If you’re like me, you may have always been interested in how to develop a software. But where do you start? How do you even begin to develop a software program? Luckily, it’s not as difficult as it may seem at first. With a little bit of planning and some elbow grease, anyone can develop their own software. In this guide, I’ll show you how to develop a software step by step so that you can get started today!
How to Develop a Software
The Lean Development Process for Software involves creating the minimum viable product (MVP), which should take 2-6 months of development time.
A software project requires project managers, analysts, designers, and developers who all work together.
Depending on the type of project, you may need to hire other talents, such as a data scientist or a 3D designer.
What is Software Development?
Software development is the process of creating, designing, deploying, and supporting software. This process involves several computer science activities that work together to create a final product.
Computer software, or programs, are a set of instructions for telling the computer what to do. They are independent of hardware and are what makes your computers so versatile.
There are four types of software:
System software provides the core functions for operating systems, disk management, utilities, hardware management, and other operational necessities.
Programming software provides programmers with tools such as text editors, compilers, linkers, and debuggers to create code. These tools are essential for writing high-quality code that is efficient and error-free.
Application software is designed to help people complete specific tasks and activities. Examples include office productivity suites, media players, and security software.
Apps refer to both mobile and web applications, like shopping on Amazon, socializing on Facebook, or posting photos on Instagram.
Embedded software is often used in industrial and commercial settings. This type of software helps to control machines and devices that are not traditionally thought of as computers, such as telecommunications networks, cars, and robots.
Embedded software is a key part of the Internet of Things (IoT), connecting various devices and systems.
Software development is a process that involves creating and maintaining software applications. This can be done by individuals or teams of people with different skillsets. The roles of programmers, software engineers, and software developers often overlap and interact, and the dynamics between them can vary greatly depending on the development department or community.
As a programmer, you will be responsible for writing the source code that tells the computer what to do. This can include tasks like merging databases, processing online orders, routing communications, conducting searches, or displaying text and graphics.
You will need to have a strong understanding of programming languages like C++ or Java to be successful in this role.
A programmer is a person who uses a programming language to interpret instructions from software engineers and developers.
Software engineers apply engineering principles to build software that solves complex problems. They create models, design, and test solutions, and apply them to general problems.
Engineering software solutions must adhere to the same scientific method as bridges and elevators that are engineered to work in real life. As technology advances, so does the responsibility of engineers.
As products become increasingly more intelligent with the addition of microprocessors, sensors, and software, software development must be coordinated with the product’s mechanical and electrical development work to create a successful final product.
Developers, unlike engineers, can be more closely involved in specific areas of a project, such as coding.
As software developers, we play an important role in the software development lifecycle. We work with other functional teams to transform requirements into features, manage development teams and processes, and conduct software testing and maintenance. Our work is essential to ensuring that software products are of the highest quality and meet customer expectations.
Nor is it confined to traditional information technology industries such as software or semiconductor businesses. The work of software development extends beyond coders and development teams.
Scientists, device fabricators, hardware makers, and others create software code, even though they are not primarily software developers. The industry is not limited to traditional information technology businesses, such as software or semiconductor companies.
It’s no longer limited to just IT companies.
According to the Brookings Institute, only 48% of companies perform their software coding.
It’s important to distinguish between customized software and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products.
The process of custom developing software is when you design, create, deploy and maintain software for a specific purpose.
In contrast, commercial off-the-shelf software is designed to meet a broad range of requirements. This allows it to be packaged and sold commercially.
How to Start a Successful Software Development Project
Most of the time, you’re thrown into a project without much time to prepare. You might have been on the project team since day one, but the schedule and budget are too tight to allow for much prep time.
And, even worse, you may miss a step, and that mistake might come back to get you.
After a couple of months, you find yourself in a familiar situation. The annoyances you experienced during your last project have returned.
If you’re having trouble getting started on a new project, follow these guidelines for success.
Establish Clear Communication Paths
Everyone must know who to go to for what so that communication is clear and concise. From day one, make sure that roles are well-defined and everyone knows who handles what.
This way, when people need to request access to external systems, ask for clarifications, or signal emergencies, they will know who the right person is to contact.
Make sure this information is in a common place and easily accessible.
Define Best Practices
When a project kicks off, it’s important to not jump right into writing code. If you do that, your code base will become messy and unmanageable.
Take the time to review your past successes and failures. It’ll help you define what you hope to achieve with your new project.
Get your entire team involved and listen to what they have to say.
The most important outcome of this exercise is a set of best practices that are agreed upon and followed by the whole team. By adhering to these standards, you can expect to see a more polished and consistent final product.
Create a Definition of Done
How many times have you had to call a prospect back right before the demo because you forgot that a critical feature wasn’t available?
While developers may believe that their work is done once their code works on their computer, there is much more to developing software than writing the code.
The feature is local-only, so you’ll have to test it on another computer. Then, ask a colleague to look over your code.
This means that all acceptance criteria must be met and that the work meets all quality standards.
The next step is to add the deployment steps so that you can release the feature to the demo environment. You should put these steps together in the Definition of Done, along with any other relevant step.
The Definition of Done should be used as a checklist by your team before completing any task. This will ensure that all tickets are resolved as expected and with the required level of quality.
Choose the Right Continuous Integration Tool
It’s important to integrate your development efforts with continuous deployment. This way, you can release your developments with minimal effort.
There are many options out there, such as Jenkins and Team City. However, there are two important factors to consider when choosing one — team preference and tool price.
It’s usually wiser to use a continuous integration tool that your team has used before so that they’re already familiar with it.
Don’t forget to factor in the price of the tool you’re considering. If it’s more expensive than other options, your project sponsors may not be willing to cover the cost.
We all know that things happen, but it’s not the end of the world.
There are plenty of powerful continuous integration tools available, and it’s important to take the time to choose the most appropriate one for your needs.
Choose Your Tools and Applications
One thing to avoid is using too many different tools for the same purpose.
For example, if your team has to develop a REST API, you should use one tool for that specific purpose.
Alex, one of your more experienced team members, is happy to help John test his endpoint for user creation. However, he realizes that he is using SOAP UI to test his endpoints. Alex suggests that he use Postman instead, as it is a more user-friendly tool that will make testing easier and faster.
Alex is a big fan of Postman. He spends a few minutes trying to understand how to use the tool, but without too much success. He gives up after a few tries, so they decide to reach out to George.
However, George is an experienced programmer who likes to do everything from the command line. He asks John to rewrite his API calls to test them with cURL so he can get a better understanding of the tool.
This is not an ideal situation.
We understand that developers love having the freedom to choose their own tools. However, it’s usually more beneficial for the team to use the same toolset. This way, everyone is on the same page and can more easily collaborate.
Don’t be afraid to listen to your team’s input, but make sure to come to a clear decision. Be sure to explain the importance of this to everyone and gain their approval.
You don’t want to be a controlling person.
Use Version Control Systems Wisely
Every software development team needs to use a version control system.
Selecting a VCS isn’t enough. You also need to communicate your choice to the rest of your team.
Before you can design your workflow, you have to spend some time defining how you want to use it. The best place to start is by looking at how your current system works.
After you have decided on a workflow for your project, it is important to get feedback from your team to ensure that the system will be used as intended. If the feedback is positive, there is a good chance that the version control system will be used effectively.
Avoid Multiple Document Management Systems
One of the most frustrating things is when you need to find a piece of information and you don’t know where to look for it. This usually happens because there are too many places where it could be. It would be much easier if there was only one place to look.
It’s quite simple!
When your DevOps team needs to find the IP address of the QA server, they should only have to look in one place. To make this happen, you should choose a good document management system and stick to it.
If you want to avoid having multiple document management systems, then you need to be organized and confront anyone who attempts to store information outside the system. Everyone will see the benefits in the long run, even the people that get shouted at.
Define the Environments Required for Your Solution
While developers and testers should not share the same development environment, this is often ignored during the initial phases of projects.
It’s important to consider which environments are necessary for projects as early as possible. Setting up these environments can take time, so it’s best to start early.
We recommend that you have at least four environments: development, user acceptance testing (UAT), staging, and production. This will ensure that your project runs smoothly and efficiently.
Development Environment
The development environment is the sandbox of the development team. This is where they can test new code and features before they are released to the public. Because of this, the environment is not always stable and you may see some data inconsistencies.
User Acceptance Testing Environment
The UAT is the perfect environment for business people to test product acceptance.
Staging and Production Environments
It’s important to have both a staging and production environment that mirror each other. This way, you can be confident that any operations you run on staging will produce the same results on production.
Depending on the size and scope of your project, you may need more than just a staging and production environment. However, keep in mind that adding additional environments can increase the overall cost of your project.
No matter what the situation is, be sure to take the time to consider the system landscape and what you need from it before beginning work on a project. This way, you can be sure that you have everything you need to deliver a successful final product.
Codebase and Project Structure
A well-organized code-base goes a long way. Taking a few early measures will help keep your project from turning into a mess.
You should define the main modules of the project, codebase structure, file naming conventions, packaging rules, and so on. This will help keep your project organized and easy to understand for everyone involved.
The codebase and project structure should be intuitive and easy to navigate so that everyone can find what they are looking for. Lessons learned from previous projects should be taken into account to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Create a Document for Local Project Setup
Even if you’re the only person working on the project, you’ll eventually have to bring on other people. When new people join, you’ll want to make their onboarding process as smooth as possible.
This starts with your local projects.
Too many times, I see new guys spend a week getting set up on their machines. This is usually because the set-up instructions were poor, missing, or nonexistent.
To avoid these mistakes, start by outlining all the tasks required to set up this project. Then, test it out yourself, and revise it as needed.
Finally, ask your coworkers to review your installation instructions and provide feedback. This will help you create a step-by-step guide that quickly gets people up and running.
Conclusion
Keep your process up to date by reviewing it periodically. Don’t forget to add in new requirements as the business grows. Your team will thank you.
If you want to develop your software but don’t know where to start, this guide is for you. Learn how to develop a software step by step and get started today!
