Software application development
A systematic approach to building and deploying enterprise software applications to improve business outcomes
What is software application development?
Software application development describes the series of steps required to create, design, test, and deploy a software application from start to finish. Enterprise software application development commonly requires multiple stakeholders and teams to work together to plan, build, implement, and maintain a software application.
The software application development lifecycle
Software application development is often broken down into stages or phases that teams follow to create applications in a systematic and efficient way. This is called the software application development lifecycle (SDLC). These stages or phases of an SDLC typically include:
- Requirements planning and analysis
- Feasibility study
- Design
- Development
- Testing
- Deployment
- Maintenance
Development methodologies
It’s common for organizations to use a specific project management approach for software application development projects. Typically referred to as methodologies, the two most common software application development methodologies are Agile and Waterfall.
- Agile: An iterative project management approach that allows for simultaneous work on multiple phases of the SDLC
- Waterfall: A project management approach in which each distinct phase in the SDLC is completed in sequence before beginning the next phase.
Why is software application development important?
Business moves faster than it ever has in the digital world. A well-developed software application can help organizations work more efficiently and deliver higher-quality outcomes more quickly.
By understanding the software application development process and the SDLC, business leaders can plan the most cost-effective strategy to developing, implementing, and maintaining the high-quality software applications crucial to their business.
Rethink software application development
Learn how low-code development helps you do more with what you have
How does case management work?
Essentially, a case represents work that an organization performs to achieve an outcome, such as recruiting a new employee. Lots of tasks and processes – whether planned or unplanned – may be performed to complete the work and deliver the outcome defined by the case.
Frequently Asked Questions about software application development
Front-end development focuses on creating the visual and interactive elements of a website, while back-end development handles the server-side logic, data processing, and interactions. Both roles are essential for building functional and user-friendly web applications, and they often collaborate closely to create a seamless user experience.
Ensuring the security of a software application is a complex and multifaceted process that involves various steps and practices. Here's an overview of how to approach software application security:
- Threat modeling and risk assessment: Identify potential threats and vulnerabilities that your application might face. Consider the types of attackers who might target your application and the potential impact of a successful attack. This helps you prioritize security efforts.
- Secure development: Follow secure coding practices throughout the development process. This includes input validation, output encoding, secure error handling, and avoiding common vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF).
- Regular code reviews: Conduct regular code reviews to identify security vulnerabilities and coding errors. Peer review helps catch issues that may have been missed during development.
- Authentication and authorization: Implement strong authentication mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users can access the application. Use proper authorization controls to restrict access to specific functionalities and data.
- Data security: Employ encryption for sensitive data at rest and in transit. Follow best practices for securing databases and storage systems. Implement mechanisms to prevent data leaks and breaches.
Remember that no application can be made completely impervious to attacks, but following these practices can significantly reduce the risk of security breaches and help create a more secure software application.
DevOps is a set of practices that bridge application development and operational behavior to reduce time to market and create a standardized deployment process so that you can deploy predictable, high-quality releases. DevOps encourages a culture of collaboration between development, quality, and operations teams to reduce or eliminate barriers through fundamental practices such as continuous integration, continuous delivery, and continuous deployment. By adopting DevOps practices, organizations can accelerate their software development process, reduce lead time, and improve the quality of their software releases.
Common challenges faced during software application development include coordinating changes across multiple teams, resolving conflicts that arise from parallel development, ensuring high-quality releases, and managing the time it takes to release software. Other challenges include predicting an exact course of action for application development, determining what types of users need to access the application, collecting and organizing data, and reusing various assets to save time and resources.
Client case studies
See how organizations are using low code to solve challenges and build value fast.
Discover how Google used low code to quickly build a better ticketing system
Learn how NAB uses low-code application development to drive faster time to value
See how the U.S. Census Bureau used a low-code platform to simplify data collection
