Tag: custom software development companies

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Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

sdlc

The term SDLC is used by software development companies to define the whole development process of software . It contains sets of process to ensure design , development and testing of software is carried on smoothly with the estimated time period and costing .

Custom software development starts with an idea , which later on gets documented to initiate the development process . After documentation development team starts working on it and follows series of steps . The complete sequence of steps that lead to delivery of finished software is known as Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) . For successful delivery of any software , SDLC framework needs to be followed . It given series of benefits in software development such as :

  • It is known to be best method for project planning , scheduling and estimation 
  • It helps in tracking of project progress 
  • It increases development speed 
  • It helps in project management 
  • It decreases project risk and project management 

We may define SDLC into following stages :

  • Requirement collection and analysis 
  • Feasibility Study 
  • Design 
  • Coding 
  • Testing 
  • Installation / Deployment 
  • Maintenance 

All the above stages are generally mentioned in the Service Level Agreement (SLA) by software development company before starting of with the project . The finished project quality depends on how well the steps of SDLC has been followed during development of software solution . However the fact is process of software development is never ending cycle .
However you are considering SDLC as technical document then it is not , rather is it document that makes it easier to evaluate software development process . 

Popular SDLC Models

SDLC contains series of models which is being used in software delivery process . Popular SDLC models are :

  • Waterfall 
  • Incremental Approach 
  • V-model 
  • Agile Model 
  • Spiral Model 
  • Prototype Model 
  • Big Band Model 

Among the above listed model Waterfall and Agile  are known to be best SDLC model . At Winklix we follow Agile mythology which also includes customer portal .

What is BlueSprints Agile Model ?

The best part about bluesprints is it works on both fixed price / fixed requirement as well as wherein more creative software development is required .
At initial stages it helps defining project start up document which helps defining project roles and preferred methods of communication and set up deep understanding as per project requirement that will further help in supporting of your project . At later stage it notarise requirement catalogue though series of discussion process before signing off the software requirement sheet (SRS) . 
Once documented , customer will go through it and will sign of the SRS taking customer into full confidence thereby meeting their business needs .
Once we are done with documentation , we start of with development sprints which is usually divided  between 5 and 15 days in length . The development is carried on as per the documentation with our project manager keeping close eye the quality of code and also takes control so that it finishes once or ahead of time .
As the project has been divided into stages defined in milestone , the project tracking can be tracked from completion of milestone and then sharing the portal with client so that they get time to time updates of the state of progress .
Clients at Winklix has also been facilitated with customer portal so that they can track on real time the progress of current sprints .

How Customer Portal Works ?

Customer portal is designed in a way that it ensures that software delivery is traceable by customers during regular intervals of software development process and at the same time ensuring highest quality .
Winklix also has embedded feedback tool which allows customers to drop pins into areas of page of development wherein they want to add feedback or pinpoint an issue . Customers can also create service request tickets in project tracking system .
Customers takes ownership of software by customer portal and feedback tool and also by putting them in control of progress . Working in this way , Winklix customers gets ensure about our close partnership with clients . 
If you are considering software for your business , then lets start of with software project for your business with Winklix .

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Success With Custom Software

custom software development company

Looking for software development solution for your particular requirement  and not getting the pre packed software that satisfy your needs ? Then the only option left is choosing custom software development solution . But the question is how can you actually increase changes for successful outcome of custom software project ?

Lets quickly look at some of the points which need to be taken care of while ordering custom software :

Increasing Outcomes 

Custom software development always gives the desired output if and only if developmental process is taken with utmost care .
The best way to proceed with custom software development software development is to start development with the features that are important in your software development process . It is always suggestible to start with core features first and thereafter focusing on improving the overall experience of the software . Custom software is made as per the customised requirement of the business , so it is always suggestible to get user feedback in the go , so that you can save on your investment for unnecessary features implementation .
Integration of your new software with your already using software always add on some values . For instance say your earlier system is capable of handling the customer handling and follow up , then there is no point of building it again in your custom software development process . Rather it is suggestible to go with integration of new software with the old one which will in turn also saves your time and efforts.

Quicker Results 

It depends on your project requirement that a software development may take few months or even years to develop your custom software as per your specific requirement . But how can this be fasten up ? Thankfully there are ways to get it quickly done , at least the required one .
The best ways to get it done quickly is following optimal software development model . The two famous family of this models are Agile and Waterfall . Agile mythology focuses on delivery of minimum viable products (MVP) with the core features which is necessary to satisfy users , by also keeping in mind users feedback . The other features get added from time to time which will thereon improve the overall software experience . Whereas on the other hand waterfall model is a good chic in case you don’t undergo with any changes in your project .Modification are painful and time taking task which may lead to late delivery of project . Waterfall is always seems to be beneficial for small project requirement wherein requirement are very well understood .
Always try to define project milestone and documents them in contract with the predefined dates along with the resources who will start working on your project .

Assuring Sustainability 

Software sustainability implies that the software you use today should be easily usable for at-least next 5-10 years . In order to have software sustainability , you must opt for the technology that is new and stable and can give you significant investment for long time , and not like those which get obsolete in 1-2 years , which will need reinvestment in revamping the complete software .
Always prefer to choose a software development company who agreed to provide you support and maintenance from their in house support team who are familiar with developmental process of your product , who can solve your concern in short span of time . On an average , software lives for 5-10 years , so fix the maintenance contract in accordance with that time period .
Another major factor that may cause trouble situation for you is poor code quality , which will unnecessarily delay bug fixation and testing time longer than usual . At the same time , if you are planning to add on some new features in your existing software , it may become cumbersome and difficult task , as developers might find it difficult to get started with .
At Winklix , our team always suggest to take ownership of your source code in your hands , and is such way you will not be locked with any of the vendors , and thereby gives you freedom to even start with the new vendor to start developmental process right from scratch .

Reducing Cost

The main drawback of choosing custom software development solution is it does not have any fixed recurring cost . It may increase or decrease on the basis of time taken for the complete developmental cycle .
As a general criteria , the more time it will take for development , the higher will be the costing . So always make sure your project team chooses optimal software development strategy so that you can get the minimum viable project as per the preset milestone .
Another major that you can opt for is commissioning software development project to companies located in India or Eastern Europe , as they generally have lower employee cost in comparison with US workforce .
It is also preferable to hire dedicated resources for your customs software development project so that they can devote enough time on your project which avoid bug fixation at later stage .

Mitigating Risk

There might be a situation that you may address some kind of risk while ordering custom software . The most famous being is lack of budget . It has always been seen that during the initial custom software development stage many of the features has got missed , which may result in lower software value .Later on when you discovered it , it may cost additionally and you may face shortage of funds .
Always remember that you are the master of your own industry and developers are the the master of their coding , and that is the reason the project team may lack necessary competence and expertise in your domain . So the best way to overcome with this situation is to have an timely check of the code as per the defined milestones with the developers in order to check that you both are on same track .

Summing Up

If you have made your mind to go on with custom software developmental solution , the very first thing that you have to document is minimum viable product that is initially required to meet your requirement . On the same time , choose software development stage that best suits your requirement , get documentation done in written format about the features it will contain in your software with the time required for its completion and milestone defined for the same . In order to make it more stable , use modern technologies and fix a maintenance period in the contract in advance . Addressing this issue systematically always ensures smooth carrying on of your software development project .