Custom-crafted success: exploring the benefits of custom software development

Why you should opt for custom tools and what the key practices and trends are in custom software development. 

While there’s a wide variety of commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) available, when businesses have specific needs and requirements, out-of-the-box solutions may be insufficient. In this case, companies can choose to implement custom software designed to align with their specific needs.

The global custom software development market has been expanding robustly. According to Grand View Research, it is expected to reach USD 146.18 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.4 % from 2022 to 2030.

One of the reasons for this growth is that despite the slightly higher initial costs and longer development time, opting for customized software proves to be an excellent long-term investment due to its efficiency and flexibility. In this article, we’ll delve into the benefits of this approach in detail, providing insight into key engineering procedures to familiarize you with the topic.Figure 1. U.S. custom software development market size by solution, 2020-2030 (USD Billion)

The versatility of custom software development

Custom software development lifecycle (SDLC) generally encompasses software production stages such as design, development, testing, implementation, deployment, and maintenance. Usually, custom solutions are tailored to align with the specific needs of a business or users across a variety of platforms, including web, desktop, or mobile.

Nowadays, custom software implementation is an integral part of literally every industry. For example, in healthcare, custom solutions can come in the form of custom patient management systems that integrate with existing hospital databases to optimize patient care and administrative tasks. In retail, bespoke e-commerce platforms can offer a unique customer experience and be integrated with inventory systems. In banking, customized software can provide secure online banking and a user-friendly experience with features such as fraud detection or personalized financial advice.

How top-quality custom software is created

Custom software development adheres to specific phases during the project’s implementation. In this section, we will discuss the overarching process and detail some of the practices we implement here at Avenga to ensure a seamless project flow and achieve the desired outcome.

1. Defining the requirements and planning

At this stage, the development team gathers detailed information from the client about requirements, objectives, and problems they want to solve. The project’s scope is then defined along with the features the software will include. This stage also involves selecting the right project management methodology and the technology stack (tools, programming languages, and frameworks). Next, the development team creates a plan with the timelines, budget, and resource allocation. The client’s requirements are documented in a Software Requirements Specification document (SRS) to ensure clarity of the project planning.

At Avenga, we typically utilize Agile business analysis for this stage, complemented by strategic requirements engineering. Our approach focuses on defining requirements strategies within Agile development frameworks, enabling us to derive necessary building blocks and effectively address challenges regarding the right tech stack, integration with existing systems, security risks, data protection concerns, etc.

2. System design

The software requirements gathered in the previous step are transformed into a structured design document during this phase. The phase includes:

1. Architectural design defines the software’s high-level structure and technical framework;
2. User interface design focuses on the visual layout and user experience;
3. Data design plans how the system will store, retrieve, and manage data;
4. Security design ensures the software is secure from unauthorized access and data breaches.

With a focus on clients’ needs, Avenga provides a comprehensive approach to design and development, customizing digital services for flawless execution. Also, we prioritize user experience design to ensure the product exceeds client expectations.

3. Development

At this stage, the conceptual design is transformed into a product. It’s a lengthy process that often demands the most resources. Developers write the code based on SRS and the established technical and visual design.

Avenga specializes in full-cycle development, always aiming to speed up the delivery of digital products by integrating various stages of the software development cycle.

4. Testing

After the product is ready for release, the quality assurance (QA) team verifies it has no defects and errors. QA engineers perform different functional and non-functional tests. The testing process lasts until the software meets all quality requirements.

Our company employs a variety of data validation testing techniques to ensure data correctness, completeness, and successful transformations. In order to improve test coverage and efficiency, we also integrate QA automation services into Agile development cycles and DevOps processes to streamline the testing process.

5. Deployment and maintenance

It is up to you to choose between on-premises or cloud deployment. Cloud-based deployment provides companies with scalable virtual computing resources. Cloud platforms, such as Azure, Google Cloud, AWS, etc., can be used for this. When software is on-premise, it is housed on an organization’s servers and is fire-walled internally.

As far as maintenance goes, it involves software upgrades and repairs after software release. Avenga follows a detailed checklist for software deployment, covering planning, testing, and deployment stages to mitigate risks and ensure smooth transitions. We also specialize in  keeping IT infrastructures safe and operational with 24/7 monitoring and preventive maintenance, ensuring technical stability and continuous improvement.Figure 2. The process of developing custom software.

The aforementioned is a general description of the development steps, but it’s important to note that the process may vary based on the requirements and needs of each specific project.

Key practices for successful custom software development

A reputable partner will make sure the following crucial steps are taken to ensure a successful and effective custom development process when you start a project to create personalized software:

Document everything

Make sure you have:

• A well-structured test design and checklist to provide proper software testing;
• A well-documented scope of work;
• An implementation road-map that marks user roles and timelines;
• User documentation with FAQs.

Plan your budget

Select a pricing model and establish the budget for the development. Here are the factors that have an impact on the expenses:

• Complexity level;
• Features and functionality;
• Product design and UI/UX;
• The hourly rate, which can be based on the vendor’s location or their skills;
• The yearly or monthly payments related to third-party tools and APIs (such as cloud services, SSL certificate, domain, and web hosting fees);
• A 20–30% contingency allocation towards the overall cost to cover unforeseen events and charges.

Hire the right team

If you’ve decided to outsource, consider the following while selecting a custom software development company:

• The company’s track record;
• Their actual location;
• The infrastructure and size of the company;
• The company’s domain competence;
• Evaluations from prior customers;
• How they handle the protection of intellectual property and security.

Factors to consider when selecting a technology stack

It’s important to define which technologies (programming language, libraries, and frameworks) you’ll use to create your product. A partner who processes versatile experience will take into account the following factors while choosing the best technology stack for your custom development:

• Functionality. Regarding functionality, it should be determined which features are needed and if complex data processing or real-time updates are required for the project.
• Scalability. It’s crucial to estimate the potential number of users and determine whether the resulting software system should be designed to accommodate a growing user base.
• Performance. How fast and responsive does the system need to be?
• Project timeline. The availability of mature libraries and frameworks can save development time compared to building everything from scratch.
• Maintenance. Long-term support for chosen technologies is important for security updates and bug fixes. So, when choosing a tech stack it’s important to know how long the selected technologies will be supported.

Select the Agile methodology

An Agile approach, like Scrum or Kanban, encourages flexibility, teamwork, and iterative development. In Agile development, all the work completed is meticulously tracked, thus enabling frequent releases, quicker feedback, and flexible response to shifting needs.

Modern Agile software development includes several key practices.

• Continuous integration and deployment. Build, test, and deployment procedures are automated by putting in place a CI/CD pipeline. Guaranteeing that software modifications are consistently tested and integrated lowers the possibility of integration problems and permits frequent releases.
• Automated testing. Automated tests are written prior to writing actual code in test-driven development (TDD). This procedure lowers the possibility of introducing defects and guarantees that the software performs as planned. It also encourages maintainability and high-quality programming.
• DevOps culture adoption. It promotes cooperation and shared accountability between the teams responsible for development and operations. The focus is on automation, continuous integration, and effective deployment, which results in quicker delivery and higher-quality software.
• Frequent code reviews. Sharing information among team members, finding problems, and improving code quality are all aided by regular code reviews. In addition to guaranteeing compliance with coding standards and best practices, code reviews help improve the software’s general quality and maintainability.

Establish reasonable milestones

Creating a well-organized plan with reachable milestones is critical to guarantee the realization of your intended product. The plan typically involves:

• Describing the intended work processes;
• Constructing a thorough implementation road-map that takes time and money into account;
• Establishing project success criteria that stakeholders, customers, and end users can agree upon;
• Carrying out the development tasks;
• Examining the status at every planned checkpoint;
• Getting input from direct users and stakeholders at every level;
• Determining which areas need to be improved.

All of this might seem overwhelming and custom software development is indeed an intricate process. However, outsourcing to a qualified partner could help you navigate this procedure much more effectively and bring the project to completion faster.

Learn more about how we developed a comprehensive SMS-enabler platform for our client that allows businesses to reach a significant portion of the world’s population. Success story

Why high-level organizations choose custom software

Sooner or later, many companies face the dilemma of buying or building custom software for their business needs. Choosing to build custom software provides a number of important advantages:

Control

Businesses have complete ownership and control over the source code and the software ecosystem when they use custom software development services. Because of this ownership, companies can improve and modify their products as needed, which helps them adapt swiftly to shifting market conditions and customer demands.

Flexibility

Custom software can be easily modified and expanded as the firm develops and grows. The flexibility and scalability of off-the-shelf software may be limited, making it more challenging to adjust to shifting business requirements.

Integration

By using tailored software, companies can ensure a smooth data flow as it can be seamlessly integrated with the organization’s systems or operations. Conversely, to make new software compatible with the existing software, extra resources and work may be needed, and integration might not be as smooth.

Competitive advantage

Custom software solutions can give businesses a competitive edge by providing special features and functionalities that competitors cannot match. In contrast, off-the-shelf software is available to everyone, including competitor businesses.

As we can see, custom software can fully match the organization’s objectives and expectations. Consequently, it can provide maximum functionality, improving total operational efficacy.

Choosing bespoke software development can help you achieve success for your project. But what can also help is being aware of current trends in the development of custom software. So, let’s get familiar with them.

Must-know custom software development trends for project success in 2024

Now, we’ll get you acquainted with the top trends in custom software development for 2024 that can help your company compete on a global scale.

Sustainable (green) software development

According to Gartner, environmental sustainability will be a primary consideration for choosing and rejecting IT goods and services within the next three years. A quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide are attributed to enterprise technology emitting between 350 and 400 megatons of CO2. By 2030, software systems could have a 5% lower carbon footprint thanks to Sustainable Software Engineering (SSE) efforts. SSE will also become more operationally significant regarding energy efficiency, cost reduction, asset use, and ethical corporate conduct.

We offer you to get familiar with our article The whats and whys of green software development which provides a comprehensive overview of sustainable software development, its benefits, and implementation strategies.

Figure 3. Sustainable software development.

Cloud computing

The popularity of cloud computing has increased recently and is predicted to continue rising in the years to come. It offers easily available computing resources including servers, applications, and storage. Because cloud services can save money, time, and effort, many businesses are now using them first.

Additionally, managing on-premises servers is no longer necessary with cloud computing, removing the associated risks. Cloud service providers offer a variety of price plans for using their pre-configured servers, which you can use to access apps, files, and other data quickly.

Multi-cloud and hybrid cloud are the two kinds of cloud solutions that are offered by service providers to businesses seeking to optimize their IT infrastructure. The first choice entails utilizing several cloud services from various vendors. Flexibility and resource efficiency are maximized this way. In a hybrid cloud solution, public cloud services are combined with private clouds or on-premises infrastructure. Businesses can use this method to preserve sensitive data on private servers while yet benefiting from the scalability of public cloud services.

Machine learning

You can now utilize machine learning to enable your application to identify voice, photos, and user behavior, and detect fraud. Furthermore, the algorithms can be trained to provide information about popular products by “studying” users’ behavioral patterns. By using this information, you may target appropriate consumers and develop effective marketing plans that will increase income and sales.

Virtual assistants and chatbots

Chatbots and virtual assistants are becoming incredibly useful and easy to use. They can flawlessly engage with customers via various channels, including text or voice. Companies are widely using chatbots to reduce the workload of human resources while offering 24/7 customer service. When it comes to giving users relevant information, virtual assistants are quite proactive. Businesses are able to reduce their need for human customer care and increase customer satisfaction by integrating these technologies into custom software.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Another popular trend is the use of IoT technologies in custom software applications. With IoT, developers may design software programs that communicate with and manage connected devices, facilitating data collection, analysis, and automation. This tendency creates opportunities for sectors like manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare to improve productivity and streamline processes.

Outsourcing

Custom software development outsourcing has become an important strategy for staying competitive. According to a study by Deloitte, 70% of companies outsource to reduce costs. It explains why it’s predicted that the IT and software outsourcing market will reach $1.06 trillion by 2030.

Companies turn to outsourcing if they require special skills or resources. You can save a decent amount of costs if the process is done correctly. Another advantage is that your business gets access to a global talent pool with skilled developers. To achieve success with your project, it’s essential to choose the right custom software development outsourcing model as each of them suits different types of projects depending on complexity and specific requirements.Figure 4. Outsourcing goals.

To sum up, the software development industry will need to prioritize the integration of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and virtual assistants in 2024. Cloud computing has also been prevalent since it lowers project costs and gives access to limitless resources via various pricing schemes. Finally, outsourcing is an important trend that favors cost savings, faster time-to-market, and a focus on core business functions. It also offers flexibility and scalability, helping businesses to adapt quickly to changing market demands.

Takeaways

Custom software development helps businesses to adapt to market demands swiftly and outpace competition. Specifically, it can help organizations streamline procedures, boost productivity, and offer individualized experiences. For a project to be successful, however, it is imperative to pay close attention to requirements, select the best development partner, and adhere to a methodical development approach.

You can elevate your business with our custom software development services, where innovation meets expertise. Get in touch with us for a free consultation right now.