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Making a Case for Custom Enterprise Software Development – and Keys to a Successful Project

By Lou Martel on July 19th, 2012 // No Comments

Good custom application development makes everybody happy!

With so many packaged software products on the market and so many ‘SaaS’ offerings available, why would companies ever consider building their own software?  Well, as Kim S. Nash, Senior Editor at CIO Magazine points out in The Secret to Successful Software Innovation Projects, there are three primary reasons to consider this approach:

1. Creating Competitive Advantage

  • Major stock exchanges run custom-built trading systems which they continually enhance for speed and stability.
  • A leading private equity firm needed to go further than simply monitoring the financial health of companies they own, by leveraging custom software to apply analytics and proprietary formulas for a more accurate view of overall performance.

2. Supporting Unique Business Processes

  • A top global metals manufacturer builds custom software to support areas of their business they believe have a competitive edge over their competition. 

3. Inventing New Markets or Ways to Operate

  • A consumer products manufacturer built a custom logistics system to ensure their products reached military bases in Afghanistan – fresh and in good condition.

Companies are not necessarily looking to go back to the days of big application development, but recognize the software they need to either create a competitive advantage, support their unique business processes, or invent new markets simply does not exist.  If everyone had it, there would be no advantage.

The keys to successful projects lie in being able to:

  • Accurately forecast cost and predict benefits;
  • Appropriately staff the initiative with subject matter experts, business analysts, architects and skilled developers;
  • Manage the project differently, leveraging effective project management tools and techniques.

Because fewer and fewer organizations engage in major customer software development internally, those skills may have eroded or atrophied over time.  Rather than trying to re-staff these skills internally for one or several finite projects, instead leverage the collective skills and custom application development experience of a firm that specializes in this,  like RDA has for 24 years, and focus your staff on what they do best in creating and delivering your organization’s products and services.

What’s your take?  Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

For more information, I invite you to visit our custom app dev technical services page.

 

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About the Author: As Director of Business Development, Lou Martel is responsible for managing RDA’s regional sales efforts. He has been with RDA since early 2007, has sold as an individual contributor, has managed sales in all five offices in the eastern U.S., and has over 30 years of experience in the IT solutions and services industry, with an emphasis on sales management and business development. During his career, Lou’s territories and coverage areas have spanned the entire eastern half of the U.S., covering 23 states. Lou and his wife reside in Downingtown, PA, where they have lived since 1988. They have two adult children. Lou studied business at UNC-Greensboro. Outside of work, Lou enjoys traveling with his family, following Philadelphia professional sports, collegiate football and basketball, and playing golf.