At a time when you can get started with a top-of-the-line cloud-based office productivity tool for $20 a month, investing thousands of dollars in custom software development may raise eyebrows. Then there’s something that might seem even less understandable to some, hiring software development consultants. Yet, many companies choose to do so and benefit from this decision.

Custom software development means you have a unique business problem that an existing software solution on the market can’t solve for you. Did you know companies like Google, Adobe, and IBM spend millions of dollars on perfecting their software products before offering them as SaaS solutions for $20 a month? In order to perfect this, it often needs to be looked at by experienced consultants.

Software development consulting vs. custom software development

Before we jump into the world of software development consulting and its nuances, let’s talk about the difference between consulting services and development itself. At Rare Crew, we offer consultation as a part of guidance.

It doesn’t mean you always need custom software development. Sometimes it means your applications need testing, tweaking, and debugging. Also, there are parts of consulting services that help you maximize the potential of tools you’ve already bought – a great example being cloud cost optimization.

So, what’s the difference? Software development consulting can be a guide for you and your next steps. It can be a series of action steps that you take to become better, and it can also contain custom software development services.

When to consider software development consulting

As with custom software development, software development consulting doesn’t have to be the right fit for every type of company. Nevertheless, chances are you’ll benefit from the expert’s guidance if you already feel that something’s wrong with your IT infrastructure.

The aim of consulting is to suggest to you a series of actionable steps for improvement that are aligned with your business goals. After consulting, you’ll have a better grasp of your current IT situation and you’ll also potentially identify bottlenecks of your crucial operations that are affecting your budget. Does that mean you can save even more money? Yes, it does!

How does the process of software consulting services work?

The process of software consulting has a few steps that may vary according to the workflow of specific consultants:

Opening dialogue and in-depth talk

In this step you’ll mostly talk to your service providers. They have to understand your company, vision, and get in touch with your problems and needs. To communicate this clearly, you'll have to write a detailed RFP for software development to convey your vision.

Understanding the needs

Clearly defined needs can be addressed with the right solution.

Identifying bottlenecks

Sometimes it’s not necessary to change many things in the workflow or company’s IT infrastructure. A hidden bottleneck can be an invisible, yet very annoying obstacle.

Evaluate the current IT infrastructure

If there are more problems and obstacles that should be solved, then evaluation is a necessary step. Thanks to this step you’ll get analysis of everything that's going on, and sometimes the data in one place can make you suddenly realize the mistakes you’re making.

Clearly defining goals

Analyzing and identifying are just stepping-stones for real change, now it’s time to define goals. What are the actionable steps and what will change if we make them?

Recommending new software solutions

After defining goals and steps, this phase will see you get recommendations for services, tools, or methods that’ll solve your problems.

What will you need for a great software development consulting service?

If you’re a client, it’s necessary for you to keep your mind open and be willing to provide every bit of important information to the consultants. Think of it as a medical examination. If you keep quiet about your symptoms, the diagnosis can be incorrect, and the treatment could possibly be dangerous. But in this situation the health of your company and business operations are at stake.

The right approach

Based on the in-depth dialogues, you’ll come to a crossroad of different project approaches. Consultants will suggest the right approach for your goals. It may be a Waterfall or Agile approach as these are the two main methodologies used in projects. Every approach/methodology has different pros and cons. Some projects can benefit from a modern and progressive type of workflow, others would thrive under clearly defined and solid phases of project planning. Let the experts guide you.

An expert team

In order to get expert guidance, you need a team of experts. When receiving consulting services, you can count on more than just one person. Logical, robust, and complex projects can’t be based on the knowledge and know-how of a single mind which is why you’ll get opinions from more skilled people with different competencies.

Great managing skills

Every complex project needs a skilled project manager. As one of Murphy’s laws states, ‘anything that can go wrong will go wrong.’ A project manager will keep things on track, predict obstacles, and suggest solutions while keeping the team together. That’s why they’re the key players in every team.

Pricing models

There are several pricing models that you can choose from in the segment of software development companies, but the models that are often used are listed below:

Hourly rate

If the consulting services you’re looking for don’t contain development, an hourly rate is one of the ways to get value and pay a fair price. You’ll meet dedicated consultants, or a team of skilled project managers and coders, who’ll hear your thoughts, ask you questions so that they understand the current state of your company, and in some cases suggest steps that you should take.

Preliminary pricing

With preliminary pricing you’ll get a cost estimate for the project. This type of pricing includes the time, materials, resources, and assets that are likely to be used. It’s called preliminary because both sides acknowledge the fact that the price can increased based on new requests or obstacles. This can happen if the project’s objective isn’t clearly defined, or if potential bottlenecks aren’t pointed out.

Fixed price

A fixed price for consulting services should only be offered by expert companies with years of experience. Otherwise, a few things could happen:

• The overall price will grow by the end of the consultation/ project
• The quality of the service delivered will be lower due to insufficient resources
• The consulting company and its employees will be underpaid, which can affect the quality of the service

If you’re looking for a software consulting company that’ll give you a fixed price, be sure to pick experts with years of experience in the industry. Experience is invaluable because you’re then able to provide correct estimates of the time, resources, and assets that’ll be used which directly impacts the overall price.

Agile project methodology

As mentioned in our previous blog about the Agile approach:

Agile Software Development is many things, but first we have to mention that it’s continual. In this scenario, continual means that there are several parts of the development process that are simultaneously being worked on. This may be the biggest difference compared to older approaches to development.

If we were to divide the development process into parts or functions it would be:

• Planning
• Analysis
• Design
• Coding
• Unit testing
• Acceptance testing

It’s one of the best known and most used approaches due to its versatility. Sometimes it can get a little pricey as not every project can have a fixed price. It’s likely that the final price will be higher than the opening estimates. But on the flip side, this approach will allow you to rest assured knowing that every bottleneck will be identified and addressed promptly due to the fact this approach is very flexible in its workflow.

Stages of software development consulting projects

Like custom software development, software development consulting has the following stages:

• Analysis
• Design
• Development
• Testing
• Deployment
• Support

Support is a necessary stage and can last for years after successful deployment. You should be able to count on your provider and consultant in case something goes wrong after the project is handed over. At Rare Crew we consider it to be the most important stage, which is why we stay in touch with our clients and provide them with fast support when they need it.

Rare Crew’s services

Custom development

Custom software development, also known as enterprise software, is an approach followed by businesses to develop their own software solution exclusively for their specific purpose. As the name implies, it involves highly tailored development which is more focused on the business's specific needs. It’s completely fine to choose an off-the-shelf product if it suits you, but custom development can address needs that ready-made products can’t.

Mobile applications

Mobile first, mobile only, heavy mobile traffic, or on-the-go behavior. There are many trends that companies try to adapt in order to get to their users. Mobile applications aren’t really a trend, they’re a necessity as we see that people are using cellphones for operations that were made from desktops a few years ago. Luckily, there’s no problem creating a mobile application that’ll push your business to new audiences.

BI & analytics

Combining technology and strategy that involves data collection, analysis and visual interpretation, Business Intelligence (BI) is a crucial part of data-driven decisions in every company. Before jumping into the waters of BI, you should know how to swim, or you’ll drown – but in data. Don’t worry, we can be your lifeguards.

UI/UX analysis

Every software and application would just be a piece of code without a user Interface that lets users get the most out of every tool, even without knowledge of programming. A great user interface offers a great user experience. We’re not just developers at Rare Crew, we’re also designers that have a goal of creating simple, effective, and seamless tools for our clients.

Software testing (TaaS)

Yes, even testing can be a service. Testing as a Service (TaaS) is often outsourced by other software houses or companies that need different angles when making sure their creation is flawless. It can just be a matter of fresher minds, but sometimes companies don’t have the assets or resources for testing (software tools, time, employees). Here at Rare Crew, we can help with all of this.

Why should you choose Rare Crew?

Rare Crew is a software development company with an international presence. Based in Slovakia, our expertise has also spread to Serbia, India, United Kingdom, and the United States.

With well-known clients such as Endeavor, IMG, NYFW, and KFC, there has to be something that makes us special. Let’s sum it up systematically:

More than a decade in the market

Even though Rare Crew was established in 2011, the co-founders and several key employees have been in the software development segment much longer. Thanks to that it was easier to nurture a successful company and its growth. As the famous phrase goes, ‘skills pay the bills.’

Experience in different industries

Based on the clients we’ve mentioned, you get a picture of a few of the industries we’ve worked in. But there’s far more to our years of experience in providing services.

Competencies and certifications

Every year we’re renewing our certificates and competencies in different fields of software development. This is shown through our Microsoft Partner badges where we have a Gold tier in Application Development and a Silver tier in Datacenter.

We’re always pushing our boundaries in order to get out of our comfort zone. In order to be the best, you have to continue educating yourself and never stop improving. That’s why we’re also Cyber Essentials certified. We as a company and our employees have gained information to become experts so that we can provide the best service possible.

In need of experienced software consultants?

Now it’s your turn. Let us know if you’re in need of expert guidance as we can help you identify problems, bottlenecks, suggest solutions, and of course create these solutions for you. The choice is yours.