Factors affecting software development

The final cost of software development is not always clear cut. While many business owners understand the benefits of having software developed for their specific methods, they overlook the details that go into the design process.

The time it takes to get the project completed, the scope or complexity of the project, how many team members there are and where they live are some of the elements that go into the cost of software development. No two projects will be the same as every company has different requirements and expectations for their product.

There are also some other variables that come into play as the project progresses and can lead to extra time and cost required to get the software working properly. Software development can take anywhere from a few hours for a really simple product to something more complex and beneficial for an enterprise, which could take months. A common misconception is that the more people who are working on the project, the faster it will be completed but that is not always the case.

Development needs to happen in a certain order. As a team moves forward on a project there are always unexpected complications that come up. To correct the issues, extra time will need to be invested or the software will run the risk of not functioning properly. Sometimes you can work out a staggered development plan with your team, meaning that there are design milestones for them to achieve.

Thus, at each milestone you will be able to see how your product is coming along and there will also be an opportunity to re-evaluate how much the project may cost overall. This will allow developers to re-estimate the overall cost as they see how the program is coming together and they can also adjust the time and effort they anticipate it will need going forward.

The complexity of the program will also influence the cost. Those applications that are simpler in design will not cost as much as more demanding developments. To help define the project for your developer, consider some outcomes you want from the software. You will also need to discuss elements like the hosting environment. Will there be a charge for this or do you want to go with a free service? Will you need a database? Most products require one to keep track of information. However, the more projects that the team works on, the more efficient they will become.

They will become more familiar with each other and will have learned how to work with one another. Not only are they forced to take on more tasks and responsibilities, but this is more likely to lead to errors and frustration, which will hurt their productivity. If your team runs into one minor issue, it can have a domino effect that can cause numerous deadlines to be missed.

This allows you to break up the project into different stages so that you can budget for each stage. As each stage is completed, you can adjust the budget based on the costs of the previous stages and based on whether deadlines are being met or if the schedule needs to be extended. This is the result of constant feedback from stakeholders as the software is being developed.

You may decide to remove features deemed unnecessary, which can lower the cost, or add features, which will increase the cost. Obviously, the larger the scope, the more expensive the development will be. The more screens that are required, the more expensive the software is to develop. Some software applications are more difficult to develop than others just based on their overall complexity. The more analysis, scoring, or number crunching your project requires, the more expensive it will be.

Complex apps require specialized developers who can handle all of the permutations and nuances of your project and who will be more expensive. The creative design of an application refers to its aesthetic. The way your application looks is important, both in making a good first impression on users and in helping to make it more user-friendly an ugly aesthetic will distract users from the actual function of the app. The creative design includes everything from the fonts you use to the color palette of the app to the illustrations or animations that you implement.

This can be either easy or incredibly challenging based on how many integrations you want your software to be capable of and the difficulty of integrating with specific apps.

The challenge is not knowing how well certain apps that you want to integrate with let information in or out. As such, the costs of software integrations can fluctuate from one project to another. Fortunately, migration is a relatively painless process. An experienced developer should be able to create a custom script that takes the data you need out of your old system and transfers it to your new app. However, to create a custom script, you will need to determine the translation rules data will need to be reshaped to fit your new app , write the actual script, and then perform a number of tests and adjustments to ensure that it migrates properly.

This can take some time and will add cost to your project. These factors may apply to many industries but due to the speed at which technology changes, and competition increases the pressure to deliver projects on time, on budget, and with the quality standards expected, managing projects in the software industry can feel like being in a pressure cooker.

Here are some of the challenges that have a large impact specifically on project management within the software industry. If your business is in the software industry and has a great idea, odds are another software company may have ready thought of it; if not, there may be no away to determine how close another company is to developing it. Time to market pressures is a stressful reality in the software industry.

Competition can be local or international and impact software companies in terms of pricing structures, customer reach, customer retention, service level agreements and a host of other factors. Project managers will need to work closely with business owners, executives and other stakeholders to flush out all factors that may impact the successfulness of software related projects.

There have been many software companies that have developed and implemented terrific software only to find the return on their investment was simply not there due to high competition. Often businesses have invested significant financial and human resources implementing, enhancing, maintaining and patching older legacy systems and infrastructures.

As a result, there may be great reluctance to replace them, even if these systems no longer meet their needs, creating a scenario where it is an uphill battle for innovative software companies to get their foot in the door, even though they have a top-notch solution that businesses can greatly benefit from.

If and when they do manage to convey the benefits to a company and are successful, project managers typically still have an uphill battle working with various stakeholders who are personally vested in older legacy systems and infrastructure, making them change resistant. In order to gain buy-in, it is critical for project managers to be able to clearly convey all benefits to stakeholders and find ways to alleviate their fears. The software selection process can be time-consuming and tedious for business owners and executives, and when it comes to implementations, finding project management professionals with the relevant experience can be just as difficult, whether in-house or outsourced.

While there are general systems project implementation skill sets, it may be necessary in most cases, especially when it comes to large ERP implementations, to seek project managers who are highly experienced implementing those specific systems. As a general rule, the more complex the system, project implementation, and the larger the organization, the more likely direct system related project implementation experience will be required. With increasing frequency, older legacy systems and large ERP systems are being replaced with Saas offerings, enabling small, mid-siz and large businesses to access the same or better features and capabilities without outlaying large amounts of valuable capital.