Developing software and applications that meet specific business needs is a matter of survival in today's competitive age. Custom software development is the process of conceptualizing, designing, building, and delivering software to specific individuals or groups within an organization, or on behalf of others.

Custom software is tailored to specific user needs and is believed to be more efficient than commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software. COTS targets a wider range of needs and is therefore ideal for a wider audience. Off-the-shelf software is advertised and sold by various companies for inclusion in their daily business applications. One of the best examples of off-the-shelf solutions is Microsoft Office, which can meet the common needs of a wider audience on a global scale.

But not all business needs can be generalized. Business processes and specific teams have specific needs that require specific solutions. This is where customer-specific software development comes into its own. Individual software suites are, for example, course module portals for students or industry-specific e-commerce software that enables an optimized shopping experience.

What is the difference between Custom Software and Off The Shelf Software?

The “build or buy” question continues to plague companies looking for software solutions. Standard software is ready to use as soon as you install it on your device or computer. Custom software, on the other hand, is designed and developed to meet a specific need.

The two technologies have significant differences in terms of functionality, usability, and performance. Each technology has strengths and weaknesses, which are outlined here.

Implementation

Coding is getting easier every day. Programmers spent weeks executing lines of code. Now the student is trained in coding at high school level and he has more and more snippets of open source code available for every function. The intuitive drag-and-drop interface provided by the IDE allows you to develop sophisticated applications without writing any code. Basic programming skills may be enough to quickly enable the desired customizations. However, just because coding is easy doesn't mean software development is easy. Coding is just one aspect of the overall software development process. Requirements gathering, UI/UX design, testing, and upgrades are also important stages of the development process and require experienced and skilled resources.

Custom software development appears to be a manageable endeavor, albeit one that requires a high degree of skill. Development tasks can distract a company from its core business. In-house IT resources may already be involved in routine maintenance activities, and development tasks can hamper their efficiency. In the case of custom software, companies may have to endure downswings until issues are resolved and the software ultimately grows. With the help of standard software, companies can learn from the mistakes of others.

Additionally, standard software developers focus solely on software and implement Agile and other software development best practices. We also stay abreast of new technologies to stay ahead of our competitors.

Therefore, extensive testing is done to ensure that impediments have been eliminated before standard software is developed. However, buying off-the-shelf software isn't as easy as buying a mango at the grocery store. Businesses still need to gather requirements to find the right product.

Off-the-shelf software solutions should also be evaluated in terms of UX design, required infrastructure, compatibility with various devices, and ease of use. Additionally, off-the-shelf software is not an owner and cannot grow with the size of your business.

Integration

With data analytics critical to staying competitive, companies must seamlessly integrate their software with other enterprise-level systems. When it comes to integration options, off-the-shelf software may not seamlessly integrate with other software systems. Custom software development is well worth the additional investment and time, as it can be designed and developed to enable seamless integration. A software developer can consider existing systems when creating blueprints for software development projects and ensure that new software works seamlessly in his current IT ecosystem.

Scalability

Scalability is one of the deciding factors when thinking about technology for your business. The software your business needs must be scalable enough to meet your current and future needs. As your business grows, you may need to add new features. Therefore, it is better to make software development scalable. Standard software cannot provide this possibility.

Upgrades

There is no question that standard software offers impeccable customer support. However, it may not be updated for a long time because it requires using an outdated product, which negatively impacts your business. With custom software, you can always make changes as needed. When developing custom software, you are responsible for making decisions regarding new upgrades and features. There is no need to wait for new versions to add new features to the software.

If you want a specialized software to meet your specific business requirements, then custom software development is be the ideal solution for you.

What are the pros and cons of Custom Software Development?

Pros

• Specific solutions to needs

Every company has unique business processes, so customized software is the best solution for your company's needs. Tailored to the specific needs of an individual or group. Plus, getting what you want makes you more productive and more competitive.

• Security

Security is at the core of any software or business because no one wants an app that can be easily compromised. Custom software reduces security risks by allowing you to add as many security measures as you like. You don't have to rely on the limited security features of off-the-shelf products.

• Easy integration

Custom software is designed to be easily integrated with existing software and programs within your organization. Software developers can help design software for seamless integration, ease deployment, and improve business productivity.

• Freedom of use and control

Custom software allows companies to freely update and use applications, giving them complete control over the software. You own the custom software and have all rights to update it and use it as you see fit.

Cons

• High Cost of Development

While custom software development costs are relatively high for businesses, market forces are driving down the cost of off-the-shelf software solutions. Maintenance and support costs are added to the individual software costs. However, the cost of custom software development would likely be worth the functionality once implemented.

• Requires a lot of time to build

Developing a full-fledged custom enterprise software application takes a lot of time because business needs are not as clear-cut as many people think. A lot of time is spent on research and analysis to clearly understand all requirements and find those that are not clear or direct.

• Risk of working with the wrong developer

The risk of working with the wrong person or company is a common problem in most industries, not just software development. Choosing the wrong provider can be a waste of time and money. With so many custom software development companies on the market, you may choose a company that offers substandard or unprofessional software development services. Therefore, we recommend that you take it easy when hiring a developer. Spend more time researching to protect yourself from loss later.

Before you embark on your custom software development journey, consider the above pros and cons to understand what your business requires.

What is the process for developing Software?

There are various software development models such as spiral model, waterfall model and agile software model. Among all these models, the Agile model is the most popular. Each software development model has a specific approach to ensuring successful product delivery. Your methods may vary. However, each model contains some stages.

Here are some necessary steps that help software development companies achieve success:

1. Initial requirements gathering

This is the first stage of consulting the software development company about the project. During the initial requirements gathering phase, the development company holds numerous meetings with the customer to gather all the requirements for the project.

At this stage the designer and developer understand the specifications of the project, the goals that the software should achieve, who his users of the software are and how the customer wants the product to perform . Collecting all this information helps software development companies determine if you are a good fit for their project.

2. Requirements analysis and planning

After the requirements are gathered, the development company begins analyzing them to develop a robust software application base. Requirements analysis and planning is therefore the most important phase of the overall development process. In-depth analysis is essential for development companies to meet all customer needs. In this phase, customer goals are translated into plans so that the two visions can collide.

The customer's requirements must be documented and verified by both parties before proceeding to the next stage. Customer requirements are recorded in SRS (Software Requirements Specification) documents, upon which products are designed and developed. Planning your requirements also helps ensure that there are no misunderstandings.

3. Visual and Technical design

Once a development company understands what it needs to build, it needs to think about how to proceed with it. Each software solution requires a specific approach. Therefore, system architecture design is critical to any project. The internal structure of all modules of the software is described in the SRS documentation. Parameters considered at this stage are design modularity and risk assessment.

The exterior design can also be created at this stage. Deliverables from this phase include wireframes, technical architecture, database design, high-fidelity screens, Marvel prototypes, user stories, and database schemas.

4. Development & Implementation

This phase is likely to be the longest as the actual product is being developed. Developers start programming the software according to the software requirements specification, visual and technical design. Coding can be seamless if the phases before the development phase have been completed with meticulous attention to detail.

Each development team performs development activities from different angles depending on the nature of the software development model. Most companies today adopt Agile methodologies. This includes recurring meetings, called daily scrum-his meetings, where each team-his member reports progress and problems with their tasks.

5. Testing

Testing is typically performed after the product is developed and ready for release to find and fix bugs and defects. During testing, testers perform different types of non-functional and functional tests. During the testing phase, the key features tested are:

• Core application functions.
• Installation on localized machines.
• Compatibility on different devices.
• Text input.

If errors are found, fix them and test again. The testing process continues until the software meets our quality requirements. Software should be tested by both the development team and the customer's team.

The types of software testing techniques that should be implemented to test the quality of custom software are:

Functional Testing

Functional testing is a type of testing that tests the functionality of a software application. When performing functional testing, all functionality of the software should be tested. You should check if you are getting the desired result.

Functional testing can be done manually or with automated tools. Tools available for functional testing are Selenium, SoapUI, Watir, and JUnit.

• Different types of functional testing include:
• Unit Testing
• Smoke Testing
• End-to-end Testing
• Integration Testing
• Acceptance Testing
• Regression Testing
• Whitebox Testing
• Interface Testing
• Black Box Testing
• Non-functional testing

Non-functional testing is testing non-functional aspects of an application, such as reliability, usability, security, and performance. These are run after functional tests.

Non-functional testing can greatly improve the quality of your software. Non-functional tests check how well the software and many other components perform.

Types of Non-Functional Testing include:

• Performance Testing
• Load Testing
• Failover Testing
• Usability Testing
• Efficiency Testing
• Localization Testing
• Security Testing
• Reliability Testing
• Endurance Testing

6. Deployment and Maintenance

Software applications are released after thorough testing. However, some call the project "done" after its release. Unexpected problems can occur when using software. Depending on the priority of the issue, it can be fixed immediately or improved later.

When it comes to software delivery, you need to decide whether you want cloud-based delivery or on-premises delivery. Deploying software on-premises means that the software resides on the company's own servers and is protected by an internal firewall. Previously, this was the only way to integrate external software or applications into a company's code base. This is useful when an organization needs complete control over integration with external functions.

On the other hand, deploying software on the cloud means building a virtual computing environment. Cloud-based deployments provide enterprises with scalable and flexible virtual computing resources. Cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and others can be used for cloud-based software delivery.

Maintenance is one of the benefits of custom software applications, as the development company will take care of the project even after release. As part of the maintenance service, the software developer manages all upgrades and additions.

What are the qualities you should look into a Custom Software Development?

Developing custom software applications is no easy task. Therefore, people are looking for software development companies that understand their needs well and can deliver robust and scalable software. But just understanding the criteria is not enough. You should pay attention to some traits and qualities that will help you find a reliable partner.

Here are some of the qualities you must look into a custom software development team:

• Experience and tech skills

A software development company can only be considered a top-notch development company by the applications it creates and the success rate the company has achieved. A software development company with strong technical skills and leadership qualities has a strong project portfolio. Companies with a deep understanding of the latest technologies and experience working with start-ups and Fortune 500 companies can manufacture and deliver scalable products.

• Communication skills

Strong communication skills are essential to understanding customer goals and requirements. With the right communication skills and project knowledge, software development companies can carefully design and develop software that adds value to their business. Regular customer communication is essential for long-term customer relationships. A software developer that helps teams connect effectively with customers using enterprise-class communication tools such as Zoom and Skype for Business.

Strong business skills

Having a technical or programming language is not enough. Software development companies also need strong business skills to take ideas and bring them to life. Seeing background and references from previous projects will give you a better understanding of your custom software development experience.

Pricing structure

Before signing a contract with a software development company, make sure you have a clear understanding of the costs involved in all stages of software development. Avoid hiring companies that hide their costs.

What mistakes do you need to avoid when building a Custom Software?

Custom software can reduce costs and increase productivity, but it also has some drawbacks. So before investing in custom software development, be aware of common pitfalls to avoid.

Developing wrong features and unwantedly complex solutions

When investing in custom software, everyone expects it to add value to their business. If you try to develop software based on your own ideas, you may end up wasting a lot of money on the wrong features. To avoid costly mistakes, it's important to enable interaction between the product and the end user early in development. Prototypes help you communicate your vision by getting people involved in all stages of development. Pre-development prototyping helps visualize the actual product and answer functional questions.

Making important decisions as soon as possible

Decisions made at the beginning of a project can be risky. Early decisions can have devastating consequences that are inevitable during the life of the project. But that doesn't mean you don't have to make decisions at all. Instead, you should first identify your product requirements and decide what you need to do to reach your goals. For example, when decisions about a feature and its development are made in close alignment, it ensures that the required functionality is delivered and leaves little room for change.

Not providing acceptance criteria for each feature

Acceptance criteria are predefined requirements that must be met in order to mark a software development task as successful. Define the scope of features the team is working on, the desired outcome, and the testing criteria. Defining all desired outcomes before starting development helps promote common understanding. Acceptance criteria should be understandable to developers. Acceptance criteria provide the user's perspective and should be concise and clear.

How can Linkitsoft help you with Custom Software development?name>

We have been designing, building and implementing custom software programs for enterprises for over 10 years. To provide our clients with scalable and robust custom software development solutions, we keep abreast of the latest technology trends including SaaS, IoT, AI, Blockchain, Cloud, Mobile and Web. Our development team excels in all important qualities such as experience and technical skills, communication skills and strong business skills.

Define goals and requirements

Once you've decided you want to develop a custom software application, our team will brainstorm, assess your business needs, and identify specific goals. Our team conducts in-depth research into what works best for your business and what your competitors are doing. Your needs and goals are summarized in a Software Requirements Specification (SRS) document.

Select a development methodology

Software development projects are so complex that it is important to identify a particular software development methodology. Following trends and technology relevance, our software developers today primarily use Agile development methodologies to create and manage custom enterprise applications. Agile technology enables continuous improvement of software during development.

Complete documentation

Documentation is important at all stages of implementation and development as it defines what you currently have and what you need. Software documentation includes project plans, requirements specifications, low-level and high-level designs, test reports, test plans, user documentation, status reports, and more. All of these documents help you track the status of your project and maintain your understanding of the software. This document is also useful as a reference for future scenarios when you need to update your software, but you don't have the original development team. New developers can refer to this document to quickly delve into the structure of the software.

Code simplicity

Google and community developer, Bugzilla project lead and release manager MaxKanat-Alexander introduced code simplification to eliminate unnecessary complexity in software development. Using code simplification and other software development principles, we design and develop robust, high quality software for our customers.

Continuous end-to-end testing

Test-driven development gives you more confidence in the quality of your code. Carefully test new software before introducing it into your entire business process. Unless the software is buggy after one test, we will not ship the software. We conduct multi-tiered testing at every stage of the development and delivery process.

Time and budget estimation

We believe that planning your budget and schedule before the development phase is the best practice for successful custom software development. A realistic budget can protect your software project from extreme pressure. Agile methodologies allow for rapid expansion of scope as the project progresses, but large miscalculations can lead to problems in results and quality. We maintain complete transparency with our clients when creating budget estimates. We use intelligent and automated tools to create the most accurate cost estimates for software development projects.

Code reviews

Our team of quality testing engineers thoroughly reviews your code to ensure good code quality. Code reviews reduce software bugs and lead to more successful custom software.

With these approaches, we consistently succeed in creating scalable and robust customer-specific software applications.

Conclusion

Customized software development has many advantages. As companies become more specialized and their internal systems more complex, custom software has become a necessity for most companies. Just because it's made to order doesn't mean it's "expensive". By taking an existing solution and customizing it with new features, you can get a lot of the customization benefits without the big cost.