Custom software development may certainly be something your company is considering as your staff cry out for a more bespoke CRM solution for their specific needs and goals.

However, although this may offer many benefits, such as increased flexibility and scalability, there also comes with it some hidden dangers.

Here are 3 common risks that you should be aware of and how to avoid them.

Risk 1: Inaccurate Requirements

One of the biggest challenges in custom software development is defining and managing the requirements of the project. Inaccurate requirements can lead to software that does not meet the needs of your staff and can also cause delays, rework, scope creep, and budget overruns.

To mitigate this risk, you should involve your staff in the requirements and validation processes.  

Risk 2: Poor Quality Assurance

Quality assurance is the process of ensuring that the software meets the requirements, standards, and expectations of your staff. Poor quality assurance can result in software that is buggy, unreliable, insecure, or unusable.  

To mitigate this risk, you should adopt a quality-driven approach that integrates testing and quality control throughout the software development lifecycle.  

Risk 3: Inadequate Maintenance and Support

Maintenance and support are the activities that ensure that the software continues to function properly, efficiently, and securely after it is deployed. Inadequate maintenance and support can lead to your lovely bespoke software becoming quickly obsolete, incompatible and vulnerable to future cyber risks.

To mitigate this risk, you should plan and budget for the maintenance and support of the software from the beginning of the project.