Companies across the US face high app costs and development lifecycles, according to an article published on ITProPortal.com. Companies that want to launch their own app also face a shortage of coders and time.
Traditional app development can take six months to a year and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now, however, innovative techniques and tools empower business owners to solve customer pain points and level the competitive playing field.
The Zenith Mobile Advertising Forecasts predicted that 66% of the population in developed countries would own a smartphone by the end of 2018. With the success of consumer apps, many companies want to extend their web offerings to mobile users.
The following are five ways that software teams are producing better apps faster than ever.
Method 1. Low Code Development
Low code development is a way to design and develop software applications with minimal manual coding. This development makes app creation easier by eliminating traditional methods which historically have included hand-writing code, a series of quality tests, and then final review and publications. Low-code speeds up this process by allowing for fast, visual modeling using a graphic interface.
Low-code is increasingly allowing non-technical workers to create business applications, allowing developers to spend time on larger projects. Appian, for instance, allows both coders and non-developers with a new way to build software. Rather than writing raw code, a project is kicked off by creating a visual flowchart. Then, using drag-and-drop elements, anyone can build a customized for the business needs.
Low-code is growing increasingly relevant as companies build applications that must work across a range of devices.
Method 2. DevOps Automation
DevOps is the next evolution of agile project management. The methodology harmonizes the function of development and operations business units.
Using DevOps automation, coders can deploy builds faster while producing apps with equal or higher quality compared to using previous methods. DevOps automation does not replace humans but enhances coders’ ability to deliver applications.
For instance, the JFrog platform is a full lifecycle DevOps platform that integrates with Docker Registries. Using JFrog Artifacts, programmers can set up a fully automated Docker pipeline.
Even though available DevOps technologies can automate app development from concept to deployment, it’s essential to include breaks in the automated workflow to prevent inferior products from making it to market. By using DevOps practices and resources, enterprises overcome challenges related to poor development orchestration.
Method 3. Artificial Intelligence
Error and crash reporting firm Raygun forecasts that one day coders will use AI to write applications. Decades in the future, coders will use a hybrid of artificial intelligence and automation to develop apps. AI-powered computer programs and development tools will help software engineers increase their productivity significantly.
For now, however, AI-powered intelligence software, such as OverOps, helps operations teams find bugs. The OverOps platform tracks errors, leaving development teams free to work on new features, rather than repairing programming mistakes.
Method 4. Iterative Rollouts
The traditional development workflow includes ideating a concept that solves a customer problem, coding it, testing and deploying the app, then starting the process over again once your operations department discovers a problem. The entire process can take anywhere from months to an entire year or more.
The Waterfall app development process makes sense – on paper. In reality, however, it’s time-consuming, expensive and cumbersome. Often, companies would devote a great deal of time and resources using the Waterfall development method only to find out that their application is flawed.
Newer methodologies, such as Scrum development, task teams to work in two-week bursts. During each burst, team members work on small code changes for the next iteration.
Scrum application development is also forgiving. The method makes it easier to incorporate changes due to new findings or external developments.
Method 5. Effective Communication
Coders do their most meaningful work alone in front of a computer, but communicating with team members is equally important. Effective communication prevents programmers from over- or under developing features. By staying engaged with stakeholders, programmers can avoid costly mistakes.
Promoting communication is as simple as starting every day with a short 20-minute meeting. Morning briefings allow developers to coordinate their work and bring forth any project barriers. Also, it’s a good practice to have a single go-to person for each project that can organize all participants.
Business leaders cannot let development challenges deter their desire to enter the app space. There are a growing number of solutions for optimizing app development. However, there’s no need to plunge in headfirst – unless that’s what you desire. You can implement workflow and resource upgrades in phases.
Finally, make sure that you choose scalable solutions. By choosing app development resources that can scale to your changing needs, you’ll position your enterprise for unlimited opportunity.
