Software usually falls into two categories: packaged (or proprietary), i.e. bought or downloaded ‘off-the-shelf’ or custom-made, that’s to say, custom-made.

If you only use standalone software (applications working locally on your computer) or have only a simple requirement, e.g. word processing, the proprietary option may be satisfactory for you; a good example would be Microsoft Office. But if you need an application that caters to the specific needs of your enterprise, you might find the custom-made option more suitable.

But why? And should you consider it for your business?
Packaged software will often include superfluous features that you don’t need for running your business, because it’s been made for many hundreds, possibly thousands of users. It’s a compromise.
Conversely, specific features your organisation really needs might not be included, and any requests to the software vendors will most likely go unheeded due to the large number of requests, often conflicting, from other clients. Worse still, you may have to change the way your business operates to use a packaged software, driving up costs and increasing inefficiencies.
And if many other businesses are using the same software, it may be difficult to gain any competitive advantage.

What if the packaged software fails to perform, where do you turn? You may be up against a faceless organisation, which doesn’t care so much about YOUR business as it does about the number of units it has shifted, directs you to inadequate FAQs or charges ?1.50/min for support.
Working with a software development company on a custom-made application brings advantages.
There is a direct relationship, which can bring an understanding of your business AND understanding of your needs. A custom-made application is written to your requirements and fits in with your business.
The developers can be more responsive to your needs and thus changes can be made more quickly, allowing you to adapt more easily. You can control the pace of changes, rather than waiting for next release.

Furthermore, if the application is built to your requirements, you’ll save time and money when it comes to teaching your staff how to use it. An application developed according to your own specification will probably require much less configuration work (if any) and much less training. It’s replicating your existing business process(es) and should be intuitive to your staff (if it’s not, you’ve probably gone wrong somewhere).

A good custom application can also bring efficiencies by automating manual tasks and a good developer can even point out further efficiencies to be gained.
Custom-made software was once the preserve of large companies, but the cost of developing custom-made applications has fallen because of robust application frameworks, a vast array of off-the-shelf modules and rapid development tools, putting it within reach of SMEs.
Of course, there are still some considerations you need to be aware of:
—A good developer will not have a problem with letting you have the source code, so that you retain independence and control over your software should the relationship go sour.
—A custom-made application IS a serious investment and one not to be taken lightly, thus you should carry out a cost-benefit analysis before embarking on a project.
—As with all industries, there are incompetent or unprofessional developers out there, so make sure you see examples of the developers’ work, get references and follow them up.
In summary, there are many sound reasons why you should seriously consider investing in a custom-made solution.

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 25th, 2009 at 9:03 am and is filed under Make Your Next Web Project a Success. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.