Software Development Process

Software development, like any technical trade, requires a set of specialized skills and talent to execute the task successfully. Similar to most business practices, the process in which the application is developed is essential for sustainable profitability.

The software development process includes defining all elements of the program, creating user interface art, technical coding, beta testing the program, conducting a usability study, and updating the program over time.

Before an application becomes an actual "program" developers flush out the entire program in plain English. All major functions of the program are defined, including third party APIs. Visual workflows are created to represent the natural progression of the program, which helps when developing menus and navigational elements.

Writing the information in nontechnical verbiage helps during the documentation process, which provides end-user support for the program.

The work flow is particularly important for software development because it outlines each of the possible user actions, and their intended consequences. Each action (or function) in an application has intentional - and unintentional - results.

Creating the work flow helps eliminate unintentional consequences, which usually take the form of error messages, crashes, and bugs. Using professional software development solutions often solves these problems.

Software, once known as the products sold on CD-ROMs, is becoming increasingly vague. For the first part of the decade there were traditionally Windows and Mac programming, but know there is mobile, desktop, and web programming - each of which contains dozens of independent coding platforms.

For example, the mobile "app" industry is exploding; you have Apple's iOS, Palm's WebOS, Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows Mobile, Nokia's Symbian, and RIM's Blackberry OS. Not to mention within Windows you have C++, C#, J#, Visual Basic, Java, and dozens of others.

A new category of software development is emerging - web applications. These are programs ran within your web browser. Technologies include Flash, ASP.NET, PHP, SQL, Java, JavaScript, ActionScript, and many others. While we don't view websites as applications, most of them are.

As an example, most content management systems are more complex than some desktop programs. Things like Google Docs and FarmVille are easier to distinguish as web applications.

Software Development Service