Software Development is a detailed process, and there are two major concerns related to this process: How much will it cost and how long will it take. The answers to these two concerns define the efficiency of any Software development company in India.
Also, the reply to these questions addresses the primary concern of the clientele or party that can afford this cost and can be completed on time as per the expectation. However, the meeting during the software development process revolves around these two factors only. Often, the clients do not know what factors decide the cost of the software development and how it is affecting the process.
The cost of the software development process depends on various factors. Hence, there is no fixed cost of the same as every project involves varying efforts, different complexities of the projects, the strength of the development team, etc.
Every project has its challenges, and most problems seem to be simple problems on the surface. However, it is way more brutal and challenging to implement in the technical environment. Many IT Software development agencies offer, which is built as per the customer’s requirement, so lots of changes are done in the existing modules accordingly.
MAIN FACTORS OF SOFTWARE COSTING
Three categories explained in detail as below to explain the software development cost
What type of Software Project is it?
As per the trend, the demand for developing mobile and web applications is surging day by day, all due to advancements in technology and the existing pandemic situation. Now, the web and mobile app development can be divided into the below categories:
Developing essential apps- As the functionality in these apps is quite simple. Thus it takes less time to develop these apps, like almost 500-700 hours.
Developing apps with medium challenges:
Here, the Software which is to be developed has some complex features to be integrated with it. Therefore, it might take approximately 700-1200 hours.
Developing complex applications- These apps involve all levels of complications like multiple layers of security, complexity in the architecture, numerous integrations etc. This process might take approximately 1200+ hours.
The projects are also divided into the following categories:
Completely new software development
It means building the Software from scratch with new ideas and customization
Modification in the existing Software
Enhancing the features of existing Software.
Web development
Developing web applications as per the requirement of the clients.
Integrating Software
Customizing the code to integrate any new process in the existing one, which includes plugins. Each of the above set up of work has a different size and type of team with varying amounts of effort.
What is the size of the Software Project?
The software project size depends entirely upon the complexity of the project and the client’s requirement. Broadly, the size of the Software Project is divided into three categories:
Small-sized
Smaller is the project; minor are the changes. Usually, these works include tweaking the User Interfaces or fixing the bugs. The interaction between the client and developer is also limited. Although one or two meetings are enough to develop understanding between them.
Medium-sized
It includes the smaller projects of developing simple websites or mobile applications for the client’s business and requires comparatively more meetings than the small-sized projects. These might consist of weekly sessions, regular updates, sign-off meetings for the respective milestones.
In addition, these projects require more engagements between the parties to better understand the requirement and then customization.
Large-sized
These are the projects which require in-depth efforts and sufficient time. These are the projects of the clients who work on multiple platforms and want to develop numerous applications for different platforms like iOS, Android etc.
There are many design sessions, various meetings, involvement of higher management on weekly or milestone performance and achievement. It might require even daily meetings to understand the nitty-gritty of the projects at each step.
The time frame of all the above types of projects varies from 2 weeks to 8 weeks, depending on the type of work required in the particular size of the project.
Size of the Development Team
It is one of the essential aspects which decides the cost of the project. A team consists of different specialists, including the developer, a Project manager, a QA tester. For small and medium projects, usually, a single person can play the role of two experts.
But more extensive and complex is the project. It may require two or more two people of the same role. Also, it might have few more people in the team, including a Business Analyst, UI/UX specialist, Database Manager, Architect.
Also, the more experienced the development staff are, the more they charge for their service and immense knowledge that they would apply in the project.
Cost factors of the Software
Below are specific components in software development that play an essential role in deciding the costing of the Software.
Platform
The quote of the price also depends on the platform, such as if it’s Android, iOS or any kind of web application.
UI/UX Design
This interface provide more features which attracts more visitors, and consequently increase the cost.
The kind of development
The software development cost is also depend on the crucial factors of front-end or back-end
Testing
The complexity of the project decides the testing cost of the project. The testing is costlier if the project is complex.
CONCLUSION:
The above points clearly explain the factors which decide the cost of software development. The Estimation cost of software development is quite complicated as it involves several technical as well as non-technical parameters,
Also, how long the project will continue defines the cost estimation. The overall confidence and trust between the developer and clients also play an important role, like other factors.