Custom software development means delivering a digital product tailored specifically to the company ordering it. While currently IT market is so vast that there are usually multiple tools with similar functionalities, many businesses still decide to build an internal solution rather than use an external one.
What are the advantages of custom software?
- The solution is perfectly tailored to your company’s needs — all functionalities you need are in place.
- Introducing new features is easier as the team delivering custom software development services is fully focused on your business needs.
- All employees can be easily trained on the tool on a regular basis.
- Feedback from employees matters more and can be passed directly to the dev team.
- Custom software is perfectly optimized for the hardware you use at your company.
- It’s easier to scale custom tools as the company grows.
- In many cases, custom software can be licensed to other companies, giving you an additional source of revenue.
- Custom software is more secure from external cybersecurity threats.
- Support is available all the time and any issues can be resolved immediately.
- Investing in custom software development services will allow you to save money in the long-term.
But to have the needed tools developed, you need to first build a team of professionals that can deliver expert custom software development services. Who exactly do you need and how to find them? Read our guide to find out!
Who do you need for a custom software development services team?
Custom software development services have to be delivered by a team of specialists in order to bring you the results you want. Who are those specialists? We list the most important ones below.
- Custom software developers
The technical backbone of your project — without them, you cannot build the software. Remember to look for custom software developers who fit your specific project needs. For example, if you are looking to build an intranet communication platform, you will most likely need front-end and back-end web developers. On the other hand, any robust internal desktop app will need professional software developers specialized in the programming language you plan to use.
- Designers
In custom software development, the design is less about building eye-catching look & feel and more about making the tool as user-friendly as possible. In the end, if you are not planning to license your custom solution to other businesses, it will be used fully internally so it doesn’t have to look fancy on marketing materials.Because of this focus on user-friendliness, you should especially invest in UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) designers. They will make sure your custom software is understandable for anyone who will use it and has all the most important functionalities easy-to-access.
- IT Project Manager
The main role of a Project Manager is to deliver the product according to deadlines and the previously approved budget. In a world where one in six projects has a cost overrun of 200% and a deadline overrun of around 70%, such an expert in the team is crucial for the most effective cost optimization.
Remember, however, to focus directly on IT Project Managers, or even more specifically on Software Project Managers. Unlike standards PMs, these will have the needed knowledge of the industry, allowing to significantly cut the time needed for pre-development research.
- Product Owner
The visionary behind the specific custom tool. A Product Owner manages product backlog, prioritizes features, and more generally oversees the development process. They are also the people responsible for understanding the target users’ needs and making sure the final product meets these requirements.
- Scrum Master
Along with a Product Owner and a developer team, a Scrum Master constitutes the Scrum team. The Scrum methodology itself is used by more than 60% of professional developers around the world. Its main idea is that a Scrum team should plan they work based on sprints — regular time-boxes, usually of 2-4 weeks, in which specific functionalities or products need to be delivered. Such approach guarantees more focused work and clear results delivered on a regular basis.
A Scrum Master makes sure that the methodology is correctly followed by the team, initiates all relevant Scrum events (e.g. stand-ups, retrospectives), as well as, if possible, assists a Product Owner in their daily tasks.
- Data scientists
Crucial especially for projects focusing on automation and making use of concepts like machine learning or artificial intelligence. “Data scientist” is actually a broad term used to describe multiple different types of roles, such as data analysts or data engineers. While some of them can only review the data provided to improve the performance of your software, others are responsible for actually coding the algorithms that power automation.
What technologies do your custom software team members have to know?
In a team delivering custom software development services, most of the technological knowledge is, of course, possessed by the custom software developers. However, the chosen technology connects all of the team members as they all have to adjust their work to the way the software is being built. What tools and technologies you specifically have to consider when hiring for your custom software development team?
- Relevant programming language
This is linked to what kind of custom solution you actually need. If you plan to develop a web-based tool (such as an online employee platform or online store/marketplace), you will need to hire separate developers for the front-end and back-end of the project. In front-end, JavaScript with HTML and CSS are most commonly used, but there are multiple solutions for back-end, including Java, PHP, Ruby, and Python.
Other, non-web types of custom solutions will require even different programming languages to be used. If you are unsure what technology should exactly power your software, you should consult this with a software consultant or an IT Project Manager.
- Relevant frameworks and libraries
Frameworks and libraries allow to significantly speed up the development process by providing quick solutions to common problems. They are directly linked to the programming language used and their choice should also be discussed with experts, such as software consultants or IT PMs.
- Git
A system for tracking changes in the product's source code. It's used by the majority of custom software development firms.
- Issue-tracking tool
Allows to report and assign current issues with the software as well as feature requests. This creates the product backlog that is most commonly managed by the Product Owner. Some of the most popular modern issue-tracking tools are Jira, Basecamp or rising stars like ClickUp.
How to assemble a team perfectly tailored to your business?
Additional advantages can be gained by considering the three main areas of the employee-company fit.
- Product fit
It’s highly advised to hire experts who previously worked on software similar to the one you want to build. Look for similarities in the type of software, its features, its target group. Such experience will guarantee your new hires already have an idea of how to introduce specific functionalities to your custom solution — and this, in the end, will significantly speed up the development process.
- Industry fit
More gains can be achieved if you hire experts who have already worked with companies in your industry. They already have some knowledge of your market and are able to better understand your specific requirements and adjust to them.
- Company culture fit
This last area of employee-company fit hugely impacts how well your new custom software development team will cooperate. The idea is to assess the values of your own company, such as the management style, focus on diversity, how well agile is implemented company-wide, or whether the work environment resembles more a startup or a corporation.
Write down these values and see what your candidates think about them. Look for those who share your ideas the most — if people with such fit will be bound together in one team, they will understand each other better and become more efficient and innovative.
No time to put the team together by yourself?
We can help!
At Ideamotive, we run an industry-leading network of IT talents looking for new career opportunities. We can connect you with people experienced in delivering custom software development services and tailored to your company’s specific requirements. Whether you need developers, designers, IT project managers, or all of them — we can get you the perfect candidates fast.
Get in touch with us today and let us help your business become the best custom software development firm.
