In our previous article, we talked about the frontend and backend development of mobile apps. Today’s article builds on the knowledge discussed, by addressing one of the most pivotal factors in a mobile app development project: Factors That Can Significantly Affect Your Project Timeline.
If you haven’t read that yet and are not familiar with tech, I would highly suggest that you check out that article first to get a better context for this article. The link to the previous article is here.
So, now that we have understood the different aspects of mobile app development better, we ask ourselves: What implications do these different aspects have? How do they influence the project timeline and cost?
Frontend and Backend Development
The first factor that influences project timeline and cost is the extensiveness of the backend system. With our understanding from the previous article, we know that the backend system comprises of servers, storage, security and so on. Imagine if you have to integrate the mobile app’s backend system to 10 different external systems, each with a different software and errors that the developers have to overcome before successfully connecting with it… That’s a lot of integration efforts. This is definitely the most time-consuming part of every project — the integration to external systems.
The amount of data and type of data that the mobile app handles also affects the project timeline and cost heavily. This is because if your application handles sensitive data, there needs to be stringent security measures in place, and mobile app security tests to ensure that the mobile app meets all the safety requirements. These extra security measures can add up to about 2 weeks to 1 month.
As for the frontend, the more features you want your mobile app to have, the more features the frontend developer will have to code and link.
Beyond that, there is actually no set rule that says that backend developers must finish their code first before frontend development can take place. In most projects, it really depends on the development planning to determine if frontend or backend development will be coded first.
Hence, it is not so much about the sequence in which development work takes place, but rather, the quality of the developers and their code that would influence project timeline and cost.
How The Choice of Coding Language Affects Project Timeline and Costs
Before we dive into how the quality of developers matter, we must look at things from the developers’ perspective. Specifically for building mobile apps, developers would typically be required to write two different sets of code to account for both iOS and Android platforms. As the two platforms call for the knowledge of two different languages, this would already require the project to have two developers, which increases cost and time.
However, recently, we have developed our own Super-Hybrid technology stack based on ReactNative, which allows for more than 90% of the code to be shared between the iOS and Android versions, saving developer cost and time. You can learn more about Native vs Hybrid Development here.
Writing codes could be likened to writing an essay. There are many ways you can go about writing it, but there are ways you can make the essay short, sweet and still impactful. The same goes for writing codes — there are ways to make the code shorter, more efficient and more future proof (it is important for the developer to make his code scalable and buildable in case the client wants to add new features or he needs to fix any bugs). The ability to write efficient codes typically only come with an experienced or well-trained developer, and with experience — you guessed it — comes with a higher salary.
This brings us to our next factor: The quality of developers.
The Quality of Your Developers Can Make or Break Your App
Something that many people fail to realise is that the quality of developers can make or break your mobile app. After all, they are the ones in full control of building the backbone of your mobile app, and are the ones in charge of doing maintenance and service for it as well.
Drawing from my previous example: If you hire a junior developer with 1 year of experience, he might be able to make the app function, but his code will most likely be messy (affects debugging efforts) and full of errors. Compare this to hiring a senior developer with 7 years of experience. The senior developer will be able to write efficient codes that save time during development and also save effort during maintenance and service down the road. This is simply because the senior developer has had more experience with projects and knows how to write code that counters technical errors as much as possible.
Here comes the hard truth: If you want a reliable app, we will need quality developers to build it. If we need quality developers to build it, we will not be the cheapest vendor you can find out there.
Let’s imagine this scenario: Imagine that you are the senior developer in this case. With 7 years of experience, will you be willing to settle for a fresh graduate’s pay? Or will you demand a higher salary, because of the experience and expertise you will be bringing into the company?
As a mobile app development company, these developers are on our payroll. As much as we want to lower the cost for our clients, there is a certain limit to which we can lower our prices, because we are committing the best quality of developers to your project.
Technical Debt
On that note, there is a term in the industry called “Technical Debt”, which generally refers to the implied cost of additional rework caused by choosing an easy (limited) solution now instead of using a better approach that would take longer. I will not go into too much detail about it, because we did a deep-dive into the topic in our recently launched e-book, called “Don’t Mess Up! Ultimate Guide To Selecting The Top Mobile App Development Studios In Singapore”. If you’re interested, you can request for a free copy of the book by dropping us an email at hello@originally.us now!
One last thing to note about the quality of developers: Don’t be fooled by the company’s years of establishment. An established company could have many years of existence, but just formed its new IT team, and/or hired junior developers. Look closely at the cumulative years of experience that their developers have before making a choice.
Closing Thoughts
It really takes a good mobile app development vendor to ensure all these processes, from the frontend and backend development to the quality of code and developers, are in place to ensure minimal project delays and unforeseen circumstances.
Moreover, it is vital to find a vendor who is honest and upfront about the project timeline and cost. You don’t want to fall into the salesperson’s trap of “Promise first, Say sorry later” and have to deal with project failures down the road.
At Originally US, we do not embark on building a mobile app unless we want it to be successful, because your success is also our success. We believe in not only being upfront and honest, but also explaining and guiding you along the way, so you understand the considerations behind running a mobile app development project.
If you’re looking for a android mobile app development company to build your app, let us discuss how we can help you! Chat with us on Whatsapp today.
Banner Image Credits: Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels
