Your software team should provide you with a custom software design document as the second deliverable of your project.
The major steps in your custom software project are:
- Requirements capture (Interviews and analysis)
- Design
- Programming
- Testing
- Beta software installation, customer beta testing, and feedback
- Final changes, installation of final software, and ongoing support
Custom Software Design – Your System Blueprint
During the design phase of a project, your software partner will create a blueprint for your system. The project manager (PM) will ask questions to clarify technical requirements during this phase. The PM will be your primary point of contact and will communicate with you and the technical team.
You’ll discuss the number of people who will use the system immediately and in the future, because future use of the system determines your needs for scalability.
You’ll pick the toolset. Do you want a Microsoft solution, or do you need open source tools?
The system designer will work with the PM to identify the modules your system needs to meet your business requirements.
Using the high level requirements document, information gathered by the PM, examples of any existing data, and other information, the technical team will design your database.
The system designer will work with the project manager to create mockups or wireframes for a few typical system pages; this is called the user interface.
Throughout the design phase of your custom software project, you and the PM will review the design document. If necessary, the designer and PM will update this document throughout the project to reflect your system’s unique design.
What’s Included in a Design Document?
The design document may include many of the following.
- High level overview of the entire system.
- List of modules required.
- Software and hardware to be used.
- Standards and conventions for your application.
- Style for the modules and pages.
- Mockups or wireframes of representative administrative, search, and data entry/details pages.
- Identification of internal and/or external systems with which your application will send or receive information.
- Process for testing, including identification and resolution of issues.
- Standards for deploying code for testing and production.
- Document of the go live and ongoing support processes.
In addition to designing the system, during the design phase, the PM will:
- Estimate resources and create a schedule and cost estimate.
- Determine whether documentation is required and how it will be delivered.
- Develop plans for system installation and training.
The PM will review the design document with you as it is developed, and you’ll get the final version before coding the first sprint begins. Your job is to review the document, ask questions to clarify understanding, and then hold your software partner to the plan.
Is a Custom Software Design Document Worth the Time and Cost?
Based on 35+ years of experience building custom software systems, we know that your investment in the design phase of a project improves your final product.
You’ll work with your PM and see her communication skills in action, and you will find out whether your development partner delivers on time and see the quality of their work.
If you’re happy with the results of the design phase of your project, you can move forward to the coding phase with confidence.
If you aren’t satisfied with your PM or software team during the design phase, stop the project before coding begins. You will have high level requirements and design documents you can use with another software development team, and your investment is not lost.
A great design document improves your chance of getting high quality, on time, and in budget software. It’s worth the investment.
Need help with the Design Phase of your Software Project? Contact us! We have used our unique business process improvement and software development methodology to design, develop, and implement hundreds of software projects for manufacturing, service, construction, transportation, and high technology companies. Call our office in Florida today at 321-631-0657 or email us at Info at DragonPoint to find out whether we can help with your software project needs.
