Software development is a huge endeavor, and mistakes are inevitable. This article tackles the common mistakes in building software alongside measures to avoid them.
There are two sources of mistakes in building software: the product owners and the developers. Despite real-life experiences and testimonies, some common mistakes keep recurring.
Let’s focus on the product owner’s contribution to the most common pitfalls in software development.
As software (standalone, web-based, or mobile app) becomes an asset to most businesses, startup owners are eager to build their own applications. Yet, they tend to complicate the development process with a lot of exciting ideas.
These ideas can be good or bad but eventually affect decision making. Unfortunately, bad decision-making leads to mistakes. Overall, it affects the desired outcomes.
5 Common Mistakes to Avoid in building software
“Do it right.”
This is always the instruction of product owners to developers on how to build software. Sounds easy. However, it is important to know that there are processes to follow in software development. And building software does not solely involve developers.
Here are some common mistakes product owners make that result in costly software development implementations.
1. Premature Market Research
Most of the software products/services that dominate the market were built at the right time with the right market.
For example, back in 2000 Microsoft coined the term “Tablet PC.” During this time, it introduced the first Microsoft tablet. But, it did not create a stir in the market. In short, the market wasn’t ready. Over a decade later, Steve Jobs and his iPhone changes the landscape of mobile technology.
Did Microsoft have premature market research? Of course, they will never reveal their results. But, this event manifests that market research is a crucial stage in software development. It revolves around idea validation and product maturity.
Market research is important in building software as it has multiple purposes such as:
- identifying market requirements
- cost
- pricing
Also, with this process, startup owners can unfold other potential opportunities. These opportunities include developing new products or even upgrading existing ones. Market research is the determining factor for commercialization.
Avoid premature market research with the right tools and techniques. Know your product’s strengths and weaknesses. Best of all, know your market.
2. Lacking Viability Analysis
Starting out as an entrepreneur can be an adrenaline rush. It is exciting, and all the ideas seem viable. However, that is not the case. Without prior experience, some startup owners begin software development without checking the market feasibility.
Viability analysis includes market acceptance, cost analysis, target market penetration, etc. In the case of presentation software, PowerPoint by Microsoft is dominating the market. However, Slidebean wants to share a portion of it. It has a unique business strategy and focuses on the pitch deck design presentation platform for startups and small businesses.
By not performing a thorough viability analysis you are jeopardizing your future before you even get started.
3. Customization rather than building software from scratch
The argument of customizing software vs. building software, should lead to the question: how much does it cost to build a software application? Considering the time-to-market and the cost, startup owners prefer customization.
However, software customization has a lot of disadvantages. For example, by using customized software, your business can be left behind tech-competent rivals.
Customization may offer less cost compared to building software from scratch. In choosing between these two options, you need to weigh things carefully. In the long run, customization is more expensive, especially coping with technological advancements. Here are some examples:
- Difficulty in adding or removing built-in features
- Compatibility issues with different software APIs
- Scalability to different cloud technologies and data partners
Thus, in most cases, building software from scratch is cheaper compared to customization.
4. Lacking coordination between stakeholders
Software stakeholders include product owners (startup owners), developers, and target users. Lacking coordination between the startup owners and the development team is always a common mistake.
It is important to ensure that the output is the exact model of the desired product. Thus, coordination is vital. It makes stakeholders build software as per user requirements and market needs.
Avoid this simple mistake by establishing proper communication protocols. Use project management tools to track and manage deliverables. Read this article to learn about project management tools.
5. Hiring inexperienced developers
Building software of exceptional quality is a talent not all developers have. Hence, finding the right people is a race. Plus, experts are hard to find and expensive, too.
Cost is the top reason why startup owners hire inexperienced developers. Yet, ignoring the people aspect of building software is a huge mistake. Don’t just rely on paper credentials, but investigate the developers’ years of experience.
In dealing with people, most startup owners always look for the technical capabilities of developers. However, behavioral aspects are just as important. After all, software development is also about managing time, meeting deadlines, and collaboration.
Ignoring the importance of hiring the right people is catastrophic. The competition is getting tough. Thus, hire competent resources that can understand the viability of your ideas.
Building Software applications with our Guided Development
We are living in a tech-driven business world that is rapidly progressing to the demands of the customers. These demands enhance the core competencies of the product and services. And the better products and services hold a competitive edge.
Having these in mind, many startup owners opt to build software products or services to establish their companies. With the developer’s shortage, they venture into offshore software development. This is to get quality results at shorter release cycles.
Full Scale is a Kansas-based offshore development company that offers the right software development resources. Our project managers, senior software developers, and testers will help you build robust software.
At Full Scale, we can build your team quickly and affordably. Our pool of experts can offer the right approach to software development. We can explain how to build software from scratch using old and new methodologies. Most of all, how to avoid common mistakes in software development. Talk to us, and let’s start building software.
