Understanding what custom software is and how it differs from off-the-shelf apps leaves a basic impression of how it is developed. That’s not to say that you need to know how it all works to reap the benefits of custom software, far from it. Quality custom software works like a modern car - you don’t need to understand how the carburetor works to enjoy driving. At the same time, knowing how it works and gets made certainly won’t rob you of the joy of using it. 

In this part, we will take a look at the process of custom software development at every step. 

First contact 

Shopping around for a custom software development company begs for a separate series of articles (you’re in luck - here it is[link]). When you’ve sorted through a bunch of portfolios, case studies, skimmed through all the technologies they use, weighed in their review (both internal like Glassdoor, and external - Google reviews, and etc.) you decide to contact the companies that you liked. You shouldn’t hesitate to reach out and ask questions even if you don’t know what you need and what kind of information to provide. 

A simple “Do you make custom software? How much will it cost?” would be sufficient - a team of professional consultants will ask all the necessary questions. When you get more sophisticated in your criteria and custom apps and software you can follow this with an RFP or a test drive. 

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Analysis and Prototyping

A common misconception is that coding is the most important part of the software development process. Nothing further from the truth! It is the planning stage that decides whether the final solution actually meets the requirements of your company’s staff. 

At this stage, is it crucial to determine answers to questions such as who is going to use the software, how will they do it, what is the purpose of the software, what are the expectations and actual needs of the stakeholders? In order to plan the software, Tentacle’s team needs to deeply understand your business and involve you in the process via a number of interviews, on-premise consultations. 

Tentacle’s analytical team learns how your business works, how all the various job roles operate day to day, what “wishlist” improvements you may want want in the system, and identify all the possible potential security risks in the current system was an integral part of the analysis.

Design and development

After the development team has a better understanding of their users’ purpose and goals, they created a well-rounded feature list. This includes all the features they wanted to include in the end-product, from the ability to log in, to assigning a new task to a team member. Depending on the complexity of the project, design stage may take from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. This includes everything from sketching ideas down on paper, to wireframes, to high-fidelity, interactive prototypes. Experienced developers and project managers consider design meetings and client feedback when estimating timelines. There is a very slim chance that the first design is the perfect one. It rarely works that way.

When the design is all said and done and the prototype is approved the heavy artillery comes into play - the developers. The more features you have, the longer it will take.
Once all the features are developed, your software development partner will need to take some time to make sure they all work according to the plan. The last phase of the development process is quality assurance.

Testing and Delivery

A dedicated team of trained and “battle-hardened” QA testers will simulate real-world scenarios with scripts or by performing usability tests. When they get their results, they will notify the developers of any bugs and they can make the necessary changes to ensure a flawless experience. This can take a few days to a few weeks, once again, depending on the complexity of the custom software solutions. If bugs are found, the developers will need to resolve the issue and repeat the cycle.

Before delivering the product to the client, security specialists will test the software for any vulnerabilities one final time. Tentacle’s methods and tactics are certified and adhere to the Cyber Essentials government standard to ensure the highest level of security of all their solutions.

There are no perfect systems, but the custom software resulting from the months of development is the closest a piece of code and UX/UI design can get to perfection. 

Maintenance and Updates 

But wait, there’s more! 

Your relationship with your custom software developer doesn’t stop when the product is delivered. A reliable development house will continue to support, update, and adjust the software whenever you need it. Tentacle goes as far as helping their clients transfer their databases to other service providers if the client decides to move on. 

Business is exponentially growing? Does new staff need to learn the intricacies of your highly-niche software? Tentacle provides continuous support and updates after the project is over to ensure that your software grows with your business.

if you want to learn more about how every step will look in your particular case - don’t hesitate to contact our team. 

In the next part we will discuss why cloud solutions are the heart of the custom software and why you need them now (Recession! Covid19!) more than ever.

Continue to Part 3: Why your custom software will be cloud-based