Don’t Fall Victim to These Avoidable Software Mistakes

Custom software development is a great way to put much-needed features and functionalities into your team’s hands. It’s important, however, to make sure that you don’t end up making choices that result in a hard to use, unproductive app. If you are working with a software development firm, there are a few things that you’ll want to avoid doing to ensure your project goes as planned and the application meets your expectations.

These four common mistakes we’ve seen clients make when developing new custom software.

Not Communicating Needs

The first step in creating a user-friendly app is understanding who your users are and how they will actually use the app. Providing this insight to your development team will help them plan for what features your users will need and how they’ll learn to use the application.

Another important thing to communicate is potential changes or upgrades that may be needed in the future. This allows developers to design the current system to easily accommodate those future changes. If there is a larger key feature that needs to be added sometime down the line, and this wasn’t communicated to the developers, then it can end up costing more (and taking more time) than it should if it is not planned for now.

Consider Feedback Before Making Any Changes

When testing the completed functionality of the application, make sure not to make decisions based on knee-jerk reactions from your team. Not everyone is going to love everything about a new piece of software and some will take longer to adapt to it than others. Always take time to think before deciding to implement changes solely based on user comments. The firm you’re partnered with should not just be “yes” men; they should provide real-world insight into what works based on their experience developing software.

Not Being Specific Enough

Very often with an app development project, it is the things that seem small that end up causing severe delays. A developer isn’t going to understand your business the way you do, nor will they be able to easily anticipate what you want or need, so make sure you share all your requirements with them from the start.

Frequently, it’s those small details that you think are easy and unimportant that end up causing major delays. Don’t hold off on telling a developer about them because you think that they are minor, because they may be rather complicated. Also, never assume that certain features come standard. Make sure you provide all your requirements during discovery.

Not Planning for Growth

Make sure that you talk to your development team about what technology or framework will work in the long term. You may have a specific programming language or framework in mind, but it may be near its end of life, which means it will be harder to make changes to it later down the line.

Using Off-Shore Developers

The initial price of a custom software solution may tempt some companies or individuals to consider outsourcing their development off-shore. The problem with this is that partnering with an off-shore developer can often lead to a much longer turnaround time, due to communication challenges and other factors. These delays add to the overall cost of the application, plus keep it from getting into the hands of your employees.

If you are looking to begin work on a custom software solution and are looking for an experienced partner, SOLTECH has built custom software that has solved problems for companies and individuals for 19 years, and we’d love to help you, too!

Now that you know the mistakes to avoid, learn what makes a software project a success! Check out the 5 pillars of success in this free eBook!