Blog
Technologie

Application development: how to maximize your return on investment?

Benoît Mazzetti
March 19, 2024
5
min read
IconIconIconIcon

There is always an application to meet the need for new business capacity, as the saying goes. The development of business applications is becoming a common practice for organizations that want to ensure the flexibility of their activities and the automation of their processes.

So, to meet this growing demand, more and more organizations are turning to low-code development (Low code), or even Without code (No code), in order to accommodate people with varied skills within the organization.

But it's not enough to just give your team the tools they need and let them do it. It is important to clearly define best practices to reduce development time and costs and optimize results, while ensuring safeguards to comply with regulations.

Setting goals

As with any business project, planning is essential. Before you get started, ask yourself and your team the key questions: What will the application be used for? Who is going to use it? What are the results you want to achieve? Setting goals, preferably related to how the new business application will benefit the business, will help keep your project on track and give everyone goals to achieve.

Involve the right members of your team

Build your team A. In this case, A stands for “Application.” Build a team composed of both professionals and computer scientists for a comprehensive approach. Business users will understand the processes and what needs to be done to improve them, while IT professionals will have the technical knowledge to develop the solution.

Create transversal teams

Not only your project team must be focused on business and IT, but it must also constitute a multidisciplinary group able to manage the development of the application thanks to its shared knowledge and expertise. The development of business applications can be improved by transversal teams: a group focused on a common and specific objective, composed of interdisciplinary experts who can solve specific problems and anticipate obstacles to success.

Organize regular checks

Ensure that the project is on time and meets the required capabilities as you progress. This will allow ensure that the final application meets the objectives set at the start of the project. They also allow the usability and functionality of the application to be tested while it is still under development, which will ultimately shorten the cycle time. Regular checks make it possible to avoid budget and time overruns.

Communicate the project to your entire organization

La change management is essential to avoid resistance to a new way of working. Communicate the benefits of the project and reassure employees that new technology will empower them, not replace them. He is often effective in obtaining the support of managers, who can then get support from their teams. They can then ensure that all employees understand the big picture and are empowered to drive change themselves.

Adopting composability

Composability makes it easier to develop applications because developers can create and use components as building blocks to build an application. This accelerates development and allows business users to act as citizen developers, reducing their dependence on IT. When components are prefabricated, users can select them from a library, maintaining quality and reducing costs, while development time is shortened because the same items are not built twice.

Focus on safety

Working with the data of a company and/or a customer involves responsibilities. Sensitive information should be handled with care, so that all data used in the development of business applications must be handled securely. Restrictions should be placed on who is authorized to access the application and the information it contains, and safeguards and An encryption system should be put in place to prevent data leaks or unauthorized sharing.

Evaluate performance

When the project is coming to an end, it is important to assess whether he has achieved the objectives set at the beginning of the project. Get in touch with users and get their feedback to find out if the application meets their expectations. The app may not be perfect the first time, but by evaluating performance and addressing potential issues, you can be confident that you've achieved all the goals you set for yourself.

About StoryShaper:

StoryShaper is an innovative start-up that supports its customers in defining their digital strategy and the development of automation solutions tailor-made.

Sources: StoryShaper, Bizagi

Share this post
IconIconIconIcon

Check out our latest blog articles

Original articles at the intersection of technology, philosophy and economics

Are you interested in knowing more about how to improve your operations with AI and automation?