You have a brilliant software idea. That’s great. If you’ve identified a target market, that’s excellent. But do you have a brilliant software development team?
The right development team can take your project from your mind and paper to the world and keep it atop, but making the wrong choice at this stage could ruin it all. Even if your product is one the target market recognizes as the messiah to solve problems in the industry.
Since the development team is integral to the success of your application, we’ve written this to guide you through the process of developing your software application. We broke down the stages and discusses important factors to look out for when developing your SaaS product.
Why create a SaaS product
Many companies are running on SaaS solutions. The pandemic has further made the use of SaaS products crucial, as 38% of companies now run exclusively on SaaS products. The number is expected to increase astronomically by 2021.
The market keeps growing, with a current annual growth rate of 18%. Creating a SaaS that solves a problem can help you harness the immense market and potential the industry has.
But how do you create one and get a great team to do work on it?
SaaS Development Stages
Project Ideation and Market Research
Successful SaaS applications solve problems. When you have an idea to build a product, you must conduct market research to identify the target market. You also have to ascertain that launching your idea as a Saas product is the best model.
You have to :
- Identify a problem
- Define your target market
- Conduct a feasibility study to determine the viability of your idea
- Ascertain means of generating revenue from your product
Competitor Analysis
Your Competitors provide valuable insight into how to develop and market your product; identify and analyze them.
An in-depth competitive analysis helps you refine your ideas. You can identify discover what has worked excellently, what needs to improved and new solutions to implement.
Application Functionalities
You can select the features of your application with the findings of your market research, your competitor analysis, and your ideas.
The success of your product depends on numerous factors and your product features are one of the most important. You, therefore, have to write a system requirement specification ( SRS) document that covers the core features of your product.
Product Design
The System Requirement Specification is used to create a prototype. Selecting the best technology to use to build the front end, back end and database capabilities of your application are important.
You should select a technology that helps you implement and optimize your product features. It should be scalable to meet future demands and to accommodate advancements in your product. Not only should your tech stack make development easy, but it should also help you manage time and cost.
Product / MVP Development
After laying out the structure of the SaaS product with a prototype, the next stage is to develop the product, or a Minimum Viable Product ( MVP).
The product is further tested during a quality assurance ( QA) process to ensure the application is free from bugs.
Deployment.
After the MVP or product is developed, you can deploy. At that stage, you should monitor the performance of your product.
Choosing a Company to Develop Your SaaS Product
Choosing a software development company appears easy – there are often several companies you discuss with and receive proposals from. But it is more difficult than it appears.
First, you want to select affordable experts who can get the work done within a little time frame. You also want a team or company that delivers a product the exact way you desire it. Also, you don’t want to waste time and energy working with a team or company that delivers work acutely short of your description.
So, how do you pick the best option?
The following tips will help you make a great decision :
Expertise in Your Niche
SaaS has many branches; go with a company that has a strong grasp on the niche you are entering.
Software has multiple domains. A company that has experience creating the type of project you want to is a great choice as they can work faster and better.
They can also make recommendations to improve your product.
This is not completely necessary, however. Without previous experience in your field, some software companies still deliver great jobs as they have well-structured leadership and can stick to work commitments
Portfolio
Does the company have previous work in their portfolio? Did they create case studies for the portfolio segment of their website?
If yes, that’s a signal of their credibility. A properly documented portfolio indicates expertise and professionalism, especially when the company has detailed case studies.
When assessing their portfolio, you should determine the design, functionality, ease of use, and more details of the work in their portfolio. Would you love to have your product developed like that?
Reviews
The way previous customers felt could indicate how you would feel when the project is completed. Reviews can help you narrow down your choices as it provides details of projects previously completed by the company.
Clutch is a website that can help you to assess reviews. It ensures that reviews are authentic.
A proper review will take you through the processes of creating the app from planning and design to deployment and it could be instrumental in making a choice.
Methodology and Process
Make inquiries about the methodology of the company. That way, you will understand how the software development company operates. You will discover the pattern of communication and type of work relationship they have with customers.
There are two major methodologies: waterfall and Agile. While both of them have advantages and disadvantages, Agile is generally a better solution.
Agile had different variations, but Scrum is one of the most popular ones. Clients have a preference for the Agile methodology as the company takes a hand-in-hand, collaborative approach with them. The work is divided into sprints ( work time frames), and the client is constantly updated as the work progresses.
Waterfall methodology is often used for smaller projects.
The best methodology, according to most people is the agile approach. It helps you track the progress of development as you can see your vision take shape. It’s faster and more efficient.
Attitude to Legal Documents
Discuss intellectual property rights with the company. Are they willing to discuss and enter legal relationships that protect your rights and theirs as well? If they are reluctant to review and sign legal documents and agreements, it is a sign you should be cautious of.
Ensure you negotiate the terms and conditions of working after it has been reviewed by a legal practitioner.
Technology Stack
What technologies do they use? Or what technologies will they use for your product in particular?
The technology stack deployed in the creation of your project is integral to its end product. It shapes the scalability, efficiency, performance, and security of your application. It is used to develop the front end, back end, DevOps, and infrastructure of your product.
Therefore, you must ask to discover the best technology stack for your product with your research or consultancy with a software development company, after which you determine if they have the required capabilities to use the technology stack.
Team Structure and Quality Assurance
It is advisable to contract the development of your product to a full-cycle development company. That way, you can have a smooth development experience across the different dynamics of development.
You also want to ensure that members of the team are experts and can deliver the standard value. The company should therefore have front-end and back-end developers, business and project managers, UI /UX designers, and more.
Also, the team should be able to assess the product they’ve developed to discover bugs
They should be able to perform tests that scrutinize the security and functions of the application and rectify them accordingly.
Support and Maintenance
Will the company be able to provide support when you need support in the future?
A company that provides support and maintenance after creating a product for you is a huge win for you. They can constantly conduct checks on the performance of your product, tackle bugs, and keep it working seamlessly.
Price
Your budget is an important factor. After whittling your options to a few, you might want to consider the company that offers the best services for its price and within your budget.
But do not sacrifice expertise at the altar of price – it would cost you more in the long run. Poor implementation makes your product inefficient, and it can ruin your genius idea.
Conclusion
Great products are built by credible and professional software developers. We are committed to seeing your idea grow into a giant with our professional, full-cycle development team that meets the requirements we’ve discussed above.
If you want to create a landmark product, we are on hand to guide you through the process with ease.
Contact us today, and we will be glad to discuss with you.
