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Time is Money
Custom software can be expensive and time
consuming to create. Applications that most of
us use each and every day (e.g. Microsoft Word)
have a great deal of resources (time and money)
invested in them. As such, it is important to
realize that the dividends will be based, at least
in part, on the quantity of investment you initially
provide.
One reason for the seemingly high initial cost
of custom software is that, when done right, the
application will adhere to industry standard software
development methodologies containing
ample code documentation, end-user documentation,
database schema documentation, etc.
Having these measures in place ensures that the
business is not beholden to one provider's intimate
knowledge, says Shahnul Islam of Agility
Networks. If the developer moves out of the
industry, goes out of business, has changes in personnel
etc, the business can ask for help from
other developers who can take the helm for fixes
and enhancements without having to spend an
inordinate amount of time getting up to speed
with the application. In short, the key to
future-proofing the investment is to standardize
as much as possible.
But you are a business owner and in the
end one of the primary influencing points will
be cost. While price will vary greatly based on
the complexity of the project, to obtain an
accurate project quote simply offer the developer
with as much information as possible.
A detailed requirements gathering phase
leads to a more complete project scope document,
and this results in a happier customer
as well as happy developers, says Islam.
But not all custom software needs to be
all-encompassing. Need something done yesterday?
Set realistic development goals, have
both parties agree to them and stick with
them, says Chomko. If you absolutely need
something done fast, remove as many features
and functions as absolutely possible to make
sure you meet your go-live date, leaving time
for testing and review.
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