Creating software is still very costly and requires a lot of resources. Are there specific calculations? How much does it cost to create dedicated software? What is a software house, what services does it provide, and why this type of company is growing despite the never-ending competition?
What is a software house?
In the life of every entrepreneur, comes a moment to develop dedicated software, which will allow making, simplifying, and modifying a lot of processes.
It is a great move from many perspectives, which we will describe in later paragraphs of this article. However, first, it is important to a key question, what is a software house?
Software house in other words is an enterprise that takes care of making all kinds of software, expanding programmer teams and IT support.
This definition is shallow when compared to the broad range of services that software houses provide, but it does paint an overall picture of what they do.
What does a firm making software do?
The range of services is really wide, from classic IT support for a company to creating massive systems, which allow managing a company from one place. Software house will find its use everywhere where is a need for digitalization of a firm, moving its main services online or engaging in new platforms.
Today clients can be found almost everywhere. A company that consequently broadens its actions and uses web and mobile apps or CRM, CMS, and ERP systems - gains a big part of the market and surpasses the competition.
Specific services offered by a software house
Depending on the niche, which the programming firm operates, services will diverse. However, companies that offer programmers and their knowledge, focus on four main fields.
Making ordered mobile apps
If you wonder, how to make a mobile app, the answer to that question can be found in every software house. The mobile market is growing for years, Google positions sites that are customized for a mobile format better. The number of mobile apps in Appstore and google play is enormous and the number is growing. No wonder, software houses offer services related to creating mobile apps. Most of the applications are made for two operating systems, iOS and Android.
Creating web apps on demand
Web app or simply software, working on a server, which sends messages through a computer web to the user. There is a lot of definitions, but it is one of the most common solutions used by companies all over the world. The web app is simply, an upgraded version of a website, which has a multitude of functions, which cannot be made on a classic website.
Outsourcing programmers
In our times hiring a great programmer is close to a miracle. IT market is very competitive and that is why software houses solve this issue.
What IT outsourcing is? It is a very reliable solution in our age when finding a programmer and providing him with good work conditions as well as validating his technical abilities is very expensive. The programming company can broaden the programming team with an additional programmer working remotely from a software house.
Software house often has available programmers, who wait on a so-called “bench”. Whenever there is a need to hire additional specialists in a specific technology, for a software house it is an easy task.
Dedicated software for a company
Making dedicated software, made specifically for a company is a great solution.
Thanks to this approach all functionalities are made according to the culture of the firm and its current challenges.
Such computer programs made on-demand will always be a good alternative for a mobile or web app. Because of the complexity of such a solution often it is made longer than other software.
A good example of dedicated software is ERP system, a software as a service (SaaS), site for students and lecturers, and accounting software.
When to cooperate with a software house?
If as an entrepreneur, or a person deciding in your company you feel it is time to create a dedicated solution, mobile or web app, contacting software house is a good decision.
If you already have technological solutions, which some firm created a dozen years ago and you want to update them, contacting a software house would also be a good choice. Often companies are chasing competition looking at what they do. It is a good move, but a better one is to create something original and creative.
You do not need technical knowledge and keep up with all the new things on the market, all you need to do is talk with specialists from a software house.
People there will most of the time know what your niche does not have and what solutions are worth creating. Realization of such projects will allow you to surpass competition for many months or even years.
If you need to broaden your small programming team, however, you do not have a technology-oriented HR department, cooperating with a software house is a very good decision.
There is no point in creating a multitude of processes when for a small monthly fee, you can hire a programmer, who will literally in a few or a dozen days start working on your solution.
An additional advantage is that you do not have to worry about any costs, they are on the side of a programming firm.
How does the cooperation with a software house look like?
Cooperation consists most often of two parts, consulting and programming. Additionally, both of these parts are divided by stages over the project.
Consulting
Basic conversations between a software house and a firm, which wants to start a cooperation. In this stage possible solutions, ideal for the current situation in the company, are evaluated. Next, the best solution is chosen, which the software house will work on. Software house creates a specification of a project and, in the case of need, UX model. If the client accepts everything at this stage, the next one can proceed.
Creating software
After establishing assumptions about how is the project is supposed to look, the software house starts working on the software. At this stage, work is divided by sprints or milestones, which are time periods.
During one of such time periods, the microcycle of Agile is done, it consists of choosing functionalities to be made, graphic design, programming, testing, and implementing (test or production version). After every sprint/milestone, the process starts anew. Every finished part is sent for testing and assent. This way clients can constantly participate in the process of creation, and testing is more efficient.
Retransformation
After implementing an IT project, it is worth analyzing and updating it, it is also worth thinking about what can be upgraded and changed so that the firm can be more and more computerized. Software house often chooses long-term cooperation with a client and operates the whole IT department in a company or updates web and mobile apps.
Benefits of a cooperation with a software house
Cooperation with a trusted technological partner can be a source of many benefits. Here are a few most important ones:
Control and budgetary flexibility
Programmer at this point is one of the best-paid occupations and because of that, costs of hiring and upkeep of a developer team in a company are equally high. When it comes to this aspect it is better to outsource programmers. It will allow the reduction of costs and making them dependent on current needs.
Managing a budget is easier when the firm decides when to allocate its part to developing software. Costs are relatively easier to predict in the case of a software house than they are in your own IT department. Cooperation with a software house works on a predetermined budget (fixed price) or on an open budget, settled for reported work time.
Quality of realization
Software houses pay much attention to the skills of their team, that is why as early as on recruiting stage they analyze the experience, knowledge, and potential of a future employee. Thanks to that final team, specialized, competent programmers are inclined to professional development and new challenges. It is directly seen in the quality of realized offers.
Developed methods and effective communication
Staying in an ever-growing market of the IT industry is quite a challenge for software houses. A good method to do that is to efficiently realize tasks. Though it would not be possible without worked over methods and communication with their clients. The most often used methods of creating a project for a client are:
- Agile- most important is observing that the needs of a client often evolve during the project and because of those stages in a cycle of creation repeat until it is done
- Scrum - a revolution in managing projects. Development of product is divided into iterations, which last up to one month, called sprints. After every sprint, a team should be able to provide a working version of a product
- Waterfall - doing basic actions as separate project phases, one after another. Every action is a step (a cascade).
All these methods are supposed to improve the effectiveness and involvement of a big group working on the project.
Frugality of time
The client, who is choosing a software house, saves a lot of his valuable time. When hiring your own programmers for the firm, a lot of his time is wasted. Process of recruitment, verification of abilities, hiring and designating people to coordinate work, make reports, everything costs time. In the case of cooperation with a software house, most often everything goes much more smoothly – the client chooses a person to communicate and verify the project and the rest is taken care of by a software house.
Support after implementation
It is a so-called, period of care over the project after it is finished. How programmers to test, has a big importance for a finished product. Besides testing before implementation, it is important to monitor it long after implementation. Thanks to that, eventual bugs can be quickly found and fixed. Additionally, while observing how the product works, software houses can expand or update it.
What software house to choose?
The best choice is the one, where both sides will be satisfied with the cooperation. In the beginning, it is worth specifying the budget and talk with a software house about the price of the task in question. It is also important to specify needs and how it is supposed to be realized. Next, the deadline should be discussed.
Implementing specialized solutions and adjusting them to specific industries needs time and you have to take that into account when starting a cooperation with a software house. The effect of the work you do will be a satisfying product, functioning efficiently and bringing profits to the firm.
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