Application development is the process of creating an automated systematic process known as computer program or a set of programs to perform the different tasks that caters to multiple and diversified business requirements. From calculating monthly expenses to scheduling sales reports, applications help businesses automate processes and increase efficiency. Every app-building process follows the same steps:
It can be done by specialized organizations like Eleserv Soft which has highly trained and experienced teams working on projects which range from Banking, Insurance, HealthCare, BPM, etc.. Application development defines the process flow of how the application is designed, and follows methodology that best suits the application to be developed and in concurrence to business needs and priorities. Usually the methodologies followed are Waterfall, Agile, etc.
Multiple factors govern an application design and development process. It must consider the size of the project, how dynamic the business requirements are, how much the customer is willing to adapt to changes in technology, size of development team and how much experience the application developers carry with them so as to understand the business requirements / gaps in the current system and draft an application within specified time and budget as per agreed scope.
Organizations around the world are now rapidly advancing their business with use of latest technologies, innovative software solutions that caters to their exact problem, and thus helping them to move ahead in the fast changing global markets. The demand for highly productive and robust software systems is increasing and this leads to the need to ensure the quality of the delivery is also as per expectations. So the key is to develop the application that meets all quality parameters and is also delivered “First time Right”.
Eleserv Soft have leveraged their long experience in developing customized mission-critical and large-scale IT systems, to ensure robust growth of companies
Here is a graphical illustration of the Agile Model −
Application development is closely linked with the software development life-cycle (SDLC).
The basic stages of SDLC are:
The way that application development teams have accomplished these typical seven tasks has changed a lot in the last few decades, and numerous types of application development methods have emerged. Each methodology must provide a solution for the seven stages of the SDLC.
Business Users tests application from each aspect, like they perform the following types of testing
Figure 1 shows the process flow during the various phases of the application development life cycle.
Figure 1. Application development life cycle
Figure 2 depicts the design phase up to the point of starting development. Once all of the requirements have been gathered, analyzed, verified, and a design has been produced, we are ready to pass on the programming requirements to the application programmers.
Figure 2. Design phase
The programmers take the design documents (programming requirements) and then proceed with the iterative process of coding, testing, revising, and testing again, as we see in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Development phase
After the programs have been tested by the programmers, they will be part of a series of functional and non functional system tests followed by UAT. These are used to verify usability and functionality from a user point of view, as well as to verify the functions of the application within a larger framework (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Testing
The final phase in the development life cycle is to move the application system to production and monitor the system till it stabilizes. As a prerequisite to going to production, the development team needs to provide documentation. This usually consists of user training material and operational procedures like house keeping documents, health check documents, etc.. The user training familiarizes the users with the new application. The operational procedures documentation enables Operations to take over responsibility for running the application on an ongoing basis.
In production, the changes and enhancements are handled by a group (possibly the same programming group) that performs the maintenance. At this point in the life cycle of the application, changes are tightly controlled and must be rigorously tested before being implemented into production (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Production
As mentioned before, to meet user requirements or solve problems, an application solution might be designed to reside on any platform or a combination of platforms. As shown in Figure 6, the applications we developer can be implemented on either environments: Internet, Intranet (Enterprise Network), or Central Site. The customer infrastructure must provide access to the above mentioned environments.
Figure 6. Growing infrastructure complexity
To begin the design process, we must first assess the business requirements / goals / objectives, i.e. what the application need to accomplish. Based on the constraints of the project, it is determined how and through what means our developers will accomplish the goals of the project. To do so, our trained and highly experienced domain specific business consultants conduct discussions, interviews, documentation review, study of as is process, etc. with the business (which has requested the solution to a problem) as well as the other stakeholders.
Normally a standard readily available software product does not necessarily meet and solve each and every business problem, hence comes the need for customization. The customization can be done through the supplier of the product, 3rd party consultants or within in-house development teams.
The RAD (Rapid Application Development) model follows an iterative and incremental approach. In this model our developers simultaneously develop the individual modules of the application typically called tranches to enable faster delivery of phase wise developed product to decrease the leap time for the delivery of the final big bang product. RAD puts clear focus on prototyping, which acts as an alternative to design specifications. This means that RAD works well wherever there's a greater focus on user interface rather than non-GUI programs.
Low-code platforms include intuitive visual interfaces that make it easy to build and launch apps, even for non-programmers. You can drag and drop snippets of code and modify them, based on business logic, to design and quickly deliver custom applications.
With the advancement in mobile technologies and usage of smart mobile phones has made Mobile application development mandatory and also now it is assumed that every enterprise application developed should run on any mobile platform: Android and iOS. This not only helps in faster response but als provides With everything the user need right at their fingertips, for e.g. the store incharge can track inventory or make instant updates from his / her phone, The CEO / CFO, can approve or reject an application that comes in their queue, this avoids to log them into their desktop for approvals or rejections.
Database applications are designed to collect, organize, and manage information efficiently. They're used to sort data by criteria, perform calculations, create reports, and share information with team members.
Enterprise applications are a type of software developed to cater to large-scale organizations. They support enterprise-grade features, like massive data storage and automation of complex business processes.
Web applications are software developed for a specific purpose, hosted on a web server. They can be accessed using any internet-enabled device, like phones, laptops, and desktops. Some examples of web applications are online banking sites, ecommerce websites, and social networks.
The key words for the waterfall method of application development are planning and sequence. The entire project is mapped out in the planning and analysis stages. The customer comes with a very explicit list of features and functionalities for the application. Then, a project manager takes the whole process and maps it out amongst the team.
This application development method is called waterfall because once you go down, you can’t go back up; everything flows downward. The development team works together over a set of time, building exactly what is lined out according to the specifications. After the architecture is designed, then only can the construction begin. The entire application is built, and then it is all tested to make sure that it is working properly. Then, it is shown to the customer and ready to be implemented.
The waterfall method assumes that the project requirements are clear and the customer and project manager have a unified and clear vision about the end result.
The advantage of the waterfall method is that it is very meticulous. It’s also a good application development method to use for big projects that need to have one unifying vision. The waterfall method is also a good way to train junior programmers on parts of development without having to turn an entire project to them.
The disadvantages are that changes happen all the time. Even if the development team is able to build exactly what the customer originally wanted (which doesn’t always happen), the market, technology, or the organization may have changed so much that it is effectively useless and a waste of time.
Waterfall works best as an application development method when:
As you might imagine, the waterfall method of application development presented some big problems. The development process often took a long time to see a working product, teams had to be large to accommodate all the requirements, and tensions ran high when a customer is unhappy with the end product and the whole project has to start over from the beginning.
So, a new method emerged called rapid application development (RAD). In many ways, RAD was the opposite of the waterfall method.
RAD is based mostly on prototypes, meaning that the goal is to produce a working version of the application as quickly as possible, and then to continuously iterate after that. The application development team and the customer work very closely with each other throughout the process. RAD teams are usually small and only involve experienced developers who are skilled in many disciplines. If a project needs to divert from the original plan, RAD should be able to accommodate that easily.
In the RAD model, as each iteration is completed, the product gets more and more refined. The early prototypes are often very rough, but give a picture of what can be. Each iteration then looks more like the finished product.
RAD’s advantages are a quick and highly flexible team and a very close relationship with the customer. If changes are expected, RAD will be able to accommodate these much faster than waterfall. RAD is also never too attached to a prototype and is always willing to change it to suit the needs of the customer.
However, RAD isn’t a perfect application development method. RAD requires highly skilled (and highly paid) programmers to work on a project that may change in complexity by the day. There’s also less adherence to deadlines and more of a focus on adding features, which can extend delivery dates. RAD requires a lot of input from customers who may not always be available or know what they need. Additionally, for some applications, having a prototype is not useful without seeing the entire product.
RAD is a great application development method for:
Agile application development is very similar to RAD, but also includes some changes to make it more suitable to larger projects. Agile is iterative, like RAD, but focuses on building features one at a time. Each feature is built in a methodical way in the team, but the customer is involved to see the features and sign off on them before the next feature is developed.
Agile uses sprints, or set of time when a certain feature should be built, tested, and presented. It tries to incorporate the entire SDLC for a feature into each sprint. This, ideally, helps to stick to a planned schedule, but also allow for frequent reviews.
Agile doesn’t focus on prototypes, but only presents completed work after the sprint is over. So while the customer is informed more often than waterfall, the customer only ever sees finished work, unlike RAD.
Agile project management methodology is also more team or squad based. With RAD, you are working directly with a programmer. With Agile, the application development team will also include testers, UX designers, technical writers, and many others.
Agile is a great application development methodology when:
Due to evolving customer expectations, the fight to survive in an existing market, and technological advancements, modifying and implementing new strategies is critical in maintaining sustainability and staying competitive. Every competitive business needs to constantly enhance and manage the IT solutions that have been developed in order to stay relevant and meet the wavering needs of users. This is where application maintenance and support come into the picture.
Contrary to popular belief, application maintenance is not just about fixing defects, but modifying a software product after delivery to correct faults, as well as to improve performance. Application maintenance and enhancement to existing applications begin with a thorough study of existing applications to identify areas of improvement.
Key Benefits of Application Development and Maintenance
Robust application development and maintenance enables companies to effectively manage their application portfolio through customized solutions. Let’s look at four of the major advantages of application development and maintenance provide:
The key benefits of AD & M are not limited to 4 points only, there are many other aspects to it with emerging trends like evolution of mobile apps, constant updates need to be provided as the version of updates of Mobile OS are constantly delivered. With high demand for Mobile Applications the maintenance and development has gone to an altogether new dimension.