What Should Custom Software Do?

Your custom software needs to do one thing well and build around that. The old saying, “A jack of all trades and master of none” applies to software development as well. The right strategic focus on your company’s software will create the foundation for your software and technology plan and enable your team to maximize the benefits of a solution custom-built for your company.

Focus On A Primary Purpose

Our approach to custom software design (and consulting) has always been strategic. We help our clients identify the parts of their business that can be automated, made more efficient, and integrated across business units and other software.

Your custom software should do one key function really well. Areas that we might focus on include customer relationship management (CRM), financial management, membership, marketing, etc. That core functionality builds a foundation for your software, and we can expand from there by integrating with other existing software solutions to create a cohesive solution that covers all aspects of your business.

The Dangers Of Trying To Do It All

In our experience, businesses often want to roll their entire operation into a single piece of software. But there are reasons to avoid that trap. In addition to creating the best software for your business, staying strategically focused on the core purpose will also help you avoid these potential pitfalls:

• Scope Creep: We have been reigning in the scope of work for our projects for years with tight project management. Without the focus on core functionality, the scope can easily expand beyond the ability to control it.
• Budget Overruns: When you try to do it all, you pay for it all. By staying focused, you’ll have more control over your budget.
• Poor User Experience: As you add more functional areas to your software, you add to its complexity. And that complexity can compound almost exponentially, and user experience can quickly deteriorate.

Integrate Other Features

While we develop your custom software solution, the focus on the core functionality enables us to tie in other pieces of software that your company is likely using. Often, these disconnected pieces of software end up creating inefficiencies, siloed data, and duplicate efforts by your team. Integrating them fixes these issues and gets you a single piece of software that covers it all without having to do it all.

Focus + Integration = The Right Solution

We’ll begin with a strategy for your software, identify the core needs, and build from there. When we create a custom software solution that does that one, main function well, we can then tie in the rest through integration. The end result is a solution that saves on your budget and creates the solution your business needs to maximize efficiency and profits.

Get started today by contacting us to review your needs.