Many businesses and organizations in Dubai and all around the UAE are using customized software solutions. There are a few reason why a business decides to go for a customized software development instead of acquiring a ready-made off-the-shelf software solution. The biggest reason is the untraditional needs and requirements, the second reason is the other challenges such as cots, maintenance, and longevity. For off-the-shelf solutions usually the software solution provider offers a subscription base model, which means that there will be some monthly, quarterly or annual fee. Along with that the biggest problem is with the customization, integration and other data security issues are also big concerns.However, with the customized software development a lot of such issues can be avoided. The customization help businesses to implement their innovative ideas and get very specific solutions for their untraditional and very unique needs.
The customized software development also offers proprietary rights to the customer which means that there is no regular subscription fee. With the ownership of the application the business is free to acquire any other third-party company to do the customization and modifications in the future and such approach makes it all very convenient and cost-effective. On top of that the custom software development doesn’t require any change or adjustment in the on-going business processes and practices, in fact it aids them and help businesses perform well. The custom software development allow businesses to leverage the full potential of the software solution or application. There is another most compelling reason to go for a custom software development which is the innovation, as the markets are evolving very rapidly, trends are changing more frequently and there are other such factors which compelled businesses to prefer custom software development over traditional off-the-shelf or ready-made software solutions.
In this blog we will cover how a business should execute a great custom software development project to get an efficient and good quality solution:
- What is Custom Software Development?
- The Benefits of Bespoke Custom Software Development
- How to Execute a Custom Software Development Project?
- What are the Custom Software Development Methodologies?
- How to Choose Right Software Development Company in Dubai?
- What is a Customer Software Development Agreement?
What is Custom Software Development?
Around two decades ago the software development market was dominated by the COTS or Commercial Off-the-Shelf solutions. Now a day’s the businesses have liberty to have a customized tailor-made software solutions as well along with COTS software solutions. By definition a custom software is a software or tool that is designed to be used by a particular group of people or a company.Businesses usually go for an off-the-shelf software solution for their day-to-day needs however, in the every changing dynamic market like Dubai, UAE the businesses need to evolve very quickly if they want to stand out of the crowed the need higher maneuverability which is only possible with a custom software development solutions. That is why more and more businesses are considered replacing traditional off-the-shelf or COTS solutions with custom software solutions and tools.
The Benefits of Bespoke Custom Software Development
In the recent few years in Dubai and all around the UAE the custom software solutions are proving to be more robust, agile, future compatible and budget friendly. However, there are still a lot of businesses who are reluctant to start any custom software development project. That is why we are listing here some key benefits of bespoke custom software development:
- Higher Efficiency: The custom software are developed according to the needs of the business, hence the tailor-made solution is completely aligned with the existing business processes and business functions, which means it aids the existing business processes and doesn’t demand from business to make adjustments and changes in their processes and functions, which significantly increase the performance of the business.
- Easier & Quicker Adaptation:Since the custom software is designed for a particular business and it builds the UIs as per the need and requirements of the users so, a wider, organization wise adaptation requires less efforts and less training and learning time. The employees or users doesn’t have to make any change or adjustments in fact the custom software is already programmed as per their current working methods, which also make adaptation easier, quicker and comparatively less costly.
- Very Flexible Integration:The COTS (Commercial Off-the-shelf Software) solutions are very rigid towards data integration and in some cases they don’t even allow integration. However, a customer software is very flexible towards the integration and there is absolutely no limit or restriction. The business have full control over integration and it is also less expensive comparing to the COTS solutions.
- Scalability: The custom software development provides more control over the application and its source code, which enable businesses to keep adding new features and enhancing existing as and when the need arises. With the growth of the business the custom software also grow hence the lifecycle of a customer software is also extended which results in higher ROIs. Business don’t need to replace the entire software for a long time, in fact they can update and upgrade the custom software to keep it relevant for a lot many years in future.
- Better Competitive Advantage: A customer software is solely developed for a business or organization and that business have full ownership rights over the software, it means that none of your competitor would ever be able to acquire the same software. Furthermore the features and functionalities that you might be utilizing would remain confidential, all your business processes and a lot many other details will remain private.
- Vendor Independence: The business or organization who is acquiring a software development company to build a custom application for them have full ownership rights and will get all the source codes, resources, and material and they can anytime shift to a new vendor to get support or customize the application further. Businesses can even utilize their in-house teams for maintenance and customization as well.
- Cost-Effective: The custom software development is a one-time cost. There is no licensing fees or annual fees or anything like that. Business can add more users, features and do the customization without paying any licensing fees or getting into new agreements or something like that which makes customer software development more cost-effective and usually the custom software and tools tend to offer better ROIs in the long term.
- Resale & Profitability:Since the custom software is exclusively developed and designed for the business, the business have full ownership rights to sale, distribution, trademarks, and also the entire software and all its source code, IP, resources, etc. The businesses can start selling the same application to their partners, subsidiaries and even in the open market as well to generate profits.
How to Execute a Custom Software Development Project?
There are several project execution methods that a business and customer software development company can choose with mutual agreement. However, there are certain stages of a software development project that should be done in a proper manner to ensure the final product will be able to fulfill the expectations and needs of the business.
- Phase I – Requirement Gathering:This is the most important phase of any project and it is also called discovery phase. During the requirement gathering phase the business’s owner or top management identify the need and challenges employees are facing and what would be the best solution to rectify them. Firstly the feedback and opinions are taken from the employees, managers and relevant stakeholders, then the vendor get involved and many meetings or sessions are held to finalize the requirement for the customer software application.
- Phase II – Formulation of the Scope Charter and Project Plan: The next phase is to put all the requirements in a bit more technical manner in a single document or set of document and those documents will serve as the scope of the work for the software application. This document includes detailed information about all the features and functionalities that are required along with the technologies that can be used, prerequisites and also dependencies and inputs required from the business in order to complete the project. A complete project plan with milestones and respective completion dates is laid down and both parties should agree on that.
- Phase III – Wireframe and UIs: The next phase is to prepare wireframes and design the UI/UX or user interface and user experience. The wireframes provide a detailed layout and flow of all the functionalities whereas the UI and UX provide the actual look and feel of the final product. These two phases are very important and it is better to share the wireframes and UI/UX designs with the users and stakeholders to get their opinion.Thispractice make the software more intuitive and user-friendly and ensure a better user experience which is a key to better performance.
- Phase IV – Development: This is the actual development phase where the software development company develop the source codes, algorithms and logics into the application. This phase can be done in a single go or in multiple phases where each phase is marked as a milestone in the project plan. At this stage the programmers do the actual programming of the software by adding and connecting the fragments of the software to form a single functioning application.
- Phase V – Technical Testing: The technical testing is usually done by the software development company and its internal teams, such as quality control, project manager, business analysts and other relevant personals/teams. In some cases the software development company also involve the business’s technical team as well to ensure everything is as per the plan. Security and penetration testing can also be done at this stage.
- Phase VI – UAT: The UAT or User Acceptance Test is the final stage when the customer software is migrated to a real-life environment from the production environment and the custom software is made available for the selective teams from the business who test each and every functionality and feature of the customer software and formal approval and sign-offs are also done.
- Phase VII – Beta Launch: The beta launch or soft-launch is the pre-launch phase where the customized software is made available for the selective users such as managers, supervisors, selective employees and their feedback is taken about the user experience and technical aspects of the software. Sometimes the user training is also done at this stage which is good.
- Phase VIII – Launch:Once the software made through the beta launch it is time for the full launch. In the full launch the customer software application is deployed on the commercial server or the real environment where it is intended to host and it is made available for all users all across the organization.
What are the Custom Software Development Methodologies?
There are different methodologies all across the world, some are using them and some aren’t. It really doesn’t matter much if you acquired a good software development company, as they will be able to guide you with that. Sometimes the businesses can also demand to follow a particular methodology from the customer software development company. Here are the most popular software development project execution methodologies:
- Agile:It is a purely iterative method of developing customized software and applications. The software application is done in several different phases. And at the end of each milestone there is a collaborative discussion to evaluate the outcome and to align it with the project objectives and desired features.
- Waterfall: The waterfall project execution approach is a very simpler, linear and sequential model for customize software development project. If a business doesn’t have sufficient project management team or the team is not much familiar with the process, the Waterfall method is great to make things easier and more convenient.
- DevOps: The DevOps stands for development and operations, the method involves more aggressive communication tactics which ensure a maximized collaborative communication process between the Operation Managers and technology experts/developers. Hence the final outcome is far superiors.
- Scrum:The scrum is also an extension of the Agile methods, it involves regular communication between the engineers and technology experts. A detailed project plan is formed beforehand, deadlines are set and the project is complex but need to be completed at as soon as possible. It is the easier way for the businesses to get a highly productive software development applications.
How to Choose Right Software Development Company in Dubai?
When it comes to selecting a vendor or service provider for the custom software development project, the business in Dubai and all around the UAE faces one big challenge, which is that there are too many vendor and software development service providers. In such case, it is very difficult to choose the right customer software development company in Dubai, UAE. Here is a list of some key features that you should look to evaluate a customer software development company in Dubai:
- Location: The customer software development company should be located within the Dubai or any other emirate of UAE.
- Company Size: The company size also matters, a lot, make sure the company have enough resources to and skilled staff to be able to deliver the project in timely manners.
- Relevant Experience: If a company have experience in developing the similar software application then they would be able to deliver high quality work.
- History & Performance: Since when the company has been established and whether they have delivered the projects bigger than that of you need or not is a very important factor to consider.
- References & Testimonials: The software development company must be able to provide you reference of the previous customers and they must have some testimonials published on their website or blog.
- Security & Compliance: Make sure the software development company in Dubai must have the experience in security and is fully compliance with the local law and relevant bodies.
- Support: Make sure the customer software development company should be able to offer adequate technical and general support.
- Avoid Freelancers: Avoid freelancers and off-shore custom software development companies.
What is a Customer Software Development Agreement?
In Dubai and all around the UAE each business who seeks to acquire services or want to purchase a product from other businesses is bound to get into a legal agreement. The agreement between the businesses and custom software development companies/agencies is known as the Software Development Agreement. The agreement provides a comprehensive roadmap of the terms and conditions and rights in case of any dispute in the future. Basically there are two types or sub-categories of software development agreement, the Project Agreement and the NDA or Non-disclosure Agreement.
Here are a few things that a business should include and clearly specify in the project agreement:
- Project Requirement, Objectives and Goals
- Comprehensive Scope of the Project
- Business/Customer Rights & Intellectual Property Rights
- Data Protection, Privacy and Confidentiality Terms
- Agreement Limitation and Liabilities
- Penalties, Damage and Data Breach Terms
- Terms of Arbitration in SLA and Otherwise
- Employee Solicitation and Fraudulent or Attentional Harm
- Terms to Prevent Service Provider form Using your Name in Marketing and Publication Materials
- Mentioning of Applicable Local Law and Governing Body in Case of Dispute
Here are a few things that a business should include and clearly specify in the non-disclosure agreement:
- Clear and Accurate Introduction to Both Parties, their Background and Role
- Clear Definition of the Confidential and Proprietary Information
- Define the Needs of Barricading the Information from Public Exposure
- The Timeframe of the Agreement and Limitations
- Clear Definition of the Project for Which the NDA is Being Signed
- Clear Definition of the Repercussions and Actions to be Taken in Case of Breach of the NDA
- List of All which is Included of Excluded from this Agreement
- Clear Definition of the Mediums/Channels by Which the Confidential Information should be Shared/Transferred
It is better to go for a Unilateral Non-disclosure Agreement. As in case of customer software development project most of the time the business is the sole owner of the confidential information which they have to share with the custom software development company. In case if both parties are require to share confidential information with each other than the Mutual Non-disclosure Agreement can also be done. The sole purpose of the NDA is to preserve the rights of the involved parties and maintain the integrity of the confidential information which may harm the other party in case of leak, breach or amendment.
See More: How to Develop Customized Software and Business Tools
Conclusion
The Dubai and in fact the entire UAE is a very diverse, vibrant and dynamic market with businesses and investors coming from all around the world the market has become very competitive. The customers trends are also rapidly changing hence the businesses also need to evolve on a rapid pace. In such scenarios each business needs to implement unorthodox methodologies and bring innovation to stay ahead of the peers. For that sometimes the commercial off-the-shelf software solutions or COTS couldn’t provide enough support that is why businesses need to rely on custom software development. A custom software development project in Dubai or any other part of UAE could be very challenging due to a variety of factors. That is why in this blog we have covered all the nitty-gritty of the custom software development and provided all the basic instructions and know-how to let our audience be able to execute a successful custom software development project. If you need more help on the subject or if you want us to help you with your next custom software development project, please feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.
Check out this blog: Importance of Custom Software Development in Dubai