Software Development is the process of designing, programming, specifying, testing and deploying software applications. It is a structured process that involves writing and maintaining the source code. The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) in a broader sense includes research, analysis, prototyping, Design, Coding, re-engineering, Testing, Deployment & maintenance.
What is software?
Software is a set of data and instructions that tells computer on how to do specific tasks. Simply, Software is a computer program that follows human instructions and works upon request. Different kind of software includes Operating Systems like Windows & Linux, Media Players, Antivirus Software, Games, Android Applications, etc. Software is intangible i.e. they can’t be touched.
Software is the building blocks of today’s digital world. In 1935, Alan Turing first introduced the concept of software. Since then software programs have been widely used in every sector, every business, every educational faculty, hospitals & organization. The software works in contrast to physical hardware in which the system is built.
Software is written in Programming languages at different levels. These levels are High-Level Languages like C, C++, Java, PHP, etc., Low-Level Language (or Assembly Language) & Machine Language. The majority of software applications are created using high-level programming languages because they are easier and closer to natural languages. These high-level languages are then translated to machine language using a compiler or an interpreter.
Types of Computer Software
There are two main types of computer software:
System Software
software is created for managing the behavior of computer hardware. They provide basic functionalities as required by users or other software to run properly. Examples of system software are Operating systems like Windows, DOS, and File Management Utilities, etc.
Application Software
software is created to perform specific tasks or functions inside a system software. Applications are called end-user programs because they enable users to complete tasks such as sending an email, playing games, music, creating graphics and images, etc. Examples of application software are VLC Media Player, Adobe Photoshop, MS Word, Database System, Notepad, etc.
Why Software Development in Nepal?
Software Development is one of those factors that will likely pace the growth of our nation. Nepal still stands far behind as compared to developed countries like UK, USA & Australia in case software solutions. The reason might be people yet aren’t much aware of the importance of software development in Nepal.
Education sectors like Computer Science (CS), Computer Engineering (CE), and Information Technology (IT) highly emphasize different software development courses. Still, software development is a major issue in Nepal. Software Companies offer quality software services but don’t even follow the actual software development life cycle. Proper and successful software development not only focuses on what the client wants but what the client needs? Quality Software can be the building block for future digitized Nepal but many software development companies in Nepal doesn’t seem to be working by the book.
How Much Does a Custom Software Development Cost in Nepal?
A software is not something one can built within a week or a month. Software development takes time and patience. In Nepal, hundreds of software companies built software and they all have different costs. In fact, some companies charge a lot less and some charge sky high and this range can vary from $2000 to $200000 and possibly more. The other thing is you can never get a software that cost $200000 for $2000 even from freelancers or small agencies. However, it doesn’t mean the type of software you need with necessarily cost you high. It still will depend on the requirement of your business and functionality of the software.
If proper process is followed and every modules are custom tested and improved according to the software development life cycle, the time and cost is increased accordingly. The development time can increase up to 500+ hours for medium project and 2000+ hours for a complex software. But if a software is built with just basic features it can save you a lot with time and cost.
Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
SDLC is a process followed by software developers or organizations for the successful development of a software application. It includes a detailed description of how to plan, develop, maintain, design, test and build software. A typical model of the software development life cycle includes the following phases:
Requirement Analysis & Planning
Requirement analysis is the fundamental and initial stage in SDLC. This includes planning of basic way to approach projects and conduct required feasibility studies in technical, operational, economic areas. These tasks are often carried out by top senior-level team members with inputs from the clients.
Identification of possible risks, quality assurance and outcome of the actions performed within the projects require proper planning followed by implementation via different technical approaches. Implementation of a successful project with minified risks is what’s most important.
Design
Designing the best product architecture that clearly illustrates the complete functionality and architectural modules of the software is necessary. In the designing phase, we develop more than one design approach for the project and document it in a Design Document Specification (DDS). Stakeholders & Co-Founders review all these designs & DDS and finalize the best one upon mutual understanding based on parameters like design modularity, budget, robustness, risk assessment & time complexity.
Implementation
In this phase of SDLC, the actual development of software begins. The generation of programming codes can be hassle-free if the design is performed in an organized and detailed manner. High-level programming languages like C, C++, Java, and PHP are the most used coding languages. But developers must follow coding guidelines and optimized as far as possible minifying the unwanted line of codes. We choose programming language as required by the software.
Testing & Integration
Testing activities are almost included in every stage of the software development life cycle but we can consider this stage as a subset of all stages. In many cases, this stage refers to the testing of reported product defects, bugs, code errors until the software is error-free and functioning properly. Quality assurance tasks are carried out and we improve the product until it reaches the quality standards of Software Requirement Specification (SRS).
Maintenance
After the successful testing of the product, it is deployed in the market. Based on the customer’s feedback and suggestions maintenance tasks are carried out. A product sometimes is also released in a different version in which each version brings additional features and bug fixes providing better user interface and experience.
In the above model, we described a basic Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). But it’s not necessary to be the same for all the products. The adjustment of stages of SDLC can sometimes be necessary as required. Other SDLC models are the Waterfall Model, Spiral Model, V-Model, Iterative Model, etc.
Best Software Development Company in Nepal
There are various software development companies in Nepal that provide software solutions. Podamibe Nepal, one of the most trustworthy and versatile Software company in Nepal with almost 6+ years of expertise in the field with many successful in-house projects. We develop effective and creative software according to user requirements following all basic principles of a software development life cycle. We are recognized as one of the best software development company in Nepal and will take your requirements to the best possible solution.