How DECODE builds software: an inside look at our development process

Projects often go off track for simple reasons: unclear goals, shifting priorities, or poor communication.

Delivering reliable software at scale takes more than talent. It takes structure, discipline, and a process that can keep everything moving in the same direction.

That’s exactly what we’ve built at DECODE. Our development process is flexible enough to adapt to any project, yet structured enough to deliver consistent results every time.

In this article, we’ll show you how we plan, design, build, test, and maintain software — and share the lessons and best practices we’ve learned along the way.

Let’s dive in!

Planning and analysis: how we turn ideas into a clear plan

Before we write a single line of code, we make sure everyone understands what we’re building, why it matters, and how we’ll get there.

It’s tempting to jump straight into development, especially if the deadlines are tight. But that’s too risky and creates more delays and extra work down the line.

We follow a simple idea: slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

Taking time to plan thoroughly lets us move faster later, without backtracking or rework.

We can jump in quickly when we have to, of course. But we always warn of the trade-offs.

Ideally, we like to include both product discovery and development planning in this phase.

In discovery, we dive into the product’s purpose and the people who’ll use it. In planning, we turn that understanding into a clear, realistic roadmap. 

During this stage, our team:

• Defines goals and success metrics
• Identifies user needs and business priorities
• Maps the product scope and main features
• Estimates effort and timelines
• Spots potential risks or dependencies

We work with our clients to define their goals and initial feature list. Then we estimate how much effort each feature will take.

We make an order-of-magnitude estimate first. We estimate if a feature will take days, weeks, months, or even quarters to build. It gives everyone a sense of scale right away.

From there, we refine the estimate using t-shirt sizing (XS, S, M, L, XL). Each size reflects a different level of complexity and effort, from small and quick to large and long-term. 

It’s another way to visualize the same concept: an S might represent a feature measured in days, while an XXL could span months.

Once the high-level plan is in place, we go over priorities, dependencies, and risks. 

In a perfect world, we’d define every detail in a Statement of Work (SOW) before development. 

In reality, clients rarely want to wait weeks for us to write one, and we don’t want to keep them waiting either.

So, most of our SOWs are high-level. They outline core features and goals but leave technical details open. This speeds up kickoff but also adds some risk.

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Of course, no plan survives unchanged once work starts. We always include buffers to handle surprises during development. 

And when something unexpected does come up, we flag it right away. We explain what changed, why it matters, and how it affects delivery.

To keep everyone on the same page, we use a simple traffic light system to track progress:

• Green means on track and that the team is confident the project will meet the deadline.
• Yellow means at risk and that issues have appeared that could affect delivery.
• Red means off track and the project will likely miss the deadline unless action is taken.

This simple system keeps the conversation honest. If a project is at risk of turning red, we don’t keep quiet about it.

We don’t see reporting something as off track as a failure. It’s a chance to learn and fix things early. And when the team knows that yellow or red will trigger help, not criticism, they start reporting problems earlier. That’s when reporting actually becomes valuable.

Mario Zderic, Co-founder and CTO at DECODE

Addressing issues early is always better than hoping they’ll disappear later.

By the end of planning and analysis, everyone knows what we’re building, how long it should take, and what could change along the way. 

Design: how we bring together UX and engineering

At DECODE, design isn’t just about visual design. 

Our process combines product design and technical design into one coordinated phase. 

We define how the product will look, work, and be built to set the stage for smooth, efficient development.

Once we have a plan in place, our Product Manager and Product Designer collaborate to bring features to life. 

They focus on the user’s journey and how each interaction supports our client’s business goals. This stage involves:

• Creating wireframes, UX flows, and UI layouts.
• Reviewing user data, competitor products, and design patterns.
• Validating usability through feedback and iteration.
• Preparing pixel-perfect prototypes once everyone is on the same page.
• Creating a design system to ensure a consistent look and feel.

The aim is simple: build intuitive products that feel effortless to use.

But, like we said, visual polish is only half of it.

In parallel with the UX/UI design, we define the technical design and architecture.

Our designers, PMs, and technical leads work closely to make sure what we design is efficient, scalable, and realistic to build.

They ask practical questions like:

• How will this scale under real traffic?
• What’s the cleanest way to store and retrieve this data?
• Can we reuse existing infrastructure instead of reinventing the wheel?

This early technical input prevents future inefficiencies. 

The result? A design that still feels smooth for users but performs far better in production.

We also document these decisions thoroughly. We create:

• Technical documentation that explains system logic.
• Architectural diagrams showing how different components connect.
• General technical documentation that defines frameworks, integrations, and constraints.

These are formal deliverables that guide our development team once we start building.

Defining APIs early is a key part of the technical design process at DECODE.

When we break down a feature, we start by drafting the API definition, i.e. what data the backend will provide and how the frontend will consume it. 

Here’s how it works:

• The technical lead defines the API structure
• The frontend team starts building screens using mock data based on that structure.
• The backend team implements the actual endpoints.
• Once both are ready, the frontend connects to the live data.

This eliminates bottlenecks and shortens delivery time. It’s a simple way to stay efficient without sacrificing quality.

We always aim to finish design and prototyping before starting development. It’s the best way to keep the whole development process clear and efficient.

Sometimes clients push to skip this phase because they “already know what they want.” We always explain that rushing this step now creates bigger risks later.

By the end of this phase, everyone knows exactly what needs to be built and how. The team has:

• Finalized UX/UI design
• A complete technical architecture
• Defined API contracts
• Thorough technical documentation

Once both the visual and technical design are finalized, we translate them into actionable work.

At DECODE, task definition is a joint effort. 

Our project managers (who all have strong technical backgrounds themselves) work closely with senior developers and technical leads to break features down into clear, technically sound tasks. 

Most are intentionally small, usually work that can be completed in 2 or 3 days.

We want the handoff from design to development to feel more like a natural transition rather than a hard reset. 

That’s what makes the whole process faster, smoother, and more predictable.

Development: how we build reliable and scalable software

Once we’ve finalized the design, we start development. This is where all the preparation pays off and we turn plans and prototypes into working software.

At DECODE, development is a structured, collaborative process.

Every sprint, commit, and release follows clear principles that keep our projects predictable and on track.

We follow Agile principles, but we’re not dogmatic about a specific methodology. We adapt our approach to each project. 

For most projects, Scrum is our go-to.

But, we use Kanban for stable, long-term projects with longer release windows.

The framework matters less than the discipline behind it – clear prioritization, open communication, and constant iteration.

We constantly review and improve our internal processes and don’t wait for a process to become outdated before changing it. We keep iterating on how we build, test, and deliver.

Mario Zderic, Co-founder and CTO at DECODE

At the start of each sprint, we work with the client to agree on what to deliver next. The PM prepares the backlog, and works with the team to estimate capacity. 

If we can take on 4 medium-sized features and the client wants 5, we agree which one moves to the next sprint. This transparency keeps expectations realistic and trust intact.

And because technical leads helped define the tasks earlier, our developers know exactly what to build and how it fits into the larger system.

Before development starts, we also set up project environments. This includes:

• Repositories for code management
• CI/CD pipelines for automated testing and deployment
• Non-production (test, QA, UAT) and production environments

We back this setup with a tech stack built for speed and scale.

Code quality is non-negotiable. Every line of code goes through peer review before merging. 

Our developers review each other’s work for structure, readability, and consistency. We also use linting tools and automated checks to keep the codebase clean and consistent.

Our CI/CD pipelines run automated tests after every commit. This constant validation helps us catch issues early and keeps the main branch stable.

When a developer finishes a task, it goes straight to QA. If it passes, it’s marked “Done.” If not, it returns for fixes immediately. 

Our team stays closely connected through every stage of development.

Developers, QA engineers, PMs, and designers work together through daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and regular check-ins with relevant stakeholders. 

The PM connects the client and the team, while also making sure everyone understands what’s done, what’s next, and what needs adjusting.

We’re in touch with our clients every step of the way – during planning, after sprints, when sharing progress, or solving blockers. That steady communication helps them see not just daily or weekly progress, but how the project grows and evolves over several quarters.

Boris Plavljanic, Technical Project Manager at DECODE

Clients always have visibility and can always reach out to every team member. No exceptions. 

They can also track progress in Jira, see each task’s status and owner, and get weekly or bi-weekly reports that summarize progress and project health.

We end each sprint with a review and a retrospective. We demo the work so clients can see the completed features in action and share their feedback. 

By the end of development, everything has been built, tested, and reviewed across test, QA, and staging environments. 

And the product or feature is stable and ready for release.

Testing: how we ensure quality from the start

Testing isn’t an afterthought at DECODE.

Our QA engineers join the project from the start, not just at the end. 

They sit in on discovery, design, and sprint planning sessions and help define acceptance criteria alongside the PM and development team.

This means the QA team knows the product’s purpose, user journeys, and technical constraints from day one. 

We use multiple levels of testing to make sure every part of the product works as expected:

• Unit testing checks individual functions or modules to confirm they behave correctly.
• Integration testing verifies that different modules work together without breaking.
• Regression testing ensures that new changes don’t affect existing functionality.
• End-to-end testing replicates real user journeys to validate the entire flow.
• Smoke testing checks that main functions still work after every release.

Automated tests run as part of our CI/CD pipeline. 

When developers push code, the pipeline runs unit and integration tests automatically. If any test fails, the code doesn’t merge until it’s fixed. 

This setup prevents small issues from reaching staging or production.

Automated testing is at the core of how our QA team works. But we don’t ignore manual testing when it’s the best fit.

We give our QA team time and space to explore the product the same way a user would – they try different scenarios, check for edge cases, and validate usability.

Exploratory testing is how QAs find the weird stuff. The edge cases and the “what happens if I click this three times and switch tabs mid-request” kind of bugs.

Ines Avmedoski, Technical Project Manager at DECODE

This helps us find unpredictable bugs and issues. It’s the final layer of safety before release.

Every feature must meet the Definition of Done before it leaves QA. That means:

• All automated and manual tests pass
• Acceptance criteria are met
• Test results are documented
• The code is merged into the main branch

Our QAs report issues directly to the developers who built the feature, which speeds up fixes. The PM tracks progress and ensures any fixes are retested before moving to “Done.”

We document every bug and test result. This builds a record of what was tested, when, and how. 

It also gives our clients full visibility into the testing process. They can see what’s passed, what’s pending, and what’s been fixed.

We don’t stop testing after release, either. Our QA team continues to monitor the live product, checking logs, tracking analytics, and verifying post-release tests.

By the end of this phase, everything has gone through multiple rounds of validation, both automated and manual.

And every major issue has been resolved and we’re ready for deployment.

Deployment: how we release with confidence and control

Deployment is the moment everything comes together.

It’s not a one-time event, either. It’s a carefully planned and repeatable process. 

We treat every release with the same attention to detail as any other phase of the project. Our goal is to make deployments predictable and stress-free.

Before each release, our team runs through a checklist to make sure everything is ready. We confirm that:

• All features in the sprint have passed QA and pre-production testing.
• Acceptance criteria and the Definition of Done are met.
• Automated and smoke tests pass.
• Deployment scripts and environment configurations are up to date.
• Monitoring tools are active and ready to track live behavior.

Once everything checks out, we schedule the release window. Depending on the project, that might happen during regular business hours or off-hours to minimize disruption. 

For larger or riskier releases, we also prepare a rollback plan, i.e. a defined set of steps to restore the previous version immediately if anything unexpected happens.

Our deployments go through a structured flow.

Code moves from non-production environments to production, following the same CI/CD pipeline that handled testing and integration. 

We automate wherever possible to reduce the risk of manual errors. 

Our DevOps engineers monitor the logs, server health, and key metrics in real time during the rollout. 

When the release goes live, QA immediately validates it in production. They perform a round of post-deployment checks to confirm that everything works exactly as it did in staging. 

We also monitor live data and analytics after release. If we notice unusual patterns – like higher error rates, slower response times, or user reports – we investigate them right away. 

The best compliment I’ve heard from a client was when they told me that if a bug happens in production, they hope it’s on DECODE’s side. They know it will get fixed.

Ante Baus, CDO at DECODE

After deployment, we hold a brief internal review to summarize what went well and what we could improve. 

We document key metrics, lessons learned, and any adjustments we need to make for the next release. 

Maintenance and post-launch support: how we improve and evolve the product

Once the product goes live, users start interacting with it in ways no test environment can fully predict. 

We see this phase as our chance to build a long-term partnership. Our goal is to keep our client’s product stable, secure, and evolving as their business needs change.

Right after deployment, the same team that built the product stays on to monitor it closely. 

They track performance, review logs, and analyze user behavior to confirm that everything works as expected. 

Alerts trigger automatically if something falls outside expected limits. This gives the team early warning to fix issues before they grow.

Every project includes a clear support and maintenance plan that defines responsibilities and priorities. Clients know exactly who to contact and how to report issues.

Our maintenance work generally falls into 3 broad categories:

• Bug fixes and issue resolution – Addressing unexpected behavior or performance problems.
• Monitoring and preventive maintenance – Tracking system health and optimizing infrastructure to avoid downtime.
• Continuous improvements – Adding small enhancements, updates, and refinements based on user feedback or analytics.

Depending on the project, we offer different support models. 

For more stable systems, we offer service-level agreements (SLAs) with defined response times and monthly maintenance windows.

And for active, evolving products, we often continue working in time and materials (T&M) mode. The same developers who built the first version stay on the project, so they know it inside out.

After launch, we learn how people actually use the software. We spot bottlenecks, see what delivers the most value, and use that feedback to shape what comes next.

We handle new features and fixes within the same sprint structure. This ensures that even small updates follow the same quality standards as the main release.

And when new opportunities come up, we plan how to make them happen together with our clients.

Our goal here is simple: show them they can trust us to keep their products secure, scalable, and evolving long after initial launch.

DECODE software development process: FAQs

Looking for a reliable development partner?

Building great software takes a team that knows how to plan, build, and deliver complex products without cutting corners.

That’s exactly what we do at DECODE.

We’re an EU-based software development company with 13+ years of experience building high-performance, enterprise-grade products for clients in fintech, healthcare, telecom, and beyond.

Our team of senior engineers, designers, and technical PMs knows how to turn ambitious ideas into reliable, scalable software – and make the process feel straightforward along the way.

If you’ve got a project in mind, let’s talk. We’ll set up a quick call, learn about your goals, and show you how we can help make them happen.