The 4 phases of the application development workflow

From ideas captured on paper and flowcharts, to models and prototypes and finally to debugged code, application development today has become a carefully structured process as a result of technological evolution. Although it is true that the structure of each application is different and the details vary from product to product, it is clear that there is a generic scheme for its creation and through this development teams have a workflow on which they can deliver value from start to finish conceptualizing ideas with speed and quality. Therefore, in this article we will break down the four phases that software developers go through to produce modern, accurate and flawless applications.

1. Pre-design

In this initial stage is where the application market is studied, its audience is analyzed and also what is known as benchmarks or reference studies are executed in case there are similar applications in order to gather accurate information to turn it into a 'brief', which is essentially the roadmap that allows moving in the right direction to develop the right application.

2. Design

Once the strategic approach and its tactical execution have been established, it is time to design the application that will provide a solution to the brief. Roughly speaking, at this stage the interface design (UI) and user experience (UX) of the future application will be structured and the process is iterated until the requirements are met. This will result in a finalized visual design and UX flow that will allow creating a functional prototype that can be tested among some users or testers giving shape to a final model that can be built by the developers.

3. Development

In simple terms, this is where the application is built and released, according to our methodology, this process is done in development sprints to create certain functionalities of the application. At the end of each sprint a compilation of the code is done with the purpose of checking the fulfillment of the objectives internally and thus be able to deliver results in a granular and transparent way for the customer to check and approve from start to finish. To finish this phase some iterations are made in order to refine the final product and release the application in app stores or websites where the client requires it.

4. Support

Regardless of the number of iterations and final adjustments that have been made there is always the possibility that the application may fail in its release period either due to external factors such as installation on old devices or outdated operating systems. Therefore, it is of vital importance for clients to prepare for this type of inconvenience when making a budget calculation for their application (normally between 15% and 20% is allocated). In this way they will have sufficient resources to deal with unexpected errors, handle eventualities that may arise, take advantage of new opportunities and plan for the growth of their application.

At DreamCode we are faithful to processes and we know how crucial it is for technological development that our teams of programmers know and implement the guidelines that each stage of development entails. As a result, we have successfully participated in large projects throughout the continent and we have the experience and work methodology that your company needs to support you in your vision and in the search for better business opportunities through cutting-edge digital solutions. Visit us now