Custom Software Development Services You Should Have Onsite

Custom software development services need to spend a surprising amount of time onsite in order to make the best custom products. Limited time face to face with clients, or entirely remote development, creates problems in several key steps of software development. Several steps require the development team to visit, speak with, assess, review, and plan with clients onsite in order to be most effective. Anything less, results in a substandard product. Below are some of the top custom software development services that must be conducted at the client’s place of business.

Developing the Initial Relationship


One of the most important services you should demand from your custom software developer is an onsite meeting at the very start of your working relationship. This initial interview is a crucial step in designing the best solution for your business. Ayoka’s local Texas software development teams go to clients’ businesses to meet in person at the very start of their working relationship. During the first interview, they get to know both the client and their business by going beyond simple requirement checklists. They investigate clients’ goals, history, and plans in order to better understand their needs. Whatever software they create doesn’t just address common industry problems, but zeros in on the unique needs and aspirations of the client. In order to make the best possible product, however, developers absolutely must meet clients face to face. This opens better channels of communication and allows for a clearer expression of needs.

Assessment


It’s impossible to thoroughly assess a business remotely. No sensible business mogul would buy a location they’d never visited, and no superior custom software developer can make a truly custom piece of software without understanding the environment of which it will be a part. This assessment is the natural progression of discovery and questioning that immediately follows the initial interview.

Developers need to be onsite for several reasons. The first is, of course, to see the business in person. This allows them to better understand critical aspects of the business they will serve. Such aspects include things like workflow, business culture, speed and efficiency of labor, and more. Onsite assessment also gives developers the chance to speak with employees who will be most directly affected by the new software. By gathering information about the benefits and drawbacks of the old system from various levels of the client business, developers can create solutions that will address issues across the board.

One of the greatest problems with remote assessments is the limitation of communication. While the top ranking employees of a business may know their roles perfectly well, there will always be unique insights from other levels. The developer also provides invaluable input as an outsider that may help the client discover and exploit new opportunities.

Development and Review of Software Documentation


Software documentation is an essential part of custom software development. In order to ensure it communicates necessary information to employees, managers, and decision makers in different roles, it needs to be developed together with the client. This highly-detailed information makes all the difference between a great product that no one knows how to use, and a product that addresses concerns on every level of a client’s business.

To ensure the client receives all the necessary benefits of the software documentation, at all levels, developers need to review it with the client in person. This makes it easy to ask questions, develop new strategies, and perfect this critical aspect of software engineering.

Project Planning


Your business doesn’t stop when you hire custom software development services. The right developers won’t just grudgingly accept that you can’t shut down your operations while they overhaul your system. Their plan to install your new software must conform to your needs. As we mentioned before, you should expect developers to work with you, in person, from day one. An important part of that in person work is project planning. This involves not only the construction, but the implementation of your new software.

Important questions to work through with developers focus on timing and goals. What are your expected sales figures? How can your new software boost your profit? Is there time to make major changes to your system before an upcoming rush? Do you need to stagger implementation in order to meet customer demands? How can your custom software development services work with your schedule rather than simply around it?

Custom software development work demands a lot of time onsite, working face to face with the client. This obviously gives local custom software development services like Ayoka a distinct advantage. Their software development process begins and ends with the customer’s unique needs, goals, and work environment. Superior custom software development requires intimate knowledge of the business the final product will serve. Without that, the product might as well have come straight off the shelf. Contact us today to discus how custom software can help your business.