When asked what kind of companies or businesses can digitise, manage and deliver all the modern workflows and experiences, only one term can come to mind, i.e. Enterprise software. It is truly a digital wonder and can take all of the service providers just to build this system. And it's not a feat inexperienced or unskilled developers can achieve. But if one comes to understand the step-by-step enterprise software development process then it can be a smooth ride ahead.
Traditional software is for general use but if you want to go ahead and work out some complicated problem at a large scale, you need to read this beginner’s guide to enterprise software development. It's not just what it does but also how it is built that sets enterprise software apart from traditional solutions. So, without any further ado, let's dig into the key steps for enterprise software development.
Enterprise software development process
Enterprise software planning and design
One of the biggest challenges when building enterprise software is planning and design. This can be hard to do because you need to build a product that will meet the needs of as many people as possible.
At the very first stage of the development process, you need to identify your target users and their needs. You then need to map out how you will deliver solutions for them. Once you have gathered this kind of information, you can use it to start thinking about what type of features will help solve their problems or meet their needs.
Here are some tips on how to plan and design enterprise software:
- Know who your users are and what they want from your product.
- Examine how they use similar products already on the market and find out what they like and don't like about them. What are their pain points?
- Understand what problems they face in their day-to-day workflows, then identify ways that your product can solve these issues by providing better solutions or adding new features.
UX and UI design
UX and UI design are the two main aspects of software development that need to be considered when building an enterprise application.
UX design focuses on the end-user experience and how the software will look and feel to the person using it. It is the first step in building a digital product, where you have to decide on what kind of users you want your product to attract, what their needs are, and how you can meet them.
The UI design is a very important phase of the development process as it's all about designing an interactive user interface for your enterprise software. This could be as simple as designing a logo or as complex as designing a full-featured desktop application. UI design involves creating a visual language that communicates with users while also helping them understand how their work will progress through different stages of their workflow.
EAS development and testing
EAS development and testing is the process of developing software by either a single author or a team of developers. The process involves both technical planning and business analysis. The technical planning phase involves creating a specification for the software and documenting its requirements. This document will be used as input into the business analysis phase, which consists of identifying the business goals that need to be achieved by the system and then creating a design based on those goals.
The design is then verified by testing it against existing systems, as well as any other applications that may have been developed in-house or externally. Once everything is verified, the system can be released to users for testing and feedback before being given final approval for use by management.
EAS deployment
The EAS deployment is the process of setting up your EAS. There are two ways to do this, manually and automatically. It all comes down to what your requirements and preferences are.
In a manual process, you have to set up your EAS on your own in a step-by-step manner. You will first need to create an account, then install the server software (eXtreme Automation Server), configure it, and finally add the client applications that you want to use for managing your EAS.
On the other hand, if you have a license key for eXtreme Automation Server, you can use that to deploy your first instance of eXtreme Automation Server without having to go through any of the above steps.
In the first step, you can deploy your new EAS using the following approach:
- Create a new instance of the EAS from scratch.
- Use the Configuration Wizard to make some changes to your instance.
- Deploy your application on top of the newly created EAS.
Regulatory compliance assessment and certification procedures
The next step is to develop an organizational structure that has clear roles and responsibilities within your organization. This structure should include:
An executive team responsible for overseeing risk management strategies and ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations;
- A group that develops policies, standards, procedures, and controls.
- A group responsible for training employees on policies, standards, and procedures.
- A group responsible for monitoring compliance with policies, standards, and procedures.
- A group responsible for conducting security assessments.
- A group responsible for maintaining documentation related to risk management activities.
Summary
Developing and deploying enterprise software is a challenging task. But if you do it right, you will have created a customised workflow that can render convenience in every aspect of your business. Such a system is always in demand so a developer or professionals who are skilled or experienced enough to pull the huge task of creating such a solution will be in demand too.
