How to go about the software development process

The term software development [1] is generally associated with computer programming. It refers to all the processes involved that goes in the making or designing of a software application. From the process the concept is being initiated and worked on till the outcome of the final product all the processes involved would come under software development.

The different stages that come into building the structure of a software solution require a lot of research. Different teams may have different strategies and methodologies when presented with the task of designing software. However there are certain basics that need to be taken into account. It is important to do market research, get in-depth analysis and have a work plan before the development process is initiated. If the basics steps have been thoroughly worked on and there is a structural framework it is easy to proceed further in order to start the implementing and testing phase of the software.

Things do not always work out as planned, re-structuring or re-engineering certain aspects is all part of the software development process that cannot be ignored. From time to time the applications must be checked, modified accordingly or re-engineered if for some reason it is not fulfilling the desired requirements. The end phase is the deployment and maintenance of the software in order to check if there are any bugs or problems being encountered.

Software solutions are designed keeping in mind a specific goal that has to be achieved. The purpose of a software development can vary according to the target audience. Software may be designed for some particular business or client or for a particular set of users. The potential user needs would determine how software is to be designed that is not only user friendly but is also able to meet all the requirements for which it has to be used.

The development process involves a set of people who work in teams to achieve the desired solutions. Each team has their work categorized according to the departments. There might be a team that is responsible for the maintenance alone, then another who would look into the engineering problems and so forth. The idea of having different departments is to streamline the work and to use the expertise of the professionals in their respective fields in order to achieve a collective goal.

Along with the technical aspect of the software development there are other concerns like business management of the entire process. Human resource, budgeting, risk management control are all factors that come into play. Marketing of the product is another important phase. In fact the market plan and feasibility of the product is studied keenly because in the end the product has to sell. There has to be a good market on the other end that would use the product being developed or the entire project may not turn out to be very practical.

Another trend that is being witnessed as catching up quite fast is the inclination towards offshore development. Being a global village where there is more connectivity there are companies that provide offshore development facilities. The idea behind offshore development is to allow the providers and developers to interact and get to know about the offshore ideas, advice and services being provided. Offshore development offers an external supplier who delivers all the services required for software development etc. The reason people seek their services might differ but mostly it is done to cut down the cost of the whole project if the local providers are proving to be more expensive. People also opt for them if the offshore development offers better infrastructure and human resource who are better equipped to find the software solution that is required.

Over the years a number of software solutions have evolved each having a different market segment or targeting different users. Each software design has had its own strengths and weaknesses as each catered to different users. The trends in the software design would continue to change and evolve as the requirements of the users keep transforming in order to find better solutions.