How Small Businesses Can Easily Manage Application Development

Custom software development involves a myriad of decisions that can be nerve-wracking in and of themselves. But for the small business on a tight budget, it’s even more challenging to prioritize various user features and make the sacrifices necessary to stay on budget. This is because small business software development absorbs a larger percentage of revenue than that for larger enterprises. Every penny must add value to the company’s bottom line. There’s little allowance for waste.

Without an IT department or a dedicated team member to assign project management, small business owners must also consider the time involved – time that’ll have to be allocated away from other critical business tasks.

Agile Application Development

That’s why agile application development makes the most sense, simplifying the process for the small business owner. Agile development breaks an unwieldy process into smaller and more manageable parts, called “sprints”. During a sprint, which typically lasts one to four weeks, the development team works closely with the business owner to develop a specific aspect of their new application. So testing, assessment, and collaborations are distributed across a broader timeframe. By dividing the large development project into short sprints, agile application development also delivers working beta software faster – software that can be put into practice to add business value right away.

What other benefits does agile application development offer the small business? In addition to rapid delivery and immediate business value, this process puts a cap on costs by confining each sprint to predictable timelines and intervals. Easily budget and work on the most important features and functionality right away, deferring those of lesser importance. Since testing is conducted sooner, quality is also improved because bugs can be pinpointed and rectified much earlier in the process. Finally, agile application development gives the business owner the ability to keep a watchful eye over the process, offering greater transparency to keep things on the right track and ensure the end result is precisely what they intended.