5 BEST PRACTICES FOR DEVELOPING CUSTOM SOFTWARE | August 2022

When it comes to Custom Software, there's no doubt about its benefits. But in order to reap the sweet,
sweet rewards, you must carefully plan the process to develop the perfect software for your business.

Did you know? According to GitLab, there are a combination of factors that delay the software
development process and ultimately leave you unsatisfied with the results. Poor planning is the most
common reason with a whopping 47%! 21.29% face unrealistic deadlines, 16.25% for unnecessary
meetings, and lastly, 6.16% for outdated tools. So, to attain the best custom software that is perfectly
tailored to your business without having to stumble upon bumps on the road along the way, we’ve listed
the best practices that you can do when developing your custom software!

Read on to learn more about the power of Custom Software, how it can propel your business to success,
and more importantly, the software development best practices that will ensure you get the best
possible results.

WHAT IS CUSTOM SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT & WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR MY BUSINESS?

Custom software development is essentially the process of conceptualising, designing, developing, and
deploying software for a specific business. And because it’s bespoke to a business, it’s uniquely designed
to fit their needs and fully support the business in reaching its goals. Custom software also exponentially
improves efficiency and smooths out anything that hinders the business from working at its peak.
Something that you simply cannot achieve with off-the-shelf software.

Rather than purchasing costly additional licenses or subscriptions of packaged applications, custom
software allows you to seamlessly scale your business! Growth and changes are not only necessary, but
it is the main goal of every business, and you must be fully equipped to allow your business to flourish.
Unlike off-the-shelf software, custom software grows and adapts to your needs as you are in pursuit of
reaching your business’ peak! When you go custom, everything that you need is at your fingertips. No
unnecessary costs for other applications that your business doesn’t really need. Think of your custom
software as a malleable puzzle piece that adapts and takes shape to where it is needed to complete the
picture. Custom software integrates with your existing system, enhancing your workflow and eliminating
time-consuming processes. As a result, custom software hones your business, creating a competitive
edge!

Bottomline: build don’t buy!

Sure, buying software developed to cater to the general market can be convenient, however in the long
run, this software can only go so far. You’ll find yourself feeling limited, stunting your growth! When you
invest in building software that addresses your unique needs, not only do you save yourself from paying
more than what is utilised, you’re setting your business up for long-term growth and seamless scaling.
All these benefits that custom software will add up and ultimately build your success, all it takes is
making informed decisions every step of the way and having the dedication in developing your software.
After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day!
With that, there are ways you can do to ensure you get the best results with your custom software!
Below are the 5 powerful best practises for developing custom software.

1 | IT ALL STARTS WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Just as having the right set of tools to properly build a structure, the talent you employ is crucial to the
success of your custom software. Do keep in mind that development is a complex process that not only
requires technology solutions and a detailed plan, but it also needs the expertise and talent from the
right people!

Whether it’s your in-house team or you are outsourcing a development company, always keep in mind
the overall budget you have for this project and a comprehensive software development plan. This will
greatly aid you in weighing your options and deciding between in-house or outsourcing with a clear plan
in mind. If you opt for your in-house team, you must consider their time and how they can balance their
core functions in your business and taking on your custom software development project. But if you’re
short on members or skills that are needed for this project, opt for a custom software development
company! This ensures that you’ll be working with a team with a vast repertoire of skills and years of
projects completed, this allows you to look at their previous work and give you an idea of what they can
offer you. With that, you must have realistic expectations about what features are possible that are
within your budget.

Now that you have your dream team on the job, you’re on to the next best practice.

2 | HAVE A REALISTIC PLAN WITH MILESTONES

Now, it’s time to clearly define the who, what, and where of developing your custom software. This
includes assigning or knowing your members’ roles and responsibilities in carrying out the different
phases of development. For those assigning their in-house team, that would also mean determining how
much time can be spent on the project each week or month.

It’s paramount to create a realistic roadmap with your team! That means you can’t aim to have a
complex system ready in a week. This applies to your budget as well! It is essential you have a clear idea
of the features you will need that are within your budget with an agreed timeline with your developer;
this also allows you to minimise cost and avoid paying for features that are not necessarily a priority for
your business.

To ensure you are going as planned, set milestones where you can review the work so far and analyse if
any adjustments are needed.

Which takes us to the next best practice!

3 | COMMUNICATE AND COLLABORATE

Once things are in full swing, your team is ready and the plan is set, it’s time to ensure everything is
running smoothly and as planned. By staying in touch with your team throughout the process, this saves
you a ton of time from rectifying any errors while allowing you or your team to receive clarifications or
updates. Also, keeping a collaborative environment is conducive to efficiency and success!

Did you know? We follow an agile development approach where we involve our clients early, providing
prototypes and including your feedback while your custom software product evolves.

It’s crucial to define the current process, measure of success, and your expectations to keep you and
your team on track. Are you at a desired state? What changes do you need to make? With that, it’s not
only important to discuss with your team but also document every step of the software development
process! It makes a massive difference when you can go back to a record that shows how the process
unfolded, especially when you are discussing with your team.

4 | TEST, TEST, AND TEST!

As you go through phases of the development, it’s an absolute must to test everything before
proceeding further. Think of each step as building blocks, when one is faulty and shaky, building upon it
would eventually collapse and progress will be lost.

This includes ensuring that the tools you employ are compatible with all other solutions that are utilised
in the process. Have your team carry out a technical test that helps determine if all basic elements are
functioning. To determine whether the software works as desired, carry out a user testing!

5 | CONSIDER USER EXPERIENCE

When you are developing your software, always have in mind the experience you want to provide to the
users. Is your software intuitive and easy to use? Is it working seamlessly and boosting efficiency? A way
to have a full view of the user experience and to see if the software is running smoothly is to have
business beta users test your software.

This way, you are able to see if anything is lacking or needs improvement. So, before deploying, make
sure you get the green light from the experts and peers through reviews. Once it’s a go, you will be
confident that the software has no bugs and is ready to be used!

WORK WITH LATERAL

Develop your software with a peace of mind! Equipped with a wealth of experience of nearly 30 years in
bespoke software development, we thrive off turning the most complex business and software issues
into the most outstanding, streamlined solution.

We pride ourselves in upholding the best quality solutions to our clients, nothing less! From the analysis
phase through to the launch of the software, we have firm processes for reviewing our work and strict
testing guidelines and standards for everything we do.
Our dedicated team works closely with the client early on in the development, this allows us to build the
software according to your needs and your business goals all while saving time. We always endeavour to
make the software work for you, not the other way around.

Get in touch with us today! Let’s catch up over coffee.