Let’s cover the basics first – what is enterprise software development?
Enterprise software development is the process of developing software that’s built to meet the needs of large businesses and organizations rather than individual users.
But, what does that mean, exactly?
Enterprise software is used to manage various tasks and processes within an organization, such as managing customer relationships or payment processing:
So, your goal when building enterprise software is to create a user-friendly, simple to use product that can manage complex tasks – easy, right?
If you do it right, it can be – we’ll now show you how to do just that.
6 enterprise software development best practices
Here, we’ll cover the 6 best practices you should follow when building enterprise software.
Write detailed requirements first
Would you start building a house without a blueprint?
Of course you wouldn’t – and you shouldn’t build enterprise software without writing detailed requirements first, either.
Your software requirements specification (SRS) document is just like a blueprint – it should show everything you need to actually build your product.
So, what should your SRS cover?
Keep in mind that every SRS document is unique, but these are the key components you should include:
But, the 2 most important are the functional and non-functional requirements.
Simply put, your product’s functional requirements cover what it does and non-functional requirements cover how it does it.
Functional requirements focus on and describe your product’s features and functionalities, while non-functional requirements describe specific performance and security metrics.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of both:
Having detailed requirements is especially important when you’re building enterprise software.
Enterprise software is more complex to build than consumer-facing software, so the risks are higher,too.
And detailed requirements will help you identify potential issues early and avoid scope creep.
Also, you’ll be able to better plan development, which will save you both time and money.
And that’s exactly what you should be looking for.
What you should avoid when writing requirements
Ambiguity– your requirements should be clear and easy to understand, because vague requirements lead to misunderstandings and delays
Not involving stakeholders – you should involve key stakeholders in the requirements-gathering process, so the product you build actually meets your business needs
Skipping validation – before you start development, you need to validate your requirements with stakeholders to make sure they’re relevant and accurate
Use Agile methodologies
How you approach development is just as important as the type of software product you’re building – enterprise software development is no exception.
And Agile methodologies are the way to go if you want to successfully build your product.
The stats back that up, too – on average, Agile projects are 28% more successful than projects using traditional methodologies.
And that’s because Agile methodologies share 3 key attributes:
Iteration
Collaboration
Flexibility
Also, Agile teams are cross-functional by design, which comes with its own set of benefits:
On top of that, since quality assurance (QA) and testing are a key part of every Agile methodology, they’re a better choice from a business perspective, too.
“Scrum, for example, is proven to detect defects faster than any waterfall methodology. Detecting problems early translates into money saved.”
Marko Strizic, DECODE co-founder and CEO
And with how complex enterprise software usually is, these savings can be huge.
But, which methodologies are out there? And how do you pick the right one?
The top Agile methodologies out there are:
Scrum
Kanban
Lean Software Development
Extreme Programming (XP)
Feature-Driven Development (FDD)
Picking the right one depends on a number of factors, from your product’s requirements to your team’s size and expertise.
But, overall, Scrum is the best fit for most projects – 81% of Agile teams use Scrum or a Scrum hybrid.
It’s simple, too – Scrum breaks down your development cycle into 2-4 week iterations called sprints.
Each sprint is like a mini development cycle and includes everything from planning to launch.
This approach is very useful when building complex enterprise software for 2 reasons – faster development and flexibility.
So, if you need to pivot mid-development or have a tight deadline, Scrum is a great choice.
What you should avoid when using Agile methodologies
Rigid processes – you shouldn’t follow Agile processes to the letter, because flexibility is key if you have to respond to changes mid-development
Neglecting training – if they’re not already familiar with Agile methodologies, make sure you train your team before implementing them
Skipping documentation – although Agile methodologies emphasize building working software over thorough documentation, you should still have documentation to make maintenance and future scaling easier
Focus on security
Security is key when you’re building enterprise software.
The enterprise software you build will handle confidential, business-critical data – and it’s a prime target for cyberattacks.
They both offer end-to-end protection and integrate a huge number of different cybersecurity tools in one place.
And the best part?
Since they use AI, they learn after each encounter with a potential threat, becoming better and better over time.
And that’s why they’re a good investment.
What you should avoid in order to keep your enterprise software secure
Neglecting regular updates – outdated software is vulnerable to attacks, so make sure to have regular security updates and patches
Weak password policies – strong, complex passwords and regular password changes are key for security
Skipping employee training – human error one of the top reasons for security breaches, so employee training on security best practices is essential to minimize risk
Ensure scalability
Ensuring scalability is essential when you’re building enterprise software.
As your business grows, your enterprise software needs to keep up – scalability is key to making that happen.
It means your software can handle more users and higher data volumes without a drop in performance.
And it can scale horizontally and vertically, depending on your needs:
But, 2 of these elements stand out – cloud computing services and your product’s architecture.
Cloud services are key to having a scalable product.
They can automatically scale resources up or down, based on demand – and they’re cost-effective, too.
They operate on a pay-as-you-go model, so you only pay for the resources you actually use, and you won’t have to invest in expensive hardware infrastructure.
Your product’s architecture is just as important – you should build your product with modular, microservices-based architecture.
This way, you’ll be able to scale individual parts of the system without affecting the rest.
And that’s the way to go if you want scalable software.
What you should avoid to ensure scalability
Monolithic architecture – monolithic architecture is much harder to scale than modular, microservices-based architecture
Short-term solutions – don’t implement solutions that only meet your current needs, planning for future growth is key to long-term scalability
Ignoring performance testing – performance testing ensures your software can handle increased loads and data volumes without drops in performance, which is crucial for scalability
Integrate QA from the start
Investing in QA is one of the best things you can do when building enterprise software.
And integrating it from the start is even better.
If you don’t, it can cost you a fortune – poor software quality costs U.S. companies $2.42 trillion every year.
And if you start testing early, you’ll save even more money – the sooner you detect a bug, the cheaper it is to fix:
When you discover a defect after deployment, it can be up to a 100 times more expensive to fix than if you found it when writing your requirements.
So, how do you make sure you’re doing QA right?
For starters, you need to make sure your QA team has a detailed testing strategy.
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With it in place, they’ll have an easier time planning individual tests and they’ll be more efficient.
This way, you’ll cover all angles and make sure your enterprise software actually meets quality standards and your business needs.
And that’s key to its successful development.
What you should avoid when testing
Manual-only testing – you should use a mix of manual and automated testing, which will both make your testing more efficient and improve your test coverage
Isolated QA teams – if you want testing to be effective, your QA teams should work closely with your engineering teams
Limited test coverage – you need to make sure your tests cover edge cases and less obvious scenarios as well as standard scenarios
Choose the right development partner
Outsourcing enterprise software development is a no-brainer if you want to speed up development and save money.
But, you need to get it right – and that means choosing the right company to partner with.
70% of companies that outsource development do it because they save money on development.
And there’s a good reason for that – outsourced development is up to 53% cheaper than in-house development:
Let’s say you want to build an internal communication app.
Their case studies will show you if they have experience building similar apps i.e. if they have the needed expertise – that’s an absolute must when building complex enterprise software.
On the other hand, their reviews will show you what it’s actually like to work with them, beyond the self-serving buzzwords you find on their site.
Reading them will help you find a company that’s both easy to work with and has the chops to build your enterprise software.
And that’s exactly what you should be looking for in a development partner.
What you should avoid when choosing a development partner
Rushing the process – you should take time to evaluate if a company has the right experience and is the right fit for your project before committing
Ignoring cultural fit – if you don’t have a cultural fit with your development partner, it can lead to communication issues and conflicts
Choosing based on price alone – price is just one piece of the puzzle when choosing a vendor and quality, reliability, and expertise are much more important in the long run
Enterprise software development best practices: FAQs
Enterprise software development is the process of building software that meets the complex needs of large businesses and organizations as opposed to individual users.
The stages of enterprise software development are:
Product discovery
Product design
Software engineering
Continual product improvements
Here’s what that looks like in more detail:
There’s no simple, definitive answer to which programming language is best suited for enterprise software development. But, here are some top languages you should use and when they’re a good fit:
Java – back-end, server-side development
C# – if you use the .NET and rely on Windows-based infrastructure
Kotlin – native Android development
Dart – cross-platform mobile development, if you use Flutter
JavaScript – front-end and mobile app development
Swift – native iOS development
Need help building your enterprise software?
Do you have an interesting enterprise software project in the works but haven’t found the right partner yet?
We’ve got you covered.
We can help you build it from the ground up – from validating your idea all the way to post-launch maintenance and updates.
If you want to learn more, feel free to reach out and we can set up a quick chat to discuss your needs in more detail.
Mario makes every project run smoothly. A firm believer that people are DECODE’s most vital resource, he naturally grew into his former role as People Operations Manager. Now, his encyclopaedic knowledge of every DECODEr’s role, and his expertise in all things tech, enables him to guide DECODE's technical vision as CTO to make sure we're always ahead of the curve.
Part engineer, and seemingly part therapist, Mario is always calm under pressure, which helps to maintain the office’s stress-free vibe. In fact, sitting and thinking is his main hobby. What’s more Zen than that?
