Reducing time to market with modern application development

The question is, how do you achieve this kind of technology velocity without cutting corners? With a myriad of approaches, clarity is key – after all, multiple journeys need clear pathways. And with rivals only ever one step away, moving forward with a clear purpose is essential for sustained business success.

Swift time to market matters

Fast time to market offers more than just an edge in the race – it delivers a host of broader benefits. By swiftly responding to market conditions, adapting to supply and demand fluctuations, exceeding customer expectations, and fostering innovation, businesses can reap invaluable yet harder-to-measure impacts on their bottom line.

Consequently, businesses must continually prioritize and assess their time to market strategies to uncover opportunities. And this calls for a profound mindset shift in the approach to application development. Companies need to embrace agility and change their cultural mindset to break down silos and connect the dots across various departments.

Moreover, it is essential that everybody in the company recognizes the critical need for application development – and the potential returns it can deliver.

The different paths you could take

Structured applied innovation with new technologies is crucial to stay on the edge of market change. So, let’s briefly explore two of the best approaches – in my opinion – that could help an organization improve their time to market:

• Prototyping:

  Prototyping plays a pivotal role in the app development process because it enables organizations to create and test applications without going live. It allows teams to focus on gaining insights and demonstrating progress. And it offers a valuable opportunity to experiment with new features, refining them in a controlled environment.
  
  With fast prototyping, you can, in some cases, architect and release the first version of an app within days. Low code / no code tools can help here. This approach allows a wider group within the business to contribute to the build, test and feedback on the app or feature – enabling more of the business to assess the value it offers.
  
  And, 82% of low or no-code users agree that the technology helps provide an opportunity for software users to improve their development knowledge and technical skills. In many ways, low code / no code is the future of enterprise development and it’s why our Thinkubator has been so successful. If you need a working business prototype for a solution or technology, our Thinkubator will deliver it rapidly using an agile approach that sits architects and developers beside your business.
  
  Remember that the low code/no code approach isn’t just limited to prototyping either; it can be leveraged to build full-fledged applications as well. Through prototyping, businesses can release features in different sprints and gather valuable feedback from both internal stakeholders and customers. This feedback loop facilitates continuous improvement, ensuring that the final product aligns with user needs and expectations.
  
  By breaking free from the tunnel effect – where an app is built and its impact remains unknown until its launch – organizations can make informed decisions and avoid potential setbacks. Within an artificial environment, organizations can mitigate the risks associated with releasing an app or feature that may have a detrimental impact.

• Composable solutions:

  Organizations can also embrace composable solutions for modern application development.
  
  Composable architecture revolves around assembling pre-built software components like building blocks – optimizing development time and cost.
  
  This modular approach enables rapid customization and facilitates quick implementation of new features based on customer response. According to Gartner, organizations that have adopted a composable approach to IT are 80% faster in new-feature implementation. Than their counterparts, empowering them to stay ahead in the market.
  
  Composable solutions prove particularly valuable when multiple interconnected applications are involved. They offer flexibility and the chance to apply lessons learned to refine and enhance the application's functionality throughout its development.
  
  While composable solutions may not be suitable for every application, it shines brightest when applied to core applications that organizations wish to invest in while leveraging the efficiency of existing components.

What are the key takeaways?

Reducing time to market is a multifaceted theme and one that many organizations ultimately require specialist support with. For instance, Microsoft Power Platform is a dedicated solution designed to help teams build apps, automate tasks and deliver new customer experiences – however, scaling it can be difficult. That’s where Sogeti comes in. We help organizations to drive maximum value from the Power Platform, enabling them to go further, faster.

A great example of this can be seen in our recent work with a large multinational cooperative bank. We supported staff to build their Power Platform Center of Excellence, for end-to-end control and compliance across their system deployment. With over 1,000 Power Apps built in just 12 months, it clearly demonstrated the speed, compliance and scale that’s possible with our help.

If you’re interested in learning more, we’d be more than happy to begin understanding your unique requirements. In the meantime, however, here are some key takeaways to consider as you attempt to gain the competitive edge through modern application development:

1. 1. Don’t think too much! Prototype your idea first and then test it iteratively – you’ll make progress much faster.
   
   2. Learn fast and gain feedback from your users; listen and respond quickly. Try creating a small test community of users before investment or release. Remember that people don’t always know what they want, so try new things and see what lands best.
   
   3. The more composable solutions you use, the faster you can release apps or new features.
   
   4. Invest into your CI/CD chain – that’s the method to frequently deliver apps to customers by introducing automation into the stages of app development. Invest in the process rather than the components. You can see how we helped leading Dutch energy company, Enexis, deliver fully automated processes here.
   
   5. Invest in the skills of your people – and in the experts you surround your people with. Wrap the right support around your internal teams.
   
   6. Manage your app portfolio:
   1. Include more spread into your applications through composable solutions.
   2. Understand the lifecycle of your applications and who the owners are.
   3. Have a plan for your applications – their future and where you envisage taking them.