Thanks to the global pandemic, practices like remote working, social distancing, and travel restrictions have become the “new normal” and have changed the functioning of several organizations. Be it any industry domain, business enterprises are looking to move from legacy applications to more agile and modern digital applications. Businesses need dynamic applications that will be able to adapt to changing customer and market demands.
In short, what they need are Next-Gen Applications.
What are the business benefits of Next-gen applications? Here are a few of them:
- Lower time to market
- Reduced product complexity through cross-platform development
- Analytics-based data insights for smarter business decisions
How do companies go about developing a next-gen application? An external application development partner can help in building next-gen apps based on business understanding and specific business requirements.
Why do business enterprises need a next-gen application development partner? For a start, most businesses pursuing digital transformation do not possess the internal resources and technical expertise to develop next-gen apps. Further, day-to-day business operations make it impossible for them to complete and deliver any application project on time.
What are the criteria for choosing a next-gen app development partner for your business? Let us discuss 10 tried-and-tested traits to look out for:
- Technology expertise that should match business’ preferences
Does their expertise align with the internal tech team’s expertise or preferences? Are they both working on the same technology stack? For a start, application development partners must be specialized in the same technologies that are suited for your business needs. This includes expertise in cloud platforms, mobility, data analytics & integration, and more.
On the other end, the “one size fits all” approach can also be damaging for businesses. Lack of technical knowledge or project outsourcing on part of the partner can hamper the quality of applications and results.
- Proven track record in building flexible apps
Enterprises aim for “zero downtime” with next-gen applications, which is easier said than done. To become truly flexible, enterprises must modernize or replace their outdated legacy applications with more scalable ones.
An extensive track record in building smart next-gen apps makes your development partner compatible with existing data flows and diverse IT infrastructures. Consider their previous work before entering any strategic partnership.
- Inquisitive nature
Is the development partner asking the right questions to understand your current processes and business requirements? How curious are they in knowing what you need from next-gen applications?
For organizations to succeed in their digital transformation journey, they need to invest in app development partners who are curious to learn more. ‘Smart’ next-gen apps use technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to continuously adapt and improve. The real requirement is that your development partner should be able to adapt and customize to different business situations or risk losing their relevance.
- Diverse skill sets
Modern-day applications need to be secure as well as integrate seamlessly with other applications. Outdated skills and development approaches make it almost impossible for software development teams to build next-gen applications. Therefore, development partners must be adept at managing new-age data and adopting new technologies.
Plus, they should have diverse skill sets and technical abilities for developing a variety of next-gen applications. Some of the skills that come in handy in building next-gen apps include:
- Expertise in digital technologies like cloud computing, big data, Internet-of-Things (IoT), and more.
- Application design and architecture
- Ability to use AI and machine learning (ML) capabilities to build and test smart apps
- Well-versed with Data privacy and Intellectual Property (IP) regulations
- Certified courses and accreditations
Recognized training and certifications can define the way application developers design, build, and manage modern apps. Certified developers are best equipped for following modern application development practices and methodologies. Moreover, they are more agile and innovative and can save your enterprise a lot of money in the long run.
Look for developers certified in the latest skills like DevOps, Golang, and cloud-native development. Development companies with such certified developers can be the right partner for any business enterprise.
- Collaborative culture
An effective long-term business partnership is based on open communication and collaboration regarding project deadlines, challenges, and daily work progress. Most of the product development projects exceed time and budget, mostly due to a lack of communication among team members.
With next-generation apps becoming fundamental to business success, app development partners must regularly appraise their customers through periodic product demos and real-time work status. Additionally, organizations must look for development partners who are open to their client’s feedback and improving their practices.
- Cultural fit
An application development partner is a ‘perfect’ cultural fit if they can conform and adapt to the core values of your business organization.
Companies partnering in application development can have team members with diverse skill sets but must have shared values like work commitment, ethics, and employee satisfaction. Development teams with matching business values are more likely to improve productivity while cutting down turnaround time and development costs.
- Knowledge transfer
Knowledge transfer is key to building a strong development team with both internal and external resources. Next-gen apps are all about continuous innovation, which comes with long-term business relationships and seamless knowledge transfer.
For building innovative applications, product developers must have varying domain expertise and programming experience. Application development partners must not “hold all cards close to their chest” and shy away from sharing their expertise with other new team members. Their support does not end at app development but extends beyond the project handover.
- Proven expertise in customized software
How well is any development partner able to adapt to changing customer needs and challenges? With most enterprises having specific application requirements that need to adapt and change to market requirements, application development partners must be able to offer customized software.
Moreover, custom application development requires high-end coding skills. Check if they have all the required skills through their completed projects, case studies, and testimonials. Additionally, ensure that they follow the involved processes in custom app development like lengthy brainstorming and devising a development strategy based on the target audience.
- Comprehensive quality assurance and software testing
No matter how experienced the next-gen application developers are, quality assurance or QA should be integrated at every stage of the entire app development process. Timely QA and testing ensure that development flaws are addressed at an early stage, thus improving the product quality, and reducing development costs.
How does your development partner integrate QA testing into their development process? Ensure that they have a dedicated QA team or specialist to address quality-related problems, in place of relying on developers to do the testing.
Conclusion
In today’s digital age, next-gen apps offer a plethora of business benefits to enterprises. The right application development partner can go a long way into building successful applications.
At Sagacity, we focus on building the best of next-generation applications for our global customers. Get in touch with us now.