The product must perform exceptionally under all conditions. Any discrepancies or user experience challenges can annoy the end users and may not please your customers. So, make sure the product is entirely bug-free.

An effective way to achieve this is by preparing for a soft launch before going live. You will get lots of inputs and insights from the internal users and can improve the product well before handing over the product to the customers.

8 — Significance of on-time delivery

Development, testing for errors and fixing user experience flaws must be executed to ensure a complete and flawless product is delivered to the customers. Your product should be completely ready a few days before the customer handover.

Having buffer time before the launch will always help you improve the product without missing the deadline set by your customer.

9 — Communicating project details constantly

Communication plays a significant role ever since you bag a project from a customer. Every piece of information about the product should be shared with the customers through emails or project management tools.

Any deviations or modifications based on the practical difficulties must be shared with the customer for his consent to proceed further.

Poor communication about the project commencement and modifications in between will create miscommunication between the customer and your business, leading to customer disengagement. No customers want to see any last-minute surprises.

So ensure you have a communication channel to constantly share every detail and project progress with customers.

Summary

Developing software is complex and involves many processes. Companies with limited resources and tools should consider the above points significantly before signing a customer project. A solution to overcome the shortcoming is outsourcing the software development project to a reputed company.

As their team will take care of the complete process, your core developers can focus on the critical projects that need immediate attention.

You choose to go for an outsourced company or handle the program using your internal team.

Nevertheless, next time when you plan to develop software, consider the above points carefully before starting with one.