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You know your business needs a dedicated mobile or web application, but don’t know where to start? We’ll give you a hint: by finding the right path for you to create it.
Before making a decision, you should ask yourself three key questions:
To make this path a bit easier for you, we’ll bring you closer to each of the stages and hint at what you should pay extra attention to.
To create a dedicated application, you can pick one of three options:
Each of these options comes with pros and cons – if you don’t have the competence, resources, or experience, the first option won’t be feasible. With the second option, you have to realize that creating an internal team (i.e. recruiting, finding, hiring, and inducting the right people), is a very time-consuming and therefore costly process. Before that, you still need to be technically prepared – determine who you really need – at what level, and with what competencies.
The most popular, quickest, and best method for most businesses is to establish a partnership with a technology company. This solution will allow you to start working on your application quickly, and you will also get the support of experienced specialists who will advise on the most effective solutions for your project.
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this question. According to Oksana Wojtkiewicz, Head of Sales & Marketing at Solwit: “as with the price of a project, the average completion time varies depending on many factors. No two projects are exactly alike, so we need to know all the details and specifications in order to determine the exact timeline for their implementation. It takes between four and nine months to create fully functional and fairly high-end custom software, but this timeline can shrink or stretch depending on the complexity and requirements of the project.”
Is it possible to create a quality mobile or web app in less than four months? Yes! But, to get an idea of how long it might take to create your app, it is worth knowing what are the next steps that your idea should go through to become a working digital product.
The first step is a thorough business analysis of your idea. You are the one who needs to accurately define the needs, expectations, and goals you intend to achieve, but it is the technology partner who translates them into specific solutions.
At Solwit, for instance, we work closely with our clients to understand all expectations, and then define the scope of the project and develop a practical plan to achieve business goals.
Application design or visualization of your idea. You’ll see what the application will look like after the programming stage, but you’ll also get a chance to make changes. Sometimes what seems like a great solution doesn’t necessarily look good in real life – but there’s no need to worry, a whole bunch of specialists will make sure that your product gets the best possible finish. At Solwit, we focus on communication with the client throughout the design process – so we are able to select the best tools to create scalable and functional designs.
How much time is required for this stage? – “This stage takes place in parallel to the planning stage, so it can take about the same amount of time. Sometimes, however, creating the visualization of the final product can extend for an additional few days or weeks. Medium-sized custom software is about 25 screens (views), and the more screens planned, the longer it takes to complete the application,” Oksana Wojtkiewicz explains.
Before teams of developers and later testers get to work, a plan of action must be set. Tasks are managed by the Project Manager, who prepares:
Single tasks usually take several hours to complete.
In order to prevent delays or unplanned expenses, it is also essential to identify and mitigate any risks associated with the application development process. This is also done at this stage, and you get a set of information that will give you a complete overview of the situation.
With the project specification in place, you can start the programming stage, which takes up about 90% of the entire custom software development process.
This process usually involves
The development stage ends with a demonstration of the application’s functionality, and while it can still be a bit raw, it lets you see if the design matches the original assumptions from the planning stage.
The time-consuming nature of this step depends on how complex the application is.
The last phase of the custom software development process is software testing. What does this stage entail? At Solwit, quality assurance experts test usability, evaluate code quality, and check the security of the product, and then compare the whole thing with the highest standards in the industry. Everything is done according to the ISTQB standard, of which Solwit is a Platinum Partner. It’s not for nothing that we are among the top software testing companies according to the latest Computerworld report. 😉
This stage lasts from a few days to a few weeks or even months, depending on the complexity and size of the project. Its scope is determined at the planning stage and, depending on the type of project, testing takes place either simultaneously with programming or only after it is completed.
When developing a web or mobile application, delays can happen. What are some of their triggers? Here are just a few of the most common challenges project managers face:
Of course, each of these risks can be eliminated in time. At Solwit, for instance, we minimize the risk of failing to deliver a project on time by, among other things, working with highly skilled back-up developers called “shadows,” ready to join the project at any time. As a result, our clients are not exposed to delays.
Have an idea for a mobile app, web app, or custom system and are looking for an experienced technology partner? Check out the projects we have completed with clients who needed custom software development.
