When you work in the software industry, you're likely aware of how open, flexible and innovative the market is. Unfortunately, with this flexibility comes intense competition, which means coming out on top indicates tapping into new ideas all the time. If the concept is new to you, however, just where do you begin? What are the software development life cycle stages when getting started on a new idea?

It's perhaps important to understand first the kind of impact the software industry has on the entire market in order to remember the gravity of how a successful app can penetrate the landscape. Remember, the global IT market today has a whopping $3.8 trillion in value, with more than 25 percent of the revenue located in the United States. In fact, in terms of U.S. stats, there are actually more than 100,000 IT and software services companies in the U.S., with the e-commerce market alone valuing $341 billion in the country. Imagine the kind of reach a successful app can have in this kind of market, which sort of explains why the entire global market has been going haywire on the production of better apps.

Software Development: Building on a New Idea

With the above in mind, it's important to understand that forming a concrete strategy out of your base idea is key to successful execution, especially on software, and having a dedicated development team. After all, one wrong mishap can ruin all your plans. Here's how to develop a software out of a single idea.

• Planning your software means coming up with a concrete idea: When you have an idea you want to formulate into an app, it's not enough to "just wing it." You need to actually plan to have the idea come to life. Brainstorm on the concept itself and try to gather requirements and aspects of a product you want to present in the future. What exactly do you want to achieve with this product? What problems does it solve? What issues might occur during development, and how do you plan to solve these woes? Planning involves making sure your idea is concrete enough to build a design upon, and something you can come back to when you need to ground yourselves to reality.
• Feasibility analysis rechecks your assets: After having a concrete plan, it's time to analyze just how feasible the idea is based on your current resources and loadout. Try to assess the kind of workflow you're having and divide the creation process into small tasks, so project managers, designers, and testers can evaluate their duties. In turn, they can assess what problems they might encounter during the development process. Problems that need resolution may range from reliability, functioning, time and cost.
• Software design puts your app into perspective: Now that you've divided your crew into teams, the software design puts a "face to the name," if you will. Designs you make for the app should be clear and creative, and should include a database design and data structure. This essentially allows everyone to have a clear overview of how the app is theoretically supposed to work.
• Programming constructs the app from the ground up: Programming is perhaps the most difficult and important aspect of creating a software, as everything rests on how everyone gets to code their tasks. Programmers are often hired for this role and they try to put "life" into the software design.
• Implementation and integration checks if the software functions on a bare minimum: Softwares often have a lot of programs in them, which means they need to work perfectly for the software to function even on a minimal basis. Team leaders should check whether the software runs the way it should, and if there are bugs for testers to catch and assess.
• Software testing irons out the kinks of the software: After coding, testers will be hard at work making sure the app works as normal and that bugs are reported for immediate fixing. This at least ensures that actual release to the market will have the software free of bugs and pesky things that can impede progress of enjoying the app's intended purpose.
• Installation, maintenance and release the app to the public: When testing is done, the app can be officially be released to clients to be installed in their devices. Your group should have an infrastructure ready to receive complaints and bug reports, and a means through which to communicate answers to queries and to provide regular updates.

The Takeaway: Software Development With New Ideas Can Work

When you have a new idea for a great application, chances are you're going to be excited in pulling it off with your team. Before you get all hyped up, however, do make sure you've read the above tips on software development life cycle stages, as there's more to app development than just creating the app itself. If you want a truly efficient means of making your idea prosper, you should also consider making sure you take into account the various challenges and predicaments you might face along the way - among many things.

Jon Murray loves his gadgets as much as he has a passion for writing, and as such he took it upon himself to make sure his pieces are understandable and enjoyed by his readers. As a contributor for sites such as Inetics, Jon shows his love for software development and creation through his works. He loves tinkering with his gadgets or doing a little coding when he’s not writing.