There are many reasons to go custom with your software, including scalability, syncing up with your specific processes, and building something your users will actually use. The primary purpose of this software is to help your business achieve its goals and deliver operational efficiency. That’s why the initial stages of planning -- the discovery -- are so important. Your software developer will ask key questions to identify your specific software needs.
In addition to that detailed discovery, there are other considerations that many developers and their clients never consider.
Insurance: Businesses carry all kinds of liability insurance. However, most of these policies won’t cover the risks to personal and other sensitive data. While your custom software will employ the latest and most effective means of protecting this data, incidents can occur mostly due to human error. That’s where the right insurance can save your business.
Compliance: We do a lot of work in both the healthcare and financial industries, both of which have obvious compliance regulations. Now, with GDPR and other regulations to protect the consumer, compliance is essential in the development process.
Timelines: One of the biggest disconnects in this whole process is communicating timelines. The project components that most clients (and most developers) don’t consider include wireframing, design, development, launch, approvals on app stores, etc. Understanding these benchmarks ensures both parties will have clear expectations as the project unfolds.
What Is The Client’s Role In Software Development?
At this point, you might wonder what role you play in this process. Good question. Here is the role you can expect to play:
Be the expert on your own processes: We will depend on you to help us understand your internal processes so that we can recreate them within the software.
Know your users and their expected experience: A real key to the success of this new software is your team actually using it. Therefore, we depend on you to let us know what they need and what they will expect from the final product.
Provide information, data, and access to systems in a timely manner: We will take you through the discovery, but you will be responsible to communicate with your team, your vendors, and provide -- or at least point us in the direction of -- the integration information we require. Getting this to us quickly will keep the project moving according to schedule.
Regular communication: Reliable communication during the process will ensure that we meet deadlines, budget, and expectations.
Delivery verification: The software is for you and your team. As we deliver finished pieces and the final product, your role is to verify that the software delivers on promises made in the proposal and the defined scope of work.
Conclusion
“What don’t I know” can turn into major headaches if your developer doesn’t have the experience to ask these questions for you. Imagine the ramifications of failing to have the correct insurance or failing to stay compliant. “What don’t I know” will become, “I didn’t know that, thank you!” when you work with Sol Minion.