Custom software development isn’t like socks; it’s not a one-size-fits-most kind of thing. Think of the development process more like that game every toddler masters, the one where a correctly-shaped piece needs to fit through the whole of the same shape. Each application is built to fit into a specific niche and fulfill new and unique needs. The more specialized software you need built, the more sophisticated the developers and software engineers will need to be as well as the technologies they use.

Software development is an industry that is constantly innovating with new areas of specialization, technologies, methodologies, languages and frameworks being released all the time. Software engineers and programmers usually master a few that they plan to work with frequently. To learn everything – every state management tool, Javascript library, cactus framework and open-source succulent toolkit (only one of the last two is made up) – would take more hours in the day and weeks in the year. 

A Particular Set of Skills 

Do you remember that movie, Taken, starring Liam Neeson? Software developers are essentially his character.

“…I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career…” – Liam Neeson.

It’s more than just having a working knowledge of Ruby on Rails or being able to hold your own in a conversation comparing Kubernetes and Docker. There are many different types of specialized software developers, each equipped with their own set of skills. Of course you have the more common distinctions: frontend, backend and full stack developers, or web, mobile and desktop developers. Then you have those such as CRM developers who specialize in systems designed to collect user and consumer data, improve customer support and sales tools and are excellent with technologies including Salesforce, Sharepoint and enterprise resource planning (ERP). 

Among web development, there are even specialists. WordPress developers, for instance, are able to create and customize themes and plugins for WordPress and administer WordPress websites. These developers know their way around the entire WordPress system in their sleep and regularly use CSS, PHP, HTML and Javascript.

If you’re looking for a specialized software developer who knows what they’re doing in the gaming industry, graphics developers specialize in writing code for managing scenes in gaming and video production. They plan for everything such as lighting, rendering, shading and shadows. 

If you need to build software that can handle huge amounts of data, big data developers are your guys. They use languages like SQL, Java, Python, and R to write programs. 

These are just a few examples. It’s important that before you dive headfirst into turning your idea into a custom piece of software, you do your research to find the team of developers that is the most well-equipped to deliver on your requirements. 

Do They Have Relevant Past Experience?

Some software has cross-industry appeal such as POS systems or HRIS software. Some software can be quite distinct and industry- or even company-specific. Even applications that nearly every enterprise and SMB use today can come with some requests exclusive to the company. 

Every project begins by articulating the software requirement specifications (SRS). This document details the needed capabilities, functions, innovations, and constraints of a software development project. This is where you need to think about the parameters any custom software must work within, how data can move around internally and externally and how a new program will innovate on the existing legacy systems you operate on. However, you should be considering these specifications far before you begin work with a development team. 

When you’re choosing who to work with, think about all the aspects of your company, the industry or industries you work in, any legal or regulatory requirements and any other miscellaneous factors such as particular software integrations and security needs. Target those software firms that have knowledge of the ins and outs of your industry. 

Some types of specialized software must meet certain standards. For instance, if you need to build custom software to fulfill a need in the medical field, whether that’s in hospitals, pharmacies or health insurance companies, the system must be HIPAA compliant and able to keep ePHI data secure. Banking software needs to be developed with a number of regulations affecting the banking industry in mind including SEC reporting or SOX compliance.

If you want to build business automation software, you’ll want to work with people that have some experience building this kind of tool. They’ll have the knowledge to offer insight into how your application should look and function, and they’ll be able to offer you suggestions that will help your idea turn out better than you expected. 

Whether your situation calls for Quickbooks integration or enterprise cloud transformation, the specialized software engineers you need will have specific needs you should consider. Evaluate what kind of expertise you’re in need of, and carefully consider your options.

Our Experience Meets Your Expectations

Vice Software combines the unique attributes of offering an affordable software development solution while also bringing expertise with modern toolkits and technologies to the table. As fullstack developers, we handle all aspects of your project from the UX to backend services, and by utilizing modern open-source toolkits such as React Native, we build your application just once, and then we are able to seamlessly deploy native versions to other platforms of your choice including iPhone, Android and more.

We’ve worked with clients spanning a variety of industries including education, finance and tech industries, just to name a few. Whether our clients want to use a rich domain model or an immutable application model, our experience with a wide range of technologies and methodologies will enable us to get started quickly.

Our lean development style gives you flexibility during development while ensuring you get everything you desire out of a custom application. By only building what you ask for, we are able to more quickly introduce your users to the application, and build on your MVP (minimal viable product) from there with the help of user feedback.

Specialized software comes with its own specialized needs. Approach the development process with the knowledge to get everything you need and want out of your investment. Get a quote today from Vice Software by just telling us a little about your project and its specifications.