There are countless business applications available, but occasionally your organization may find it beneficial to create a new one of its own. Why? Because bespoke problems sometimes require a bespoke solution. In certain circumstances, a custom business app can provide you with critical insights and processes to accelerate the growth of your organization.
There are some key points to consider before embarking on a build like this. In this article, we’ll cover the steps you need to take before starting development. Empowering your team with this methodology will save a great deal of time and money during development and onboarding.
Before we dive in, it’s important to note that the processes we cover in this article are for in-house apps. That said, if you do want to develop a sellable, customer-facing business application, these steps will still be relevant. Here’s how to get started.
Step 1: Identify Core Pain Points
The last thing you should do is attempt to develop a custom app using a cure-all approach. Your first step should be to research the specific pain points holding your business back.
These hurdles could be a lack of cross-departmental collaboration, inefficient supply procedures, or other business-critical problems. Either way, after this identification phase, you’ll have the information you need to develop a targeted business app.
Step 2: Know Your Audience
After you decide on the focus of your custom app, you need to identify the intended audience. Will the app be available company-wide or is it targeted to a particular user group? The answer could determine the app’s level of complexity.
The above is one example, but there are many more. Fundamentally, understanding who the app is for is as important as deciding what it will do. Those two concerns are interrelated.
Your pain points affect different areas of your business. Ultimately, you can better develop a solution when you identify roadblocks and who is affected by them.
Step 3: Determine a Solution
You can find a solution now that you have a targeted strategy that addresses a critical business problem and user group. Again, don’t be tempted to go all-in and cover every aspect of the problem.
For example, if you find it difficult to share financial reporting with some team members, focus on the most critical factors. In other words, don’t attempt to develop an app that shares all accounting information. Instead, find the figures that matter most and work your way out from there.
By focusing on a handful of solutions, you aren’t limiting the effectiveness of your business app. Quite the opposite is true. Because, after you perfect an app, you can use the template to explore other areas and expand your solutions. Just look at Google Workspace. The platform has come a long way from Google Calander.
Step 4: Choose Your Tech
With a clear goal in mind, you need to determine the right technology to build the application. However, beforehand you need to have a conversation about whether you will be completing the build in-house or with a third-party developer.
If you choose to go with an app development company, the choice of technology may no longer be applicable. However, if you have a competent development team in your org, this is a crucial concern.
Although some platforms enable drag-and-drop, no-code/low-code development, you’re still better off assigning the project to IT professionals on your team if you are building a complex app. Some of the best app development platforms include Microsoft Power Apps, Quickbase, and Adobe XD.
Step 5: Establish a Build Schedule
As with all major projects, you shouldn’t enter into a custom app build without a roadmap. Essentially, it would be best to plan the development time frame, the testing schedule, and the onboarding process before getting started.
If you fail to plan effectively, you’ll soon see budgeting targets missed. Beyond this, you may find that team members assigned to development are neglecting other pressing business duties.
As with any business process, effectively planning the development of a business app is fundamental. However, where app development somewhat differs is in the outcome. Essentially, you will endeavor to build a business app to improve your company. However, instead of adopting an existing tried-and-tested solution, you’re stepping into the dark. That’s why it’s so important to create an airtight roadmap that keeps your team on track.
Wrap-Up
Fundamentally, when you endeavor to tackle business issues with a custom app, you need to do your research. Ultimately, that will define what your app addresses, who uses it, what it does, and how it works.
Beyond this, the most important thing to do is remain focused. A comprehensive build schedule will enable your team to work to deadlines and respect budgets.
Furthermore, when you combine this roadmap with the functionality of your software, you can work your milestones around the process defined by the platform. A custom business app is a powerful tool. However, without careful planning, there is a danger that your output will outpace the benefits.
