The steps to create custom software

When you begin researching how to create enterprise software, you first encounter existing solution offerings. Some software is general, others are sector-specific. These tools generally require some adaptation time to implement them, then configure them to closely match your needs and procedures.

This software generally operates on a subscription basis, based on the number of users using the tool.

Furthermore, these solutions evolve according to the publisher’s wishes, and the code is proprietary. In other words, you cannot evolve it as you wish, and you do not own it.

Finally, you may not find software that meets your needs or you may be held back by the “gas factory” aspect of these standard tools. In this case, you will have to call on a company that will develop your own software for you . In this case, your service provider will first learn about your business, your context, your procedures, and your daily way of working. This will allow them to identify points that can be automated or improved. You will also send them a set of features that you would like to have within your application.

Based on these specifications, they will provide you with a quote, as for any IT development service.

What technologies are used for custom software?

Once the specifications and features have been defined, it’s time to choose the programming language used to develop the solution. Choosing a programming language isn’t easy when you’re not a professional developer, but here are some questions that can help you make your choice:

Does this language technically allow us to do what we want?

Does this language have a sufficiently rich ecosystem (libraries, frameworks, etc.)?

Is this language popular among developers?

Is the proposed library stable?

Once the language has been chosen, your service provider will make a technological recommendation indicating in particular which technology or library they wish to use.

For example, two service providers may use JavaScript to develop the frontend of your software; but one may do it in jQuery (a widely used but outdated library) You must therefore still become somewhat familiar with this technical world in order to be able to understand the technological recommendation that is being formulated.

The essential features of business software

Certain features are present in most business software, regardless of their application areas. These include:

User registration and login, as well as a mechanism for recovering a forgotten password.

User access management: being able to see who the application users are and being able to invite new ones or revoke access for some.

Ability to delete all of a user’s information.

Be able to send an email to all users of the application: to notify them of a new feature or an incident.

Be able to export the list of these users in Excel format, possibly with selection criteria (registration date, user status, etc.).

User role management: at a minimum, there are two roles: “administrator” and “user.” We can imagine finer granularity of user rights for the software.

Develop custom software

Promote the adoption of the tool

Once your enterprise software is ready for use, the next question is how to adopt it among your users. How can you ensure that everyone within an organization takes ownership of it, understands how it works, and realizes its full potential?

To this end, many organizations organize a training session with their teams to demonstrate the tool. If the software offers numerous features, providing instructions is welcome. When possible, it’s a good idea to make these instructions available online so that everyone can consult them at their leisure.

Some web applications also include an onboarding mechanism to quickly introduce each feature when the user first logs in. This usually takes the form of several points of attention following one after the other to highlight the tool’s main features.

Finally, you can also create an introductory video to present the usefulness of your solution and how it works.

Remember one thing: the best tool is the one that doesn’t require instructions.

Have custom software evaluated

Once your users have mastered your software, they will likely share suggestions for improvements or express a desire to add new features. This feedback is a very positive sign because it proves that your digital solution has been well adopted.

In this case, we recommend that you record these requests and assess their relevance with a few questions:

Will this feature provide real benefit? What problem does it solve?

How many users will benefit from it?

How long does it take to put it into service?

How much does it cost to develop?

Finally, you’ll need to prioritize these developments in a roadmap. You can even share this roadmap with your users to keep them engaged and show them that you’re taking their feedback into account.

Creating custom software is a long-term project that requires significant resources, both human and financial. However, implementing it is one of the best ways to save time and increase efficiency for everyone, every day.