This article was originally published on Codica Blog.
Being the largest segment of the global public cloud services market, the SaaS industry is constantly growing. Undoubtedly, the launch of a SaaS application might be a very lucrative business.
But it is not always easy to start up a successful SaaS product. That is why we want to share our knowledge to help you find the SaaS application development company that will spread your project’s wings.
Overview of SaaS
SaaS, or Software-as-a-service, delivery and licensing model means that the software application is distributed on a subscription basis. According to PR Newswire, this model is getting wildly popular since the SaaS market is projected to grow to $220.21 billion at a CAGR of 13.1% through 2022.
The SaaS model is noted for its cross-platform compatibility and auto-update functionality. It is a great benefit for your app because customers can access the newest version of your app from any device connected to the Internet.
But SaaS application development requires a considerable amount of time and resources. Users love SaaS products thanks to their constant availability, also meaning zero-downtime deployment. Also, you should consider other development challenges such as actual customizability, third-party integration, and subscription lifecycle management.
Stages of SaaS development
The best practice for building SaaS products suggests the development should be divided into five main stages, as you can see below.
- Research & discovery – gathering and assessing the client’s expectations, product requirements, and information about the market and target audience.
- Product design – interpreting the product’s design and creating a prototype.
- Product development – building the final product or MVP (minimum viable product), a version with minimum features to satisfy early users and get feedback for future improvements.
- Optimization and QA – software testing and fixing any defects or bugs found. Testing is included in all the stages of the modern development lifecycle models.
- Deploy and maintenance – application deployment, monitoring, and support.
How to define a great SaaS development company?
Specialization in SaaS application development
The SaaS market is very diverse, with a constantly extending range of SaaS development services that involve rapid innovation leveraging and cross-business solutions. That is why when seeking for the solution in a specific niche, concentrate on the respective areas of competence.
Most importantly, you need to find the SaaS development company that has the right team of professionals experienced in the right type of projects. That is what it takes to develop the working business model, UX/UI design, and choose programming tools that will ignite your project and make your business profitable.
Portfolio
When searching for credible SaaS development companies, it is necessary to check their works. Case studies are a prime example of the company’s capabilities and attitude.
At Codica, we are proud to share the examples of our work in the detailed case studies.
Customer reviews
Reviews from clients can help form a view about the reliability of a SaaS application development company. You can find such information on global platforms like Clutch or GoodFirms, where you can read honest feedback, not only five-star reviews.
Review and rating platforms not only consider client reviews, but also collect and analyze information about the market presence, experience, industry recognition, and other metrics. Below you can take a look at the review given by one of our clients on Clutch.
Development approach
Methodology and approach
We recommend searching for a team that uses an Agile approach to find a partner that will develop a SaaS application for your business. This approach makes the workflow fast and flexible.
Another aspect considers a streamlined communication system. SaaS development companies that deliver high-quality applications must have a healthy and motivating work environment that boosts the team’s productiveness.
And the last but not least factor is code review. It makes the code more consistent and robust, making your business more profitable.
MVP creation
Launching a SaaS startup should begin with building an MVP. Thus, you will reduce the development costs and also get revenue in the shortest possible time. And expert SaaS development companies know it very well. They know how to create the MVP your users will love.
Technology stack
The technology stack defines your application’s basic technical characteristics, such as performance, security, scalability, and maintainability. We must admit that deep expertise in specific technologies is better than general specialization. One cannot master everything.
Your aim is to understand the requirements for the solution stack of your startup. We suggest you ask the questions below to come up with the programming language that will be the essential part of your tech stack.
- Which technology fits the implementation of your main features the most? *How old is it? Can it boast having many libraries and tools to work with?
- What are the downsides of it?
- What is the situation with time-to-market?
Codica team relies on the robust Ruby on Rails framework because of its great syntax, design, and simplicity. Below you can find other tools we use for SaaS application development.
Team structure
Note that the creation of a platform from scratch requires a full-cycle development team. What kind of specialists can bring your SaaS project to reality?
- UX/UI designers;
- Project manager;
- Backend, frontend developers;
- DevOps;
- QA engineers.
Conclusion
We have briefly outlined the most important information you need to know when opting for the right SaaS application development company. If you want to put all these puzzles together and break the SaaS ground, please check our fresh article: How to Choose a Reliable SaaS Application Development Company.
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