Software development is big business. For outsiders with a big idea, those who spot a gap in the market to develop a problem solving piece of software, the process of getting it coded, designed and live might look simple from the outside. But there’s so much more to getting a software product live than it may seem. So we’ve taken a look at the key stages of developing a software product.
At the outset, it’s a good idea to divide everything into distinct, time-limited stages with definite checkpoints along the way. In this way, you’ll be able to clearly define everyone’s responsibilities, and prevent yourself from becoming trapped in an endless cycle of feature creep.
So, what might these stages look like?
Ideation: What’s the Product and Who is it For?
Before you write a single line of code, you’ll need an idea.
Fortunately, this is the step that most would-be developers have already taken. Whether it’s a lightbulb moment or years of experiencing a problem you want to solve with software, let’s just assume that by the time you come to plan your project, your idea is clear.
Refine your idea and get it down on paper.
- What will your software do?
- What problem does it solve?
- Why will it be beneficial?
- Who is going to use it?
By taking the time to think these things through and speak to members of your target audience, you can determine whether your idea is worth developing at all.
Market research here can save a lot of time, money and resource in development later. A bad idea is likely to fail no matter how well it is coded.
Design and Development
The big bit! As an insider, the development stage will in itself have several different phases and stages. If you’re not a developer or part of the project team (i.e maybe you’ve outsourced the development of your own idea) this might be the bit you have the least direct involvement with.
In (very short) summary though, development involves several distinct processes, which often run concurrently. You (or your developers) will need to design the look and feel of your software, and get some code to actually get it working.
Once you have a working alpha build, you can begin to work features in incrementally.
Testing and More Testing
Bugs and glitches will happen. They’re as much a part of software development as paying tax is a part of life.
Don’t expect the first version of the software product that you get access to (usually an alpha version) to run flawlessly. The whole point of the testing stage is to iron out glitches and bugs.
Thorough testing is critical. This will not only allow you to identify the aforementioned bugs and glitches, it will also give you a chance to see how your software works in practice.
Use a range of different hardware in your testing. Try it on different mobile devices of different ages and different types of laptop.
Basically, in an ideal testing scenario you will test your software on a whole host of devices in line with the typical ones your users will be using.
While it’s possible to bottleneck your machine to simulate the constraints of a weaker one, it’s a better idea to really have a weaker machine available for testing.
You don’t want to release a defective product and testing is when you get to pick apart your product, iron out the bugs and get it ready to release.
Litigation
Releasing software may involve exposing yourself to legal risk. What if your software is used for malicious purposes? What if it inadvertently causes an expensive problem for your users? While there’s no way to guard against these things completely, you can reduce the risk by recruiting tech litigation experts to guide you through the legal process of launching.
If there’s anything at all illegal that your software might be used for, protect yourself here to save yourself a lot of hassle (and possibly money) in the future.
Launch
A launch needn’t be a single spectacular event. You might release the software in stages – first to a select group of beta users, and then to the wider public. You can think of this staggered launch as an extension of the testing process. It will allow you to see what issues you might have in the proper launch, so that you can implement strategies to mitigate those issues.
Marketing and Promotion
“Build it and they will come.”
Except probably not. If you’ve got a list of thousands of eager people waiting for your software, then amazing. But if you don’t, you’ll need to start marketing.
Marketing is likely to be something thought of long before you launch date. And some of it may even be executed pre launch.
There’s a whole other post we could write on marketing your software, but do be prepared to invest here to make sure your target users know you exist in the first place.
Refine and Improve
Software often improves over time. New features, bug fixes… running a SAAS business will often mean consistent improvements to your business in line with changing hardware and changing user needs.
Good luck!