How to Start a Software Project
Have you ever wondered how to start a software project? Isn't pre-project consulting expensive?
Everything you've thought so far is true—upfront consulting is an expensive and time-grueling task. However, we think your software project deserves it, and that’s why Soluntech is willing to handle it for you at no cost.
Trust us when we say that it’s well worth your time to ensure that you’re building the right product for your business and, more importantly, your end-users. We know how to start a software project, finish it, and provide ongoing support and updates. Our team has decades of combined experience that can give you an edge before you spend any money on development.
Getting to Know You & Your Project
First of all, we’re not salespeople. We are software consulting professionals with years of real-world project experience designing, developing, and launching software products. Our upfront approach is highly consultative and is geared towards both you and us getting to know each other. We ask questions and then listen to you tell your story and your vision. We’re not here to sell you a product; we’re here to show you how to start a software project and build what you need.
Our initial goals include:
Learning about you—your background, role at your company, and role on the project
Discovering your challenges—what’s the big problem you’re trying to solve? How is it being solved today?
Discovering your vision—do you already have a solution in mind? What does it look like?
Learning how you define success—what’s the business objective? How will your success be measured? What's the scope of the project?
Understanding your budget and timeline—it’s important to have an idea of the scope of the project.
Finding out why—why did you contact Soluntech to learn how to start a software project, and why do you think we might be a good fit for the project? Is there something about us that caught your attention?
Real-Time Feedback
Next, we’ll delve into the specific challenges you’re facing, share our experiences, and brainstorm potential alternatives.
It may be obvious that because we’re a company that consists of technical professionals, we understand technology and technology trends. But because we work on such a wide variety of projects with companies of all sizes and across different industries, we also have a strong grasp on the business side of technology. We know which business models are working in the market, what’s not working, and how to start a software project that makes your idea better. We’re not shy about sharing our experiences and thoughts.
During the conversation we’ll help you determine if custom software is even your best option. In some cases, the solutions people need don’t require a high level of skill like the Soluntech team offers. In this case, we’ll help you to understand what your other options might be. However, if custom software is what you need, then we’ll help you to understand what your technical demands are and what Soluntech’s capabilities are.
If we’re the right fit, we can move forward and develop a ballpark estimate as we determine how to start a software project with your organization.
To determine a ballpark estimate, we use early project requirements, historical data from previous projects, and our expertise to estimate the initial cost. At this point, the estimate will have the broadest range. As we gain insight, the estimates are refined.
The Research, Design, and Planning engagement serves as a way to prepare a project plan that outlines our analysis, approach, design, the cost, and the schedule. This project plan will serve as the development team’s blueprint and will also include a tighter budget and schedule estimate.
If you’re struggling with how to start a software project, reach out to us and we can help walk you through everything. After all, this is the most critical time in the life of your project.