Managing (and budgeting for) the post-launch phase

The launch of a custom software application marks a significant milestone in the journey of any software development project. To ensure long-term success and reliability, a well-structured post-launch plan is essential. In this article, Coreblue CTO, Dan, explores critical elements of the post-launch phase, including maintenance, Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and ongoing feature development.

 

Maintenance: Ensuring Reliability and Performance

• Regular maintenance is crucial for ensuring the software remains functional, efficient, and secure. Tasks include:

• Bug Fixes and Patches: Timely identification and resolution of any software bugs to keep the application running smoothly.

• Performance Optimisation: Regularly assessing and enhancing the software’s performance to handle increased load and evolving user demands.

• Security Updates: Implementing necessary security updates to protect against new vulnerabilities and threats.

Whether you assign internal resources to manage the maintenance tasks or retain your development partner, we advise allocating a sufficient number of hours to essential maintenance tasks each month.

 

Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Putting fires out quickly

A Service Level Agreement ensures that resources are on hand to fix critical issues quickly, should they arise. This is distinct from scheduled maintenance, which allocates time to tasks that are essential but not time-critical. SLAs can be tailored to your requirements and considerations include:

• Service hours: Are normal business hours sufficient, or do you require 24/7 coverage?

• Response Times: How quickly do you require the support team to respond?

• Monitoring and communication: What proactive monitoring is in place to automatically detect issues? How can issues be reported manually, and what channels are used to communicate progress?

• Fee structure: Some SLAs feature a substantial monthly base fee with included hours, others offer a low base fee, with hours charged on use.

 

Ongoing Feature Development: Keeping things current

Software usually needs to evolve to stay relevant and we’d advise budgeting for a degree of ongoing feature development from the outset. Ongoing feature development involves:

• User Feedback Integration: Regularly collecting and incorporating user feedback to enhance user experience and add valuable features.

• Market Trend Adaptation: Adapting to emerging market trends to keep the software competitive.

• Scalability: Ensuring the software can scale to accommodate growth in users and data.

 

Summary:

It is sensible to plan for the post-launch phase in advance. By focusing on diligent maintenance, ensuring a suitable SLA is in place, and anticipating the requirement for ongoing feature development, your application will remain stable and secure, while also evolving to meet the needs of your organisation in the future.