Mar 15, 2022
How long does it take to build a product?
Mar 15, 2022
Worldteam should ensure they walk you through the software build process and stages to give you an estimate of how long each stage will take. They should also leave room for testing, feedback, iterations, and improvements.
Software development, such as SaaS, has grown exponentially over the last decade. Developing fully functional and secure custom software for your company can be a powerful solution for various areas. The amount of time required for custom software development can be influenced by a number of factors.
To sum it up:
The length of time it takes to complete a project is largely determined by the scope of work required.
However, what we can do is estimate how long each step may take. Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) models usually consist of five to seven phases, all of which have different time frames each.
Two to four weeks for planning and requirements
Two weeks of design and architecture
Three to eight months for development and coding
Two to four weeks for implementation
Three to six weeks for testing and maintenance
Three weeks or more for production
The total average time for custom software development is typically four to twelve months, as shown above. It's worth noting, however, that according to a KPMG Information Technology study, 85 percent of software development projects run late. This is due to the varying nature of specific projects with their own unique requirements. It is difficult to estimate the exact time required for custom software development.
Functionalities
Certain functionalities, security features, modules, APIs, or external libraries may be required as part of such requirements, which will take time to develop.
Integrations
The length of development timeframes is also determined by how the application must be integrated and implemented with existing software systems.
Testing and reiterations
Other factors to consider include business logic complexity, database software code migration, multiple platform support, and coding language scalability (in relation to project size).
Integration with third parties such as Uber will be more difficult as a new firm because larger organisations are less likely to prioritise engagement with smaller businesses. This may cause the app development process to take longer and cost more, especially if the integration is included in the service.
Can the scope of the project plan for whether a software project can be completed quickly or requires additional time?
This will depend on the methodology your dev house uses.
Methodologies
There are two main project management styles: Waterfall and Agile Project Management.
Agile and Waterfall are two of the most powerful project management techniques and frameworks in the ever-expanding realm of project management approaches and frameworks. Agile can be defined as a way of thinking about projects that allows for flexibility, whereas Waterfall gives a pre-defined, sequential framework to follow.
It's critical to understand how they both function in order to choose which one best fits your particular working style and create the mobile app that's right for you.
This is how I came to understand both project management approaches:
Imagine yourself standing on an island with a creek separating you from the next island you want to visit.
Finding a plank of wood, estimating the length to the next island, and placing it down is how the Waterfall technique works. Measuring the board of wood would be a trial-and-error process. It can't be too short or too long, or otherwise you'll have to start over.
In the Agile approach, stones would be placed in the creek. Each little stone was put, then stepped, adjusted, and rearranged to determine the optimum path to the other side. Because of its flexibility, the entire procedure would not need to be restarted once it had begun.
Waterfall
Waterfall is a linear, focused-on-upfront-planning method. They prepare paper and requirements prior to even starting the project. Work cascades across multiple project phases, much like a waterfall, as its name suggests.
Waterfall project management splits a project into distinct, sequential phases, with each new phase commencing only after the previous one has been completed. The problem with Waterfall is that we don't always know the best approach to building a mobile app before we start. The strategy should be shaped to the app's requirements as we find exactly how we need to build it later on. Using a Waterfall methodology may find the project being buried in mountains of paperwork before ever being designed.
Agile
Agile is a project management technique that focuses on continuous improvement in the creation of a product or service by using short development cycles called 'sprints.' Sprint planning for the next fortnight allows the plan to bend and change according to the needs of the project. This allows any changes to be realistically implemented in the next two weeks. Dev Houses such as Worldteam are able to produce a click-and-play app after the first two initial weeks.
The real answer isn’t how long it's going to take, but more so how long it takes to deliver the right product and have it built the right way. The more time and resources, the more prepared the software will be to launch with all its functionalities. There’s no definite solution for speeding up the development of your software. But by deciding which methodology most suits your working style, you can be on the same page as your dev team to work most efficiently and get your app launched as quickly as possible. If you really value being able to hit the ground running by seeing a click-and-play app in two weeks, enquire here and we will let you know what we can do for you.
