Today, software product development is critical to many types of businesses. With digital transformation and the emergence of new innovative solutions, it has become necessary for companies to innovate along with the market promptly and make changes to both their existing products and the new ones so as not to lose the competition. The growing digitalization of society naturally leads to an increase in demand for software product development services.
Whether the final product will meet user requirements, as well as its functionality, stability, and unique features, is the result of thoughtful planning and design of the future product even before the beta version is built. That is why the leading development teams pay a lot of attention to the specifics of software product development to offer the most optimal solutions that will be accepted by both users and the market, ensuring the company’s growth.
Let’s take a closer look at what software product development is and what steps this process consists of.
What Is SPD
Software product development includes the process of creating new products from scratch and updating existing applications to add new features and improve their performance.
One of the main goals of SPD is to provide users with the best customer experience.
Software product development is a complex process that includes several stages. The agile development life cycle is most often encountered here, as it helps developers respond to any changes in time, make adjustments and test the product while continuing to develop it.
In addition to planning the process, developers also integrate a set of third-party tools and features to build a product. Using a variety of methods, approaches, and strategies, SPD’s goal is to improve the quality of service and customer satisfaction, as well as strengthen the company’s position in the market.
Software Product Development Steps
The development process may vary from company to company, but there is a general pattern that any product is based on.
Step 1. The Idea
It all starts with the generation of ideas, which are then implemented by developers in practice. This step is often referred to as the discovery phase.
At this stage, the developers:
- Create a concept for the future product
- Plan steps to achieve business goals
- Determine the scope of the project
- Determine the timing of project stages
- Assess the availability of resources
- Plan the budget and expenses
One of the main tasks here is to determine whether the product idea meets the markets’ and users’ needs. And if there is an issue, then what the devs should do to fix this.
Step 2. Feasibility Analysis
The next step after the idea is approved is to analyze the feasibility of the requirements. It is crucial to evaluate how the project will be carried out at each stage of software product development and what changes this product can bring to the company.
In the analysis stage, special attention is paid to:
- Product needs
- Product design and architecture
- Technical stack and code
- Available resources for project implementation
All this helps to find an effective development solution based on an assessment of the technical and financial components of the software product development process. Also, this approach allows you to identify possible problems at an early stage.
Step 3. Design
This stage is among the most difficult because the proper product design requires much effort.
The development team creates special procedures and standards for the future product in the design phase. In addition, an organized software architecture is created. It takes into account the specified criteria and requirements. This approach allows devs to build conceptualization of the software system.
The design of the prototype is then used to create the entire structure of the future product.
Step 4. Development
The next stage after the developers have gone from generating an idea, analyzing it, and creating a design is the development process. This phase is the foundation and the most critical step in software product development.
The main tasks at this stage include:
- Writing code for software
- Turning design documentation into software
Compared to all other stages, development takes the most time and effort on the part of the development team. After all, in addition to the code, it is also essential to ensure that it matches the software requirement specifications and the organization’s business goals.
This step also typically creates a clear development roadmap to help visualize the process.
Step 5. Testing
Another crucial stage is testing the software product to evaluate its stable operation and functionality, as well as find errors.
The testing phase includes the following steps:
- System Integration
- System testing
- Functionality Testing
- Compatibility assessment
- User acceptance testing
The main task for the development team here is to consider the software product from different angles.
After testing everything, the devs can integrate all the application’s functions into the system. Then they need to test the system to guarantee the product works smoothly.
Step 6. Launch
The next phase of software product development is deployment. Here the main goal is to prepare the product for delivery to the market. To guarantee a successful launch, perfect harmony must be achieved between the:
- Planning
- Development
- Operations
The operations team must be aware of each of the core parts of the development to ensure a seamless and smooth rollout.
After completion of the deployment phase and numerous tests, the product is launched on the market and becomes available to users. Then most efforts and resources of the company are focused on creating a marketing strategy and product promotion.
Companies often launch a beta version of a product with key features and functions to test audience reaction and, if necessary, make adjustments to the product based on user feedback. In addition, this approach also helps to change the marketing strategy to achieve better outreach.
Step 7. Maintenance & Support
The last step in software product development is the ongoing maintenance and updating of the application after its launch. This stage usually includes:
- Finding and fixing errors, bugs, vulnerabilities
- Release of updates and patches
- Adding new features
Continuous maintenance & support service allows the devs to guarantee the stable operation of the product and expand its functionality to achieve an improved user experience.
