Should You Be Pursuing Custom Software Solutions?

Submitted by Jenna Seter, Senior Analyst at Clutch.co

For all of the similarities that one is likely to find between this business and that, no two are exactly alike. From branding, to services offered, to company experiences and mission statements, the challenges that every business faces are unique, so shouldn’t their solutions be the just as varied? Although there are a number of challenges that do not require custom solutions, it is important to recognize what makes your business unique and how to capitalize on those features and characteristics.

We have years of software development under our belts, with experience in dozens of industries and businesses of all shapes and sizes. We have come to be regarded as one of the top developers and UX designers in Atlanta, and we are going to share some important and interesting things to consider when optioning custom software solutions.

Take a Good Look at Your Processes

This may sound quite obvious, but it is something that many people do not consider when deciding whether or not to pursue custom solutions to their problems. Taking a good long look at your processes, understanding their purpose, their strengths, and their weaknesses allows you a greater level of awareness of how your business operates.

Upon finding a kink in their flow of work, many people rush out to hire someone to fix it, thinking that a custom solution has to be the right way to go. But they fail to go one step further, beyond understanding the problem. They neglect to familiarize themselves with the existing solutions available. Consider existing products for practices such as data analytics, cloud-based solutions, and other processes, depending on what challenge you are grappling with. There are many challenges that would be well suited to existing solutions, saving time, money, and accomplishing the same results.

Streamlining With and Without Technology

Once you have a firm handle on the processes your business uses, try and come up with ways that you can streamline them, with and without outside help. Streamlining is the practice of increasing the efficiency of your processes, eliminating steps where you can, and reducing the overall amount of work needed to achieve the same kind of results.

By actively making improvements to your processes, you can gain an even better understanding of whether or not you should pursue a custom solution to help you address them. The point of these solutions is to help with a problem that you cannot remedy on your own, and you will never know if you never try. But if you feel like you are certainly out of your depth, a better safe than sorry approach would suit you just fine.

Choosing a Provider

Assuming that you have evaluated your business processes, taken a crack at refining and streamlining them, and found problems that you cannot seem to address with the help of off-the-shelf solutions, you may find yourself asking “what now?”

There are many things to consider when choosing selecting a partner from the large market for software developers. But the first thing you should remember is to reach out to different firms! The point of a custom product is that it provides a solution that no one else can, so it stands to reason that you should partner with the only firm that you think could do it right. Many teams have similar capabilities and competencies, but their approaches and values can differ greatly, so it is important to find the right fit for you, ensuring that you get the a tailored solution that works perfectly.

In Closing

If you take one thing away from all of this, please understand the importance of educating and informing yourself on your business processes, their shortcomings, and the markets for their solutions. The better your understanding of all of these, the more likely you are to find the best possible solution for your challenges, at the best possible value. And if you have any questions about quality development, the state of your business technology, or just want to talk shop, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!