Too often software products miss the mark on actually solving the business problem at hand. Many leaders have been burned by providers who overpromise or by systems that never got adopted.
So, what’s SPARK’s secret to delivering high-quality products consistently? The first thing is no secret – we hire amazing people. The team is deep with friendly and business-savvy technology professionals.
The other core ingredient is our methodology for moving a project from one phase to the next – like design to development – without ever losing sight of the “why” of the solution.
Sound simple? That’s because it is!
But, it’s not something that all software development companies do effectively, consistently, and at scale. Keep reading to see how the SPARK process is designed for both software success AND business success.
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The Biggest Challenge of Custom Software
Why do so many software projects fail at delivering the promised results? It usually comes down to poor communication. When it happens, your business needs aren’t translated into the right technology features. This can also lead to painful finger-pointing between teams about who miscommunicated or misunderstood what.
Think about it like this. Do you remember playing “telephone” when you were a kid? The leader would pick a simple phrase and whisper it into the first person’s ear. You’d then take turns relaying the message to the next person in line, however you heard it. By the time the last person announced it, you’d all laugh at how hilariously wrong the phrase was from the leader.
Well, something similar can happen in mismanaged software projects. It takes a diverse set of hands and minds to turn your initial scope on paper into a high-quality technical product. There are product managers, UX designers, systems analysts, and software developers all working together to bring your vision to reality. Without the right measures in place though, the “why” of your project and its goals can become muddled from one handoff to the next, resulting in the wrong features being built.
How To Prevent Communication Problems in Software Development
At SPARK, we recognize this common problem and have built-in methods to prevent communication breakdowns from happening at all.
An integral part is involving our software developers as early and often as possible from initial design sessions to testing and deployment. When they’re consistently in the room, they have the opportunity to discuss and understand your “why” firsthand, not just relayed from someone else.
Here’s why that matters when delivering quality custom software on time and budget:
Read stories about successful business tools launched with SPARK →
Quality of solution
Development teams need a clear understanding of what they’re building for the client and “why”. SPARK developers want to know what makes your business work. By including them early and consistently throughout all phases of a project, we ensure that we build and prioritize the software features that will have the most impact on your business.
Speed in production
When everyone is on the same page, there’s efficiency throughout the whole process from capturing business requirements to designing and deployment. There’s no guesswork, experimenting, or unnecessary steps that can result in delays or reworking features.
Minimizing risk
Any software project comes with some risk. Will your solution hold up over time? Is the solution designed to meet your holistic business needs?
When there are measures in place to ensure the solution meets your goals, you and your partner can develop and deploy the solution with confidence. There won’t be any doubt that the product was worth your time and money. We map out your ROI alongside you to ensure everyone is aligned.
The Entire Recipe for Custom Software Success
After delivering hundreds of successful software solutions, we’ve learned what works and doesn’t to deliver high-quality software products. While effectively moving a project from one phase to the next is critical, it’s not the only thing we do to ensure your success!
See how else we ensure to never lose the “why” of your project:
- Lead you through a pre-project assessment that gives you a roadmap and proves that the product is both feasible and has a business case to back it.
- Dedicate Product managers that champion your business goals and keep everyone on the same page
- Follow the proven process of agile planning that focuses on completing projects in incremental phases with regular deliverables and check-ins. That way there’s constant feedback at every step of the way.
Delivering Custom Software You Will Be Proud Of
Our secret sauce is both HOW we move your project through the development process and the WHO on the team working together toward your goals.
People and Process. Simple to say but hard to get just right.
Want to get started? Reach out to SPARK today.
