Software application development is not just a technical endeavor that requires programming or development skills. There are many other important aspects of software application development. Of course, the team will need the technical experience and skill to complete the development phase, but there are numerous other factors that will contribute to success.
Here we examine five critical areas of expertise and support a business should consider when selecting a software application development partner.
“ Software application development is not just a technical endeavor that requires programming or development skills. There are many other important aspects of software application development.”
When interviewing an application development partner, the business should include these considerations in its selection process:
- Planning and Vision
Can the prospective software application development partner help you refine your requirements, prove your concepts and create a roadmap to get you to roll-out and beyond? What kind of experience and skill do they have in engaging users and team members to encourage creativity and brainstorm the details of the solution you wish to create?
- Broad and Deep Knowledge
Of course you expect your software app development expert to have the technical skills and to understand the programming language, the domain and the purpose of the framework or platform but knowledge and skill should go beyond that. Does the partner team understand the mobile application development market and tools? Does the partner team understand the details of the user experience (Ux), and how beset to re-engineer an existing solution to get the best results for scalability and performance? Does the team understand how business function and industry can inform user needs and expectations?
- Integration
When considering a partner, the business must also think about any factors that include integration with databases, other applications, in-house solutions, best-of-breed and other integration issues. The partner must have experience in these areas in order to create a comprehensive solution that can easily and seamlessly integrate data from other repositories across the organization.
- Application Lifecycle
Application lifecycle skills and knowledge include thorough and complete testing methods, the use of quality techniques to ensure a positive outcome, skills and knowledge in the area of risk mitigation, security, user access, industry and government regulation, as well as planning for upgrades, migration, support, software application maintenance and user training.
- Delivery Model
Any partnership depends on accessibility and communication. Delivery models, reporting, communication and leadership skills all contribute to the success of the partnership. Your application development project might include re-engineering, starting from scratch or database and application integration and one of the primary factors in success is how these services are delivered and what kind of team interaction you can expect. Your partner should have all the requisite skills and they should provide flexible delivery models that allow for onsite, offshore or hybrid delivery and team interaction. Where delivery is offshore, communication processes and reporting are extremely important. Where partner team members will be onsite, and act as an extension of your team, communication skills and leadership skills are important. There are many facets to a partnership and your business should carefully consider the success rate of the prospective partner and the methodologies and foundation they employ to ensure successful delivery.
There is a lot that goes into a software application development project and hiring one or more developers who know how to write code is not going to get you where you want to go. Be smart when you consider a prospective partner and expect the best in knowledge, experience and in breadth and depth of services and team skills.
“Of course you expect your software app development expert to have the technical skills and to understand the programming language, the domain and the purpose of the framework or platform but knowledge and skill should go beyond that.”
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