Which is the best service provider for a system? Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), a dedicated server or another alternative? Which languages and frameworks should I use to maximize results? How many people do I need on a team to develop a system? Is it possible to make integrations with third-party services? Do I need an MVP or PoC beforehand, or can I start developing right away?

When thinking about developing software, a web system or a mobile application, these are some of the doubts that may arise. Technology advances at an accelerated pace and for those who are not 100% immersed in the world of development, it is practically impossible to make decisions with certainty.

This is a post to inform you that we are temporarily offering a free software consultancy to help you with your project before moving on to development, but I ask you to follow through all to the end of this post, because I want to tell you some stories before offering you the link.
 

Which technologies should I use in bigger projects?

It is common in companies, after identifying a problem and carrying out the analysis looking for solutions, to conclude that a system will be the best solution.

A IT Manager/Director can fully see the solution, the process itself, the actors, the inputs and outputs, but the exact technologies to be used can sometimes be out of their scope. And I tell you that there is nothing wrong with that.

We developed a project, the Export Connect, and the Technical Leader at the client suggested that we use a type of cloud server and infrastructure, which was quite suitable. However, when we informed that there would be inserts on TV and campaigns that would bring thousands of visitors from one minute to another, we saw that the best would be to use Kubernetes.

To reach this conclusion, we evaluated the numbers, tried to estimate the traffic and processing demanded. It's not an easy task for us either, but it's possible. As a result, there was not even one minute of the system offline due to excess access, nor perceptible slowness for users.

A system for a growing company

Business is good, customers are buying and the company is growing, excellent! However, some demands arise and some "pieces" seem to be missing, to connect one process to another, to facilitate decision-making, to give automated feedback to a customer at some moments, and it is concluded "I need a system".

A good idea would be to hire a programmer or set up a small development team. But this idea should be validated. I will talk more about this in the last topic of this post.

In a successful company, including a new "business", completely different from the main business, requires attention. Let's say your company is a pet shop, and it needs a system. Having an in-house development team will require a large volume of attention.

A good example of this is the Phormar systems, which I developed and maintained for a few years. The company trusted me to implement what was necessary, and manage a team if it was the case, but preferred not to make it its business.

Developers are more complex collaborators to deal with, some say "sensitive", others call them "temperamental". Because it is a complex job, the profile is almost always the same, they are more closed, thoughtful, but not always know the way to follow, and often follow the wrong path if there is no close management, that is, they require attention.

Here it is worth checking where your valuable time is best spent, focusing on your main business or managing a team of programmers.

Technology-based startup

Another common situation is when a future entrepreneur has an idea for a project to be validated. Soon, they will need to seek an investor, present something, have numbers and arguments.

The first step is to examine the idea, which is always good, but sometimes too big, with many fronts and focuses, many extra utilities. Limiting the essential resources and making them even more incredible, is what the user needs.

It is easy, to think it is easy, to make an application. It is comfortable to think that in a few weeks it will be there, online in the two main stores, and enjoy thousands of downloads.

But reality is very different, and when we talk about startups, the risk is greater. The decision to implement web or app, can be the difference between success and failure. The same happens with relation to language, framework, and other technologies to be used.

If we look outside, as happens in Silicon Valley and other large technology hubs, the first step would be to invest in an MVP (Minimum Viable Product), invest in media and collect feedback from the first users. With this information, make some adjustments, and then go in search of an investor. With a validated MVP, everything becomes much easier.

Building a development team or hiring a company?

Hiring programmers and building a development team is complicated. After the advent of COVID, it has become even more difficult.

Even if you know one or two good systems analysts, depending on the project, a designer will be needed. How to deliver a project without testing it properly? Then we will already need a project manager to deal with all these people, deadlines, requirements, changes, deliveries. Not to mention the deploy (publication to the server).

I am a programmer and I say that dealing with this technical crowd is not one of the simplest things, it requires a special skill, a different game.

One of our clients came to us after having failed with two different teams, set up and managed by themselves. Initially, they were afraid of entering the third failure, it was when a partner suggested that we implement only a POC (Proof of Concept) of the project, that is, take the part that neither of the teams could do, and implement only it, from scratch.

We did it this way and in less than a week they were seeing (and experiencing) the functionality. Having a trained development team that knows how to work together with strong technical leadership makes all the difference. 

Financially, looking at the numbers, it can be more economical to have a team. Do this if your company has a development vocation, if you can dedicate a good part of the time investing in this team, having someone responsible, someone to train, someone to motivate.

Discussing the most unknown aspects

We are here to help you look closely where it hasn't been seen yet. To think about the benefits and risks of each approach.

During this December 2022 we are offering the system development consulting service for free, to help you advance your project more smoothly in 2023.

If you found yourself in any of the situations above, feel free to follow the form below and schedule your time to receive the consulting. It will be a pleasure to collaborate!