INTERSECTION OF BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION Yash Patel Chief Technical Officer - Sunflower Lab
Key Factors To Identify Whether Your Business Needs Customized Software When to use custom software development services - Benefit from optimized business automation and agile work processes to enhance your brand quality
Agenda ●
Introduction
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Design and development
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Implementation
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Processes
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Costs
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Time to implement
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Support and upgrade
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Flexibility
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Conclusion
Introduction â—?
Organizations depend upon software automation to streamline their internal processes
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The better the software, the more streamlined the processes become.
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Streamlined processes lead to improved productivity levels
Therefore, it is important to use a computerised system that fulfils business needs, is affordable, and easy to scale as and when businesses grow
Introduction There’re two main choices while automating business processes: 1.
Opt for readymade (bespoke) or packaged or “off-the-shelf” software
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Design customized software specially tailored to fulfil your exact needs
Introduction •
The cons of choosing readymade software outweigh the benefits of using them
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Readymade software applications include pre-defined functionality
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They are specially designed to satisfy the needs of most business-types so they are generic
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They fail to target specific organizational requirements
Each business is unique and follows processes unique to its specific needs. Therefore, readymade packages tend to fulfil most organizational needs but fail when processes or the business scope changes.
So how can you determine whether your organization needs customized software or readymade applications?
A few pointers may help you identify the nature of your software related needs
1. Design and development – Cons of readymade software •
The main points to consider are price and the delivery time
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Readymade software are more “product” oriented rather than being “solutions” oriented
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They do not focus upon any specific process or business-centric requirement
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This makes them rigid and useless for organizations having very specific work processes and distinct end user requirements
1. Design and development – Pros of custom software development
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Custom software development provides a “company focused” approach
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It concentrates upon what the business actually needs and how end users are going to use a particular process
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Users, stakeholders and project owners are engaged with the design process
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Their suggestions provide useful insights in determining the scope and applicability of proposed software systems
1. Design and development – Pros of custom software development
Another advantage of opting for customized software development is you can design a hybrid architecture consisting of readymade as well as tailor-made applications
2. Implementation • The point here is how effortlessly the organization can setup and use the new software system • A custom software is installed by the development team along with end users working in the organization • Developers interact and engage with process users during the development process • Process users are more conversant with project specifics therefore find it easy to adopt the new system
4. Costs – Cons of packaged software • A major point to consider is the cost factor involved in developing or purchasing the software • A packaged software could include hidden costs such as buying a third-party gadget or a plugin to make it compatible with existing system processes • Large or complex systems might require the organization to order special trainers or consultants to train process users • Organizations have to bear the added cost
4. Costs – Scalability • Another point to consider is the scalability aspects of the new software • Businesses evolve with time, and with evolution, new requirements and scope creep in • What is the cost of upgrading the packaged software? • Will a new upgrade will be made available in the future or not? • If so, will it fulfil the scope and business requirements existing than?
4. Costs – Budget and overheads • The fourth point is planning the operational budget and controlling the overheads • With readymade software you either buy the software or you don’t – there are no other options • With customized software you have the freedom of deciding which of the processes should be automated first • You can control the budget spending by phasing out the development process • You invest only in those processes first which bring about tangible and fruitful results As the business earns from the particular process through the automation process, it can generate extra capital which can be utilized for automating other processes over time
5. Time to implement • The point to consider is how long will the implementation take? • Simple, small sized application which can be easily installed and introduced in the work flow • How about systems like Oracle, JD Edwards, or SAP? • They are readymade software but consume a lot of time before you can start using them as you have to customize them as per your specific needs and fine tune them to suit your working
Customized software will take time to develop, test and implement. Also, there’s no guarantee it will be one hundred per cent bug free even if it’s tested thoroughly – exceptions tend to occur.
6. Support and upgrade • The point to ponder over is how frequently and when you’ll need support facilities and upgrade options • Packaged software are designed and marketed to function as revenue generating tools • They’ll be releasing periodical upgrades to keep on earning from existing users Since they focus on processes generic to the entire business vertical rather than specific business processes, there’s no guarantee a future upgrade will wholly satisfy your business-centric requirements existing at that time
With custom software development you own the software as well as its code and intellectual rights so you have the freedom to plan, design and time all future updates as per your requirements
7. Flexibility • The point is how flexible it is to maintain the software over time • There’s no guarantee packaged software will be useable or made redundant in a couple of years’ time • Custom software development is process centric and focuses upon satisfying process owners • It offers a level of flexibility generally not found in packaged software • Process changes can be identified and implemented as and when needed
7. Flexibility • Custom software is specially tailored, possesses agility, and is more cost effective in certain instances as compared to packaged software. • It can be an excellent automation choice for all small to medium-sized companies.
Conclusion It can be difficult to choose between packaged software or customized software However, if you’ve specialized work processes or you’re keen on optimizing your process flow and get the most out of your IT infrastructure, custom software development would be the ideal choice for your organization
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Ph: (614) 664-7674 Website: www.theSunflowerLab.com Email: info@theSunflowerLab.com
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