Everyone aspires for the software applications they develop to be successful. But what constitutes success for an application? Success is determined by numerous factors, each about various facets of the business. In this context, my emphasis is on the technical elements that contribute to the success of an application.
Once the decision on what to build has been made, the next vital query is how to build it. If you have technical expertise, you’re inclined to select a technology stack that you’re knowledgeable about or have utilized before. However, if you lack a technical background, you might turn to online research to discover prevailing trends and adhere to them, or you might get guidance from a contact who knows a distinguished tech professional (who might favor the technology stack they’re used to). As a result, you form your decision. Another option is to engage with software service providers who can suggest a suitable tech stack for creating your intended application. Regardless of the situation, if you aim to create a successful application, you must concentrate on these three aspects to ensure its success:
- Reliability
- Scalability
- Maintainability
Each of these aspects requires a separate discussion, but here I will concisely cover them so readers can consider them while making technical decisions for their application.
Reliability
In everyday language, reliability often refers to something or someone that can be depended upon. However, in a technical context, it has a more specific definition. Reliability in software is defined as the likelihood of a computer program operating without failure for a given duration within a particular environment. (ref. Iannino, A., & Musa, J. D. (1989) in their publication ‘Software Reliability’ in Advances in Computers, volume 30, pages 85-170. )
So, for a software application to be reliable, these expectations should be met:
- Security: The application should be robust enough to prevent unauthorized access and misuse
- Performance: The application’s performance should be satisfactory under anticipated load and data volume
- Functionality: The application should carry out the function expected from it
- User Error Tolerance: The application should gracefully handle unexpected user actions or mistakes
Reliability is a cornerstone for all software applications, whether critical, such as those used in medical, industrial, or military contexts, or commonplace ones we interact with daily. Think about an application that safeguards your daily routines, precious memories captured in photos, or tracks your tasks. The presence of bugs in these applications can significantly undermine user trust, leading to unfavorable reviews and tarnishing the app’s reputation and ultimately the development team. Similarly, a glitch in a transactional application can trigger financial losses, resulting in damage to the business’s reputation.
Hence, reliability is not just a desirable attribute, but an essential one, underpinning the success and credibility of any software application. It plays a pivotal role in determining the overall quality of a software system. Since it assesses the capability of the software to perform its designated function consistently without any failures, it makes it an essential factor to consider during the process of planning, development, and testing of a software application.
Scalability
Scalability in software engineering is defined as the capability of handling increased loads by a software solution. For an application, the increased loads can be due to many different reasons, and each reason may have a different set of solutions. For example, the load on a system may increase due to higher request rates or larger data sets or a combination of both, etc.
The term “load” is crucial for understanding scalability. Consider an application initially designed for 100 concurrent users. If the business expands, and the concurrent user count doubles to 200, this becomes a load on the system. This increase in load will affect the reliability of the system. During planning, discussions about scalability should address questions like: “What happens when our concurrent user numbers double?” A well-designed system architecture should allow for future extensions to handle such an increase in load.
Enhancing the system’s reliability necessitates focusing on scalability during the design stage. Performance metrics are crucial indicators for determining the appropriate timing for scaling. It is essential to have thorough discussions and documentation of these metrics in the design phase. This ensures that when the system approaches these predefined thresholds, application developers can initiate scalability measures.
Maintainability
Software maintainability refers to the ease with which a system can undergo modifications, encompassing error correction, functional enhancements, and adjustments to new conditions. It’s widely recognized that the lion’s share of a software’s lifecycle costs is dedicated to maintenance. Such maintenance tasks range from rectifying bugs, diagnosing and resolving failure points, ensuring the software remains current, incorporating additional features, and updating the operating environment.
The maintainability of a software application is influenced by several key factors. Although programming languages do not enforce strict rules to ensure maintainability during the coding process, developers can adhere to a comprehensive set of best practices and guidelines throughout the development phase to ensure that the code remains maintainable. Some of these practices may include modular design, code readability, consistent coding standards, etc.
Understanding the software development methodology employed by a vendor is crucial when selecting a partner for application development. When evaluating potential software services partners, it’s important to consider how their chosen methodology aligns with your project’s requirements, your company’s culture, and your strategic goals. A partner that follows a methodology conducive to maintainability will likely deliver a more robust, scalable, and future-proof application.
This critical aspect is frequently underestimated by application owners during the initial stages of software development. This oversight is often driven by the desire to minimize upfront costs. Many owners, in an attempt to conserve resources, resort to expedient solutions that promise short-term savings. However, this approach can be myopic. Not following the guidelines and not doing testing properly may save you time initially, but your application is incurring technical debt which needs to be paid as a high cost of maintenance.
In conclusion, Reliability, Scalability, and Maintainability forms the bedrock of successful software application development. These are not mere buzzwords but essential pillars that uphold the integrity, performance, and longevity of a software system.
Reliability ensures that your application can be trusted to perform consistently under expected conditions, providing a seamless user experience. Scalability allows your application to grow and adapt to increasing demands without compromising on performance. Maintainability ensures that your application can evolve, adapting to new requirements and technologies with minimal effort and cost.
As we navigate the complex landscape of software development, it is imperative to integrate these principles into every phase of the project lifecycle. From the initial design to the final deployment and beyond, a focus on these three keywords will guide your application toward a path of enduring success.
Remember, the choices you make today in terms of technology, architecture, and development practices will define the future of your application. Choose wisely, prioritize quality, and build with the future in mind. By doing so, you will not only achieve a successful application but also create a product that stands the test of time, delivering value to users and stakeholders alike for years to come.