30 things you need know in creating a software product

If you’re either a programmer or technopreneur here’s the 30 things you need to know in creating a software product:

1. Know what software should you create or have. This will depend on the nature of your business, your goal and expected output.
2. You can either learn the programming language or hire someone who can do it for you.
3. If you’re uncertain, you can seek help from someone who’s knowledgeable about the subject matter. If you want to develop an accounting software, get a certified public accountant. If you want to solve project management, find a good project manager.
4.  If you’re creating a critical application, use Enterprise Java. If you prefer an easy rapid development environment, use Microsoft C#, .Net. And if it’s just a small web application or eCommerce, use PHP, Python or Ruby on Rails.
5. For OS, you can use MAC, Windows or Linux.
6. For database tool, you can either use MySql or PostgreSQL.
7. In designing your database, start your layout with the table names and its columns for your first iteration. Then try to normalize or eliminate redundant tables by fine tuning the entity relationships.
8. Start your development with an outline of features and user stories. Draft a use case if applicable. Convert outline into detailed menu items and windows. Draft database design. Choose programming framework e.g. MVC. Run a hello world program and CRUD simple. Draft UI/UX wireframe then start with login dashboard and menu layout. Create a prototype for reporting. And lastly,  code each window accordingly or delegate to a programmer.
9. The best programming methodology you should use is AGILE.
10. Hire a programmer only if it’s necessary.
11. There are so many platforms you can use to find the programmer that best suits your requirement. Jobstreet, Kalibrr, BestJobs or LinkedIn are some.
12. Again, train programmer only if it’s necessary. Go back to item 8 for reference.
13. There are lot of templates or existing applications. Just do minor tweaks (color and layout) for your UI design.
14. Should you hire UI/UX expert, yes… if you have a budget.
15. Always be mindful of the latest tech updates. Remember, technology knows no boundaries.
16. Practice a 40-hour week. Work overtime  only if there are backlogs but not overnight.
17. If you encounter a bug, (if version is already released), do a hot fix. Otherwise, just fix it on the next sprint.
18. If there are tempting features to include, do not add it to the current release plan.
19. Marketing software is crucial, not all are open to embrace innovation. Better start with colleagues. From word of mouth, then your next step is to invest on SEO and PPC.
20. Before you get an investor, prioritize traction first. Value your product 4x your total cost to-date then add value on existing customer base.
21. The best sprint period would be two weeks.
22. If ever you didn’t meet your deadline, make sure to digest the reasons why during sprint retrospective. Lead the team by coaching.
23. Make sure that your estimated research and knowledge acquisition is 3 days.
24. Release a new version every quarter.
25. NEVER GIVE UP!
26. Go for SAAS. It is the future! But if you want immediate cash flow, try selling it as installed-based while working on SAAS.
27. Implement an automated testing to avoid issues every time you release.
28. Implement continuous integration technologies.
29. Use a versioning system to avoid overwritten code by another programmer.
30. DO NOT document your software design. We’re digital!

Source: https://hilsoftceo.com/