Software development is a major factor in the development of information technology. The application of it has spread to all areas of human action. In the US market alone, business software sales for PCs some 20 years ago were about $ 5 billion. Today, these figures are generated by individual manufacturers.
Software development opportunities, despite the results achieved, remain unheard of. The development of programming languages, especially fourth-generation languages, object-oriented programming, and attempts to create universal tools, has made it more and more user-friendly.
When a company needs to change business software
Looking at small and medium-sized businesses doing business, there are two typical scenarios. The company has “new” underutilized business software, or has “old” one that is not technologically advanced, is being used to the maximum, but has become obsolete. Both situations are the points where the company loses significant energy.
The impression that prevails in an organization that is at a point after the introduction of new software – “post-implementation” seems like a scene from a movie after an epic battle. Everyone is nostalgic about the “old” one, apathy and disbelief that new one will ever be implemented, managers rethink their decision, even try to acquire third-party software.
The basic thing to keep in mind is that, in most cases, acquiring new one is a very unpleasant event for the company, no matter how much better the new software is than the old one.
Don’t believe that the transition will be “quite quick and easy” – this can only happen if you are a very small, simple, very well organized company, with the software as written for you. All employees will need to learn a new working principle, they need to fit into a completely new philosophy, and you can be sure that any problems that may arise at all will arise.
Why is it so?
Most of the problem arises from the simple fact that it is about change, which is never a desirable event in the everyday life of a company. If one has been doing one’s job for years in one way and now needs to change it, it is certain that it will resist one way or another. Employees may be somewhat motivated by the fact that new ones will allow them to do things easier and faster, but since this initially boils down to their increased engagement, they will not be happy.
Already existing – for and against
Sometimes the company itself wants to change. It is heard that the competition has acquired new software, that there may be a better and cheaper solution on the market, and the complaints about the existing one then escalate. If an organization follows the development of competition and developments in offering business solutions, it can more easily perceive its place and market position in the business software equipment segment – and has insight into all alternatives.
Typically, an assessment uses the following evaluation criteria:
-Integrity – whether the data is recorded only once or if additional work is needed to copy the data by parts of the information system
-Speed - Whether waiting for processing is measured in seconds, minutes or hours
-Support – Whether support reactions take too long, whether support is adequate
-Business Process Compliance – Are some business processes different from those envisioned by the solution
-Business Process Coverage – There are processes that are not covered by it at all
-Contributing to the company’s priority development goals – are the software solutions as well aligned with the business processes as they will look in the future – or is it merely a “machine” that caters to employee workflow
-Opportunity for further development – whether the vendor can ensure that the software is further developed.
However, if you have decided that none of the existing ones on the market meets the needs, but that you want to make have one for yourself, these are the things that you will need to pay attention to when choosing the company that will do it for you …
Company location
Think about this first. It may first occur to you to hire someone from your city or country. But it can cost you more. As this is something that is certainly done over the internet, then you can choose whoever you want.
Onshoring — a company from your country
Offshoring — from another country, often overseas
Nearshoring — from a neighboring country, usually borderland
The advantages of offshoring are that you do not have to hire an expensive company from, let’s say, New York, but you can get the same quality at a much lower price, if you contact, for example, platinum.fund from Estonia. Think in advance and do not waste money or quality of service.
Explore their credibility online
Nowadays, this is also the case when you buy shoes, not when you are doing something like this. So research reviews, forums and everything where you can find information about them. First of all, how reliable they are during development, as well as what customer service is later, stability, etc.
Compare prices
Never decide as soon as you run into the first one. Contact as many as possible, inquire about the price and what they have to offer. Only then will you know prices on the market.
Inquire about hired IT professionals
Ask about the people who will be employed by your project. Is it a big team that will get the job done quickly or are there less than 5 of them and will you wait a long time? What is their education, diplomas, and experience? What projects have they worked on so far? How experienced is a project manager? It is also important that they have an account manager, as he will be the one who will contact you the most. The more you research everything, the more satisfied you will be with the final product.
Be sure to test enough
It can be about the best IT experts, but it’s impossible to get it all right at the beginning. So make arrangements with them to do as many tests as needed, but that when you get the final product it will be reliable.
Conclusion:
This type of purchase should not be thought of as a machine or license purchase, but rather as integration and business partnership – an extension of the organization. A proactive and planned approach can ensure a successful association in the long run.
