7 Advantage & Disadvantages of Bespoke Software Development

7 Advantage & Disadvantages of Bespoke Software Development

Businesses that have streamlined operations find it easier to achieve their objectives. When you have a process that is well-organised that is in line with what your business is all about, you don’t find any difficulty and have access to the tools to help you meet your operational objectives. Your business software solutions are the tools that we are talking about here. So what do you do when you go out in search for the best software solution for your business needs? Speak to different software development companies and compare the solutions offered by them before finalising a solution that is right for your company. In this blog, we will focus on bespoke software development and its advantages and disadvantages.

What is bespoke software?

Bespoke software are customised solutions are tailored to meet the needs of your business. Bespoke software solutions help your grow and expand in accordance with your values and vision. But still there are companies that choose off the shelf solutions over bespoke ones. One size doesn’t fit all, and the same is true with software development as well. What works for you may not necessarily work for another business. Let us now turn our attention to the advantages and disadvantages of bespoke software.

Advantages of bespoke software

Bespoke software solutions are custom built by the IT outsourcing company you hire to do the job on your behalf. You have the freedom of configuring these software solutions around your existing systems. This is a more flexible way of doing things than what ready-made solutions allow you to. Bespoke software can also help you gain competitive advantage by allowing you to function in a different way from how your competitors are doing.

• Solution is centred around your way of working, which makes them easier to use and more efficient
• You are in complete control of the development pace and path,
• Minimum business process changes, improved efficiency with better alignment with your existing processes
• Increased productivity, minimum overheads
• Better motivation and morale in the team as the solution is built around their needs
• Solution can work alongside your existing business systems

Disadvantages of bespoke software

One of the things that make most businesses believe that bespoke software solutions are more expensive than the other type is their high initial cost of development. Also, they take a lot more time to develop so they can’t be used to solve your existing problems. Businesses are also required to consider risk of building a one-of-a-kind solution.

• Ready-made or off the shelf solutions may have features that you haven’t considered for your bespoke solution
• Bespoke software has a time cost associated with them that may not go down well with a lot of businesses
• Getting stakeholders on board can often be too challenging a task
• Initial implementation time if things don’t go as per plan can be higher with bespoke solutions
• Upfront cost is usually on the higher side

Conclusion

Bespoke software solutions are better than their off the shelf counterparts in the sense that they are designed to meet the specific needs of a business, which the other type isn’t built to do.