Custom software development

Why custom software is a flexible and agile solution

Flexible. Incremental. Agile. Lean. Customer-focused. Unique. Reliable. These attributes all describe custom software development. What matters is how we address the uniqueness of the customer project in every development. Every software development is customised while ensuring its efficient. The most important thing is that the customised software solution is functional and meets all the clients’ needs.

Learn which technologies and programming languages make up custom software development and how they are used, as well as which frameworks, tools and solutions are important for successful software development. Gain an insight into best practices and find out which forms of project management are efficient for companies.

Content

• Custom software development
• How are programming languages used?
• What are frameworks and what advantages do they have for custom software development?
• Frameworks for the development of modern and customised software
• Solutions, practices and tools for software development
• Optimising the software development process with the right toolkit
• Best practices for custom software development
• Custom software development: classic, agile or lean?
• We develop custom software according to your wishes

Custom software development

Not every software project starts from scratch and is a straight line, and back and forth between the team and client might be there. Sometimes it is necessary to bring in external consult specialists or another developer to get their view on the developed software solutions.

Complex tasks include designing and developing advanced software architectures as well as maintaining, expanding and optimising application software (apps) and many other solutions:

• Quality assurance of code
• Refactoring
• Redesign
• Modularisation
• Pipeline building
• Continuous delivery
• Software distribution
• User stories incl. Maps

How are programming languages used?

There are countless programming languages for processing data. Many of these are similar, build on each other or might a combination of multiple languages. Learn about the most important features and areas of application of these three most common programming languages:

C: The origin of almost all operating systems

• Mainly system development
• Platform – embedded
• C standard library as framework
• Manual memory management

C++: A powerful all-rounder

• Application and system development
• Suitable for almost all platforms
• Qt, boost, MFC and ATL as frameworks
• Manual memory management

C#: Very strong Windows integration

• Application and system development
• Windows and other platforms
• .NET as a framework
• Microsoft Visual Studio as the development environment
• Automatic memory management 

What are frameworks and what advantages do they have for custom software development?

A framework provides a structure for the custom software and contains various libraries and classification criteria that accelerate software development. Depending on the use case and the client’s specifications, software developers use various modern web, app and test frameworks. The technical support provided by a framework is particularly useful for the development of software applications in C++, C# and Java, but also for programming embedded software (ARM, AVR, SPARC).

Frameworks for the development of modern and customised software

Qt: A framework that can map almost everything from database access, software logic to GUIs and enables platform-independent application development in C++ or QML.

Boost: Probably the best-known C++ library collection for portable software as well as for the operating systems macOS, Windows, Linux etc.

Microsoft.NET Framework (with WinForms, WPF, ASP.NET & .NET Core): C# development for all web, mobile and desktop applications, microservices, cloud services, IoT and more.

SPRING: Open-source framework for web development with Java.

Solutions, practices and tools for software development

Here are a few of technologies that we have used to develop high-performing software solutions:

Internet of Things (IoT): Letting devices communicate with each other thanks to the right software – e.g. using ZigBee, MQTT, RFID or Bluetooth – makes your company and your business smarter.

For example, in embedded software technologies such as Qt for MCU, ARM processors and AVR microcontrollers, Arduino for developing prototypes and Raspberry Pi computers can be used.

Continuous Integration (CI): With CI, the customised components of the software application being developed are tested and merged directly and continuously during the process, resulting in higher quality. E.g. Jenkins is a good supporting tool for build automation.

Git and Subversion: These version management tools and the programmes they contain can be used to easily and efficiently log, display and navigate non-linear histories of a software project with large development structures. The two tools offer many more functions that make development more productive.

Qt Bridge for Adobe Photoshop: Helps manage, edit, organise and share graphical material for user interfaces and facilitates collaboration between designers, frontend and backend. With Qt Bridge, Photoshop files in XML format can be easily converted into C++ code by the Meta Object Compiler, so that the implementation in the frontend remains true to the original with Qt and can then be easily linked to in the backend.

Optimising the software development process with the right toolkit

If you compare customised software development with a journey, you can say that it is best to try various paths right at the beginning. This is how you discover the best route to your destination. Having a map with all possible routes makes the journey faster; travelling on a car gets you there safer and faster. Similarly, a project needs the right set of developers with knowledge of the best practices and the right equipment. 

Best practices for custom software development

Good planning is the key to developing efficient software solutions for businesses. Even though most programmers would prefer to start coding the software within the first minute of starting the project, and this approach may seem efficient at first – this way system gaps are predetermined. Within custom software development, there are often changes and revisions throughout the project process.

Conventional project management approaches are too inflexible and ineffective, for example through strict release processes. At the same time, unforeseen cost and time expenditures can be avoided in cooperation with customers. Agile project management should be used in the development and test departments and the customised needs of the client should be addressed.

It should be possible to implement client’s unique needs flexibly and individually. It is particularly important that the project management model fits your company, the project, its status and the individual requirements. The procedure can be based on SCRUM as well as the Lean Startup model. The following four stages provide the basic roadmap:

1. Planning the software project:

In agile software development teams can plan in advance the budgets and timeframes to be adhered to achieve the overall goal. Considering the specifics of the project as well as the software development approach, programming language and associated toolkits will be used to get the best out of your new software solution is also planned.

2. Setting the goal for the first development phase / the first “sprint”:

Visions and requirements can best be realised in small, concretely formulated stages. The team of software developers assembled for your project agrees in sprint planning to implement the user stories and intentions of the first development step, the so-called sprint, as defined by the product owner. In addition, the purpose of this sprint is defined so that each team member understands the upcoming work and its solutions.

3. First sprint phase:

From now on, the first hot sprint phase begins. The first lines of code are written, backlog items are implemented, and daily or weekly updates are given. Different approaches to software development and quality assurance can take place. During the sprint, progress is accurately documented. The time frame of a sprint phase varies between one and four weeks but remains the same within a project. Thanks to time tracking, all participants always keep track of the current progress.

4. Evaluation & acceptance of the software development:

After completion of the first increment, it is presented, analysed and the methodical procedure is evaluated retrospectively. If certain potentials are discovered, direct improvement measures are planned for the next sprint phase and then the interim result is presented. If the customer is dissatisfied, the result is corrected in parallel to the following sprint or the focus is once again holistically on optimisation before moving on to the second, third and fourth sprint.

Custom software development: classic, agile or lean?

A project often evolves in its requirements and solutions. Most software agencies focus on agile methods and lean models in project management, as these allow for additional flexibility and bring more efficiency as well as productivity. For each project, a team of software developers are matched with a product owner/project manager, as per the Scrum concept. This ensures that the project framework is adhered to and the value of the product to be developed is maximised.

Streamlining processes with Lean Project Management

Individual tasks are distributed to the responsible teams and self-organisation is promoted without management overhead. With Lean Management, the process remains as lean as possible to save time and costs and to invest 100% of the labour input in the development and optimisation of the clients’ required software functions and applications.

Bringing out innovation with agile software development

Agile project management also prioritises maximising your business value. Here, it is crucial to get into the programming of the customised software early, to involve the users strongly in the process and to test the software again and again on a regular basis. This requires the process to remain very flexible and individual to, if necessary, directly integrate and implement innovative ideas that arise during development.

We develop custom software according to your wishes

In the area of custom software development, mindcurv supports your company from the initial conception to the implementation of various projects – regardless of status and model – as a long-term software service provider with all the trimmings or relieving you as a support engineer.

Do not hesitate to contact us. Together we can achieve great things and develop the right software solution for you. Is not the service you need mentioned on our website? Contact us anyway – we love challenges!