Software development is a tedious process that involves researching, developing and testing. Because of its long and detailed process, the cost of development will also be high no matter how big or small the company might be. Many companies or organizations even spend hundreds of dollars in application development based on client requirements and business. So overall, the entire software development process is considered expensive.

Why is Software Development Expensive?

The cost of application development can include various aspects and taking time to evaluate all those expenses will give you a basic idea of what consumes the most cost and helps to keep track of your money better. When a new project is assigned, all the mobile development agencies will send an estimated cost of the projects (monthly) to the company or organization. From that invoice, you can clearly see where all your money is being spent and how quickly the cost can rise. Here are some software development cost distributions to further enlighten you.

Android and iOS Developers

Mostly the businesses prefer to develop their application in both android and iOS platforms because it helps their services to reach the global platform. This means it requires both the android and iOS developers, and they do not come for free. Both platforms need different coding and testing so that the development process can become quite expensive. Try hiring freelance developers from various regions other than your city; this might reduce some cost.

Quality Assurance Management

A quality assurance manager does the quality assurance management; the job of a QA manager is to check the quality of work in the developing and testing team. They make sure that everyone on the team is working efficiently and they also responsible for checking if there are any errors in the application. They see if everything is running smoothly without any hindrance.

The studies say that quality assurance manager salary is three-fourth of the developer’s salary, so this will increase the cost of the development process.

UI/UX Designer

The UI and UX designers are an essential part of application development; they are in charge of the layouts, quality and aesthetic of the applications. Some designers design the entire layout of the application and send it to the developers, and some designers are capable of integrating those designs as well. So the salary of the designers depends on their ability. But mostly, the UI/UX designers make about 90% of what developers make.

Software Project Manager

The leading role of the project manager is to see everyone on the team is on time and working correctly. They are the ones who need to encourage and motivate the team in case of any slump. The project manager makes sure that the team is working productively and delivering the projects on-time. The project manager’s salary is a little less than developers and designers.

Key Aspects that Result in More Development Cost

Now that we covered the cost of the software development team, it is now the time to analyze the full project development and price. To estimate the expenses build a UI flow chart of the entire development process of an application.

The flowchart will allow you to keep track of the entire development process and what process takes up more money to develop. Divide the flowchart into two sections, and the top part should consist of the user login, home pages and settings, and so on. The bottom section should consist of different features in applications like the dashboards, calendars, etc. So this will give a clear idea of how long each process takes and how much it costs.

Custom screens and Reports

It is essential to create a custom screen based on app’s features in the flowchart, and it will be easier to know how many hours does it take for the developers to complete one custom screen and to be honest one screen may take less time than the other. Still, it is essential to track them in the same amount of the time.

The backend custom screens, like password changes, should also be considered when it comes to the software developing process. The custom reports are essential to keep track of the application performance; these reports can include user engagement, user retention, and so on.

Application Integrations

Integrating third-party features or readily available features can also consume time and money. These features may include Google maps, severs for mails or any payment methods.

Application Errors

While developing mobile or web applications, errors are inevitable. If there is a delay in the schedule or project goes out of budget, a good back-up plan is needed. This is why a certain amount of money should be allotted to fix errors and budget problems at the beginning of the project planning. Therefore, sudden and hidden expenses can be avoided in this way.

In summary, these are the necessary expenses in the software development process, and if planned and executed correctly, the unnecessary costs can be avoided. Consider all the aspects before making a software development plan and split the expenses efficiently among different teams.

Author Bio:

Monish Sinthala is an Entrepreneur and the co-founder of one of the successful mobile app development companies in Chennai, Pyramidion Solutions. The company has delivered many cost-efficient and dynamic mobile applications for its global clientele catering to the business markets and trends.