Individual software development for your company: We show you how it's done!

1. Realize that a standard software is not enough anymore
2. Find out what your individual software must be able to do
3. Develop it yourself or hire an agency
4. Find a software development agency
5. Project planning
6. The preparation of a proposal for your custom software
7. The development phase of your custom software
8. The test of the individual software
9. The installation of the software in your company
10. Possible adaptations of the individual software
11. Support after completion of the project

1. realizing that a standard software is not sufficient anymore

The first step is, of course, to determine that a standard software is no longer sufficient for your company's needs. So you should make sure that there is really no software on the market that already meets your needs. Because custom software development is actually not cheap. An existing solution is definitely the cheaper alternative.

However, the custom software solution can be designed quite freely. Every requirement is taken into account and ensures an optimization of the processes in your company. So you can increase efficiency, reduce costs, facilitate work processes and digitalize your company by programming a custom software. Depending on the software, your employees as well as your customers will benefit from the development of a custom application.

2. find out what your custom software must be able to do

Before you or a software development service provider starts programming the software, you need to know exactly what you want to have in the first place. You probably already know the most important aspects, otherwise you would not have determined that standard software is no longer sufficient. However, having software developed is not a small project. It should be well thought out and considered beforehand, so that in the end everything is coherent for your company. Which functions are absolutely necessary? Who will use the customized software? How will it be used in the future and must it be able to adapt to developments? You should clarify all these questions beforehand and adapt them according to the conditions in your company.

Finding out what your custom software must be able to do is not always easy. As a service provider for software development, we at EXWE are practiced in working out requirements and specifications together with our customers.

3. develop yourself or hire a software agency

Now you know what you want to have for your company and should think about the implementation of the project. Do you have the capacity to create the software yourself or would it make more sense to hire a software development service provider? Developing the software yourself only makes sense if you already have an IT department that can get to work on the development without any problems and immediately. Otherwise, the creation is simply too complicated to let other employees take care of it. After all, the final product should run smoothly and also be usable in the company as soon as possible.

4. find a software development agency

Depending on what you have decided, you may now need to find a suitable software development company to take on your job. It is best to choose an agency that is familiar with custom software and has perhaps worked with a similar client before. If you are not sure, you can arrange a consultation with most software development companies. In the conversation you can quickly determine whether your project is feasible.

5. project planning

In the consultation you could determine that the company of your choice can and wants to deal with your project. Now the real work begins! Together you think about what is important for your company and how this can best be implemented. All functions and also the design of the software are already recorded, so that the software agency knows what it has to do in the development phase. So the requirements analysis uncovers what you as a customer want and how it can be done within the scope of the agency's services. In the end, both sides should be happy so that the software agency can create a suitable offer for you.

If you decided against an external service provider, you still need to coordinate with your own team and plan the project. You also set up what requirements the software should meet and how the programmers in your company can implement this.

The next point in the schedule is only relevant if you have decided to have the project created by an external service provider. Otherwise, you can jump directly to point seven.

6. the creation of an offer for your individual software

Now nothing stands in the way of a cooperation! The software agency creates an offer with all discussed items and the estimated workload. If you agree with the offer, a contract is signed and you can agree with the company on a start date for the project. And then you can start the development.

7. the development phase of your individual software

In the development phase your individual software will be implemented. The agreed functions and the design will be implemented by the programmers of the software agency or from your company. In this phase you will probably be in contact with the programmers again and again, since they want to inform you about the progress and clarify possible further inquiries with you. The development is probably the largest time period. How long it will take to complete has most likely already been revealed to you in a forecast in the offer. But how long it will take in the end is always different. After all, you want a completely individual software, which has never been created before.

8. the test of the individual software

Before the software is implemented in your company, it has to pass an extensive test. On the one hand, programmers scrutinize your software and on the other hand, it is also tested by frameworks that are specially designed to find even the smallest errors and problems. When no more bugs are found by programmers and frameworks, the software is ready to be deployed in your company for the first time.

9. setting up the software in your company

The custom software has successfully passed all tests and is ready to be deployed in your company. Ideally, the developers of your company or software agency will implement the software in your company. Alternatively, they can guide you and you do the setup yourself. In order for you to know how the software works in the first place, you and your employees are best informed about all aspects in a training session. If there are any questions, you can ask them directly. Once the custom software has been implemented, you and your employees can put it through its paces in your day-to-day work. 10.

10. possible adjustments of the individual software

After the software has been used in your company for a while, you can contact the agency again. Maybe you have noticed something else, you have new questions or you still have adjustments that should be implemented. Now you have another opportunity to discuss everything with your agency. If the developers of your company have taken over the project, there is always time for adjustments. You can always have the individual software adapted to your wishes and ideas.

Support after completion of the project

Now the project is actually completed, but as with any digital product, there are always innovations and changes that require existing projects to be adapted again. Some agencies offer support and monitoring even after a project has been completed. Since technical conditions are always evolving, even custom software that has already been created may need to be revised in the future. Depending on the development of your company, there may even be new requirements that the software has to meet. You can discuss with your software service provider whether he would like to be available for changes and requests in the future. This way you can be sure that your custom software will always be up to date. If you decide to have your custom software developed by us, we will be happy to offer you support even after the project has been completed. We are your long-term contact. Feel free to contact us if you are looking for a professional software development service provider.