Launching a new software product in partnership with an experienced company can be extremely challenging for a business as they can’t be sure of its success. It’s true that you and the development team have been working really hard and spending countless hours modifying the design to make it worth in the end.
But how to ensure that you have a seamless release so that you can have a scalable product with minimum software maintenance costs? To make sure that everything is fine, you should ask your software development partner these six questions before product launch:
- How Much of the Software Has Been Tested Properly? Is Anything There That Still Needs Testing?
Make sure to ask the development team what part of the product has been tested and how? This will give a boost to your confidence before the final release. Also, inquire is there anything left to be tested?
Understanding the testing procedure will make sure that you don’t have to face any issues post the launch of the software. Therefore, take note of getting an idea of the way in which testers have performed their job to get a reliable and functional product. It will also help you in roadmapping for future releases and ensure your product’s success.
- Did Testers Perform User Accepted Testing (UAT) to Ensure Product Usability?
The software development process is iterative where you and the programmers continuously improvise the prototypes and add new features to make it more useable. But if testers haven’t done UAT properly then the product won’t be able to add value to your business. Also, a faulty product will not help you in building a sales pipeline and take its advantage to maximize conversions for your business.
This makes it even more important for you to make sure that the software has been reviewed by the product owners and they have approved all its features. UAT needs to be done for each and every major update that has been done in order to enhance the functionality of the end product.
- Have the Development and Design Team Seen and Approved the Final Version of the Software?
Developers and designers can recognize the smallest usability issues easily and fix them then and there. This is why you should make sure that they have reviewed the final product before launch to ensure that it’s blessed with quality and efficiency. This review will make your end solution polished and much more reliable that can be a perfect fit for your target audience.
- Has the Development Team Made Sure to Stick to the Best Practices, Quality Processes and Seamless Communication Standards?
Before launching your software, you must revise and evaluate the practices followed by the development team. Make sure that they have the best development processes and practices in place.
Ask your programmers to run unit tests to verify the code quality. Also, you can instruct them to stick to Test Driven Development (TDD) where requirements are converted into test cases, then developers test your software to check whether it can pass the new tests. Moreover, it’s equally important to ensure that they have always followed seamless communication policy within their team so to avoid any glitches in the future.
- Do They Have a Support Team Available 24/7?
It’s not just about launching a product. It also is equally important for you to make sure that you will be getting required support when you need. Therefore, make sure that your software development company has an experienced support team that is properly trained on all the new features to help users quickly.
You can stay away from facing excessive customer issues if the support team will make sure to review the solution prior to launch and get familiar with its functionality. In this way, the technicians will be prepared to answer any questions raised by the users.
- Has Your Software Development Partner Considered External Factors Before Finalizing the Launch Date?
High-traffic periods, marketing events and holidays can have a direct impact on your release. This is why you must make sure that the developer has considered all these factors prior to finalizing the launch event for your product.
You have to be upfront in asking relevant questions to your software development company prior to the product launch. This will let you have a smooth release without any hiccups or hurdles.