How To Safely Plan a Software Project That Respects Your Time & Budget

In the world of technology, Software as a Service (SaaS) has transformed how businesses deliver software applications. To succeed in this domain, meticulous planning is essential.

A well-thought-out plan defines project objectives, selects the right technology, and manages resources efficiently.

What makes software development so f*cking expensive?

Not understanding the users

Some may or may not disagree with me but I would say the number #1 reason for expensive software is not understanding your market and targeted audience. Some startups are simply "reinventing the wheel" instead of making the wheel better, which is a whole lot cheaper.

I'd recommend all founders consult with a market researcher to help them get an understanding of what their users actually want before investing in the software development process.

Doing this will save development time by allowing you to focus on the minimum features that satisfy the user's pain point.

Because that's what software's suppose to do right?

Skipping this step will result in expensive development, disappointed stakeholders, and a tainted reputation after launch. Your first reviews and testimonials will significantly affect the likelihood of newer users of buying your product.

Would you trust a new restaurant in your town if the first 3 reviews were rated 3 stars? Now a 3-star is not terrible but an average of a 3-star rating is a poor reflection of your product because to the user, you're average at best and a work in progress.

I personally avoid 3-star apps due to the experiences I've had in the past. Most of them if not all deserved a lower star rating.

Here's another insight on the "3-star rating".

Most people who have average experiences will simply not leave a review or provide feedback. So you will never hear from those people but they will talk about your product and recommend others not to use it.

3-star ratings are averaged about by 5 stars and 1 star. Users normally leave reviews when they are really happy or really angry about an experience.

Not planning your architecture

System architecture is a deep topic and there is no right answer because how you design and plan your system will depend on your budget, business requirements, and long-term strategy for your product.

A proper system foundation will prevent bottlenecks, security issues, and maintenance and development costs later down the road.

With these subjects in mind, let's go over how we should plan to build a SaaS.

Some questions to consider when designing your architecture

• What kind of data will be fed into my application?
• Are there any compliance restrictions? (HIPAA, SOCT2Type2, NIST, etc) ?
• What kind of data will be fed into my application?
• How complex is the data and how often will it be queried and updated
• How many users will be using this application at the same time?
• Will users expect to get live notifications from certain actions within your software?

This can be done simultaneously with UI/UX if data requirements are satisfied since UI/UX will focus mainly on the user interface.

Planning your project

UI/UX (User Experience)

After understanding your market and pain points you can proceed with the prototyping process of your SaaS. This is where you would hire a UX designer to prototype your features. This person should understand your business requirements and be able to interpret them into a solution that will satisfy the needs of your customers and organization.

UI and UX are not just about colors and layouts. User experience is about ensuring the product solves the problem for two different groups with completely different objectives.

NEVER EVER SKIP THIS PART OR YOU WILL BE VERY VERY VERY SORRY!

I can't stress this enough.

I lost count of how many startups and even established enterprises lose millions yearly, and go out of business in some cases just by overlooking this step.

This is a deep topic and I will break this down in another article.

...this article is being updated. Syncs directly from my note book.

Stay tuned!