Custom Software Development

It’s a reasonable question—why go custom, and not save some money with an off-the-shelf software solution? Here’s why:

• • Every business is different. No off-the-shelf software solution does everything you need it to, and many do more things than you need them to, resulting in inefficiencies. A custom software solution addresses not only your unique processes, but also your chosen integrations and tech stack.
  • Gain a competitive advantage. A bespoke software solution streamlines operations, increases user engagement, cuts costs, increases revenue, and improves your ability to deliver value as an organization. This gives you an edge that will make it hard for competitors to touch you.
  • Software that grows with you. Every business that grows must change and adapt to evolving needs. A custom software solution can evolve with you. Your software should never become a bottleneck—it should make it easier to grow, not harder. Custom software solutions can adapt to encompass any scale and function you need it to.

Liventus has developed custom software solutions for companies in a wide variety of companies in a diverse selection of industries, helping them streamline processes, grow their businesses, and protect essential data.

Industries for which we have developed or consulted on the development of bespoke software include:

• • • Ecommerce
    • Finance and Leasing
    • Retiree Services
    • Fintech
    • MedTech
    • Entertainment

Every custom software development project is different. Liventus takes one of two approaches, depending on the client and their needs:

• • • Cooperative Development. We collaborate with the client’s CTO and in-house IT staff to create the perfect solution. This method intimately involves the team that will be responsible for maintaining the software solution long-term.
    • Full Life Cycle Development. We assume responsibility for the development project from start-to-finish. We essentially are the IT, and we stand by our work with a commitment to continuity and long-term service relationships to keep the app working in peak condition.

Whichever approach we take, we follow a standard workflow of agile development that leaves a great deal of room for the eccentricities of each project to express themselves, resulting in a software solution that is truly unique and bespoke to you. This process includes:

• • 1. Discovery. We learn about your business and its requirements.
    2. Analyze. Define the scope and layout of a project roadmap.
    3. Design. Model the functions and features.
    4. Development. Upon design approval, the code development process begins.
    5. Test. We test the software solution, in your hands and in the hands of users.
    6. Integrate. The new app becomes a part of your existing systems.
    7. Support. Long-term maintenance of the app, fixing bugs and making improvements.

Again, every custom software design project is different. The rough timeline of the development life cycle would look something like this:

• • • Discovery and Design: 2-4 weeks.
    • Development: 3-6 months.
    • Testing: 3-6 weeks.

The budgetary requirements of a custom software solution can vary widely. Factors that contribute to the big cost variance in the software development field include:

• • • Complexity of the software.
    • Design requirements.
    • The platform and operating system (Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, etc.).
    • Required system integrations.
    • Required database migrations.

Small-scale custom software solutions can require a budget of $10,000 or less, while complex enterprise-level software could require a budget upwards of $100 million.

The Liventus development process is very flexible. We deploy an agile process with scrum methodology—an iterative process of design, deployment, and feedback. The purpose of scrum is to deploy quickly, identify problems quickly, and fix them quickly.

It’s a process of constant communication and re-evaluation, full of opportunities to adapt or pivot as needed. That’s the advantage of scrum—adaptation is built into the development model. Changing project parameters aren’t just compatible with scrum—they’re expected.

• • • Planning. Define and document the system requirements in detail to prepare for the sprint.
    • Design. Prototype each element and chart out the functionality logic.
    • Construction. Code is scripted, reviewed, and subjected to unit testing.
    • Testing. Perform integrated testing of all functions.
    • Delivery. Handover of completed software.
    • Review. Stakeholder feedback creates a roadmap for improvement and sets the requirements for the next sprint.
    • Quality. The collaborative, iterative agile process results in a better final product.

There are other development methodologies out there, but we prefer agile for the following reasons:

• • • Flexibility. With feedback at each iteration, agile methodology gives us the chance to respond to new information and pivot as necessary.
    • Productivity. By compiling a backlog and methodically burning it down through iterative development, the project is always moving forward, never stalled.
    • Customer Focus. Agile methodology depends on consistent feedback from the stakeholders—meaning the client is in the loop at every stage.
    • Risk Mitigation. Agile methodology decreases the risk of errors by keeping stakeholders and developers plugged into the development process.

Scrum consists of a series of “sprints,” with each sprint following a predictable sequence of events designed to push the project forward to the next iteration:

One of the advantages of agile methodology is that it depends on complete transparency with client managers, stakeholders, and IT professionals. We keep our clients in the loop at every iteration to make sure that there are no surprises.

Stakeholder feedback is a crucial part of the process, enabling us to more easily do our jobs and deliver a software solution that meets or exceeds expectations, on time and on budget.

We maintain stakeholder communication and collaboration through:

• • • Consistent meetings, in person or by phone or teleconference as needed.
    • Constant feedback at every iteration, to make sure stakeholder requirements are met.
    • Adaptation to the unexpected. Changes in project parameters are inevitable, and our process is built to adapt seamlessly.

Liventus maintains a tech stack that includes the latest solutions in software architecture, technologies, frameworks, design, UX, and platforms. Liventus clients can leverage this cutting-edge tech stack at will.

Our tech stack includes:

Frameworks

• • • Microsoft .NET Framework
    • .NET Core
    • WordPress
    • Magento
    • Magento 2

Languages

• • • Microsoft C#.net
    • Microsoft VB.net
    • PHP
    • HTML5
    • JavaScript
    • jQuery

Data/BI

• • • Microsoft SQL Server
    • Power BI
    • Tableau
    • Snowflake
    • Azure Cosmos DB

Security

• • • Veracode
    • Tenable
    • Azure Sentinel

Cloud Tech Stack

• • • Microsoft Azure
    • Amazon Web Services
    • Rackspace
    • Liventus Private Cloud

Communication and Collaboration

• • • Microsoft Teams
    • SharePoint
    • Slack
    • Visual Studio
    • Azure DevOps
    • Jira
    • Confluence

Yes. For organizations with a CTO and/or an internal IT team in place, we fully expect to collaborate with those stakeholders—in fact, we’re happy to do so.

If the endgame for the software solution is to hand it over to an internal IT, we include that team as equal partners from the beginning. They will have the most exposure to the solution, so they should be closely involved in the development process.

Contact us today! A Liventus representative will listen to your requirements and parameters, ask questions, offer feedback, and get the ball rolling on an estimate for your custom software development project.

After your custom software development project is complete, we hand it over to you!

If you have an in-house IT team, we hand over support responsibilities to them. We stay on the job as long as it takes to make a smooth handoff. We’re not done until your IT team knows exactly how to handle any issues that may arise with the software.

If you don’t have an in-house IT team, Liventus stays involved as long as necessary, ironing out bugs and making improvements so that your custom software solution is the best it can be.