Is Software Product Development the Same as Application Development?
My friend, Norman got himself into trouble! He needed some extra help to design a software product for the market, and he needed it done right. His team interviewed and selected a company with application development experience and quickly discovered that they really couldn’t make the transition from application development to software product development.
The truth is that the investment and time required to conceive, design and develop a software product can be overwhelming and there are many ways a business can get off track. In order to ensure success and create a cost-effective solution that customers will love, a software product development and design process must include competitive analysis, technical feasibility, product roadmap management, and implementation and timely upgrades of the product to satisfy the ever-changing user and technology needs.
To get it done right, the Software Product Development lifecycle must include state-of-the-art software engineering practices, appropriate technical architecture, versioning control, detailed technical and user documentation and high development and quality standards, and the business and its development partner must refine product requirements, and establish and manage clear goals for business and technology objectives. Norman’s team should have worked with an experienced partner to perform market analysis, comparative analysis, and functional and technical feasibility studies to facilitate and accelerate growth and market success. Very few internal business IT teams possess the resources or domain expertise to successfully develop a software product for market.
If you are considering this kind of project, you need a software development partner with proven skills and experience in design, development, implementation and upgrade of software products, and proven experience in upgrade, migration and support of a software product. You need to closely manage the interdependent variables of software product development – time, resources and scope.
If you want to avoid Norman’s mistakes, be sure to choose a partner with experience and skill in software product development.
