Software Development Timeline: How Long It Takes & What To Expect

Managing projects typically involves planning for various eventualities, assigning tasks, and using key performance metrics to keep everything on track.

A software development timeline allows applications to be efficiently developed from the initial research stages through the development process, testing, and release.

Keep reading to learn how to create a timeline that optimizes every stage of your business application.

What Is A Software Development Timeline?

With the application development market expanding, the demand for comprehensive software that accomplishes business-critical goals has never been higher.

A software development timeline breaks down the development process into key stages that can be outlined in detail to determine budgets, duration, and team composition.

This timeline includes the principal stages, beginning with the planning stage before progressing to design, development, testing, and launch.

Each stage requires various roles, and the timeline can be used to allocate resources and tools needed for developers to meet milestones.

Afterward, stakeholders and the developer can review this timeline of software development to assess whether additional elements are needed for the entire project.

It’s the backbone of custom software development, generating valuable insights through consultation between clients, stakeholders, and developers.

Why Development Timelines Are Essential

Creating a custom software development timeline confers various advantages when building software that must fulfill a series of requirements.

Some of the main benefits of creating a detailed software development timeline include:

• Effective resource allocation: One benefit of outsourcing software is the ability to allocate resources among team members. A timeline breaks down who needs what tools and when. Each development stage should include a resources section to cover this aspect and inform the team about what they require to complete tasks.
• Reliable risk mitigation: A well-structured development timeline helps identify risks early through careful planning and preparation for potential challenges. The timeline can also outline proper protocols for dealing with challenges, providing a clear reference when needed.
• Establishing clear key performance indicators (KPIs): The software development timeline can include project management tools for measuring progress, such as key performance indicators and other metrics. By establishing these early on, progress can be monitored throughout each software development phase.
• Improving stakeholder communication: Each custom software project requires clear communication between all parties so that new software functions and changes can be made. A timeline, which includes meeting schedules, one-to-ones, and consultations between clients and the development team, can assist with communication.

By streamlining workflows and developing software under a unified methodology, custom software development costs are focused precisely where they’re needed. Well-structured timelines enable teams to optimize resource allocation while maintaining quality standards throughout each project phase.

Explore MyDevTeam Services for custom software development.

Key Considerations When Creating A Software Development Timeline

Before you begin creating a software development timeline for your project, consider some factors that will help improve the process.

These considerations include:

• General timeframe and roadmap: A software development project often runs with other business activities, fitting into a broader timeframe to achieve specific goals. This overarching roadmap should be factored into a software development timeline to ensure it meets the relevant deadlines.
• Key project partners: Successful software development involves many partners, from project managers and software engineers to business leaders and stakeholders. Including these partners in a timeline and their involvement in specific stages will allow for optimal communication when it matters.
• Management and development methodologies: There are various software development methodologies, and it is vital to decide which works best for a project. This decision will set the stage for the development process and how the project manager oversees production.
• Relevant niche industry: Software solutions cover all sectors. Clarity on your specific niche industry will help create an appropriate timeline that understands the processes needed to deliver results. It will also allow you to hire specialist engineers as and when required.
• The complexity of the application: The number and complexity of features clients anticipate for their software are also critical factors in how long it takes to create the application. Early clarification allows timelines to reflect the requirements for complex projects accurately.

Business leaders can address these key aspects early on to ensure high-quality software is delivered in a way that maximizes productivity and resources.

Future-proofing considerations must also be integrated into the planning process, accounting for potential platform expansions to ensure long-term project success.

7 Stages Of A Custom Software Development Timeline

While the details may vary across software development stages, the basic framework can be applied to timelines for all project types.

This timeline applies to each phase of the software development life cycle, guiding project planning, performing complex system integrations, and streamlining future development.

Related reading: A beginner’s guide to custom software development.

Stage 1: Business Analysis & Planning

Duration: 2 to 4 weeks

The first step in creating a timeline is business analysis and planning, which informs how the entire software development life cycle will unfold over time.

Market research and brainstorming can help understand the critical capabilities of custom software development services for the project.

Combined with an in-depth business analysis, this can help us understand challenges and how the application can address them for the end user.

Stage 2: Definition Of Requirements

Duration: 2 to 4 weeks

The next phase in the timeline is breaking down the project’s requirements and how these can be presented throughout the custom software development process.

This stage provides an overview of the key features and explains how they can be created to improve the user’s experience and engagement.

The analysis phase can then be used to assign the appropriate tasks to the relevant members of the development team in the following stages of the timeline.

Stage 3: Architecture & Design

Duration: 2 to 6 weeks

Whether outsourcing SaaS development or creating a mobile application, the typical software development timeline includes a design phase to determine the architecture.

The design phase is vital for complex projects with detailed software requirement specifications and multiple third-party integrations.

Additionally, it details the overall framework of the user interface and system design, including front—and back-end development and areas where specialist engineers may be required.

Stage 4: Coding & Development

Duration: 3 months to 2 years

The most critical phase of the software development lifecycle is development, during which the software developers will write the code needed for the application to function.

This stage covers the development team’s expectations, whether using full-stack development, DevOps, or a combination of methodologies.

Since this stage of project development is typically the longest, the timeline should assign a flexible anticipated time frame for its completion.

Stage 5: Quality Assurance & Testing

Duration: 3 to 8 weeks

Rigorous testing is another critical element of a project. The testing phase utilizes a combination of approaches to ensure applications are optimized.

Automated testing, load testing, and security testing are all used throughout the coding process and before the software is finalized and released to end users.

Most development teams adopt best practices for testing, implementing scalable and efficient automated testing protocols to deliver highly functional software.

Stage 6: Product Deployment

Duration: 2 to 8 weeks

The penultimate stage in a software development life cycle is product deployment, which typically involves the business’s marketing and promotion strategies.

Once an application reaches the intended users, the development team will monitor performance closely and address any issues as soon as they are flagged.

Additional tweaks to the software’s features may also be made in this stage, drawing on user feedback to improve its function in the real world.

Stage 7: Maintenance & Support

Duration: Ongoing

Once the deployment stage has been cleared, the software development process continues with maintenance and support to address issues and add new features.

Additional performance testing and user acceptance testing will be conducted based on this deployment and issues arising.

The software development plan can outline the strategy for post-launch maintenance and support, depending on the project’s budget, to allocate resources effectively.

Common Challenges With The Software Development Process

Since a robust software development timeline requires a wide variety of information for multiple tasks and roles, creating an optimized one can be challenging.

Here’s an overview of some critical factors that can create potential issues and increase the duration of the project:

• Unrealistic set of features and deadlines: Perhaps the most common roadblock for any project is establishing unrealistic goals and deadlines, resulting in inferior results that lack the necessary features. A well-considered timeline alleviates this problem for the project development process by outlining requirements and deliverables in detail.
• Project scope creep: Just as a failure to correctly assess the required features early on can derail a project, so too can project scope creep create issues. By creating a timeline for software development that includes flexible milestones for each stage, additional time can be allocated for extra features.
• Poor communication: Communication is the key to success, and when reliable channels aren’t established, great ideas and problems can go unaddressed. The timeline should outline communication methods, particularly when managing offshore software development.
• Subpar testing processes: Software testing is vital whether developing an application for desktop computers or partnering with mobile app developers. A timeline can ensure testing is performed at all critical stages and that the application is free from bugs.

Understanding how these factors can negatively impact software development helps in creating a project timeline that includes contingency measures if they arise.

Discover the cutting-edge technologies MyDevTeam uses for innovative software development.

Software Development Timeline Tips

To further assist with creating a development timeline for your software, here are some additional tips for streamlining and refining the process:

• Write detailed technical documentation: Software development involves various complex processes, from core architecture programming to data migration and implementing security measures. Including detailed technical documentation throughout the timeline ensures all team members can review code, processes, and other vital information.
• Split each development phase into manageable milestones: Each development phase can be divided into additional stages to make the timeline easier to follow and clarify the tasks each team member needs to perform.
• Use visualization tools: Visualization tools such as the Gantt chart and other project management tools can be essential for demonstrating how the application is intended to function. They can also clearly show the overall timeline, which text-heavy documentation cannot.
• Monitor development trends: The software development industry is evolving, from the reinvention of the HR software market to new technology for programmers. Monitoring these trends will allow for relevant updates to the timeline and development processes.

These best practices are built into the software development outsourcing process to clarify complex functions and how the application will benefit end users.

Use MyDevTeam For Your Custom Software Development Project

Whether you’re developing custom software for startups or creating an application for a major industry, MyDevTeam delivers the software solutions needed for all project types.

This collaboration on the full development process includes:

• Comprehensive planning to ensure the design meets the expectations of key stakeholders and delivers an exemplary user experience.
• The latest technology for reliable performance, drawing on industry development standards for continuous integration and testing.
• Comprehensive e-commerce and SEO integration testing for software applications to ensure seamless functionality, drive traffic, and maximize sales.
• Industry-specific knowledge for various sectors, from healthcare and finance to construction, entertainment, and retail.
• Integrated analytics that drives the client’s product strategy forward, promoting the software’s value proposition to the intended target audience.

With innovation and scalability at the core of the development process, MyDevTeam draws on extensive industry experience to deliver optimal digital products.

Summary

Creating software is time-consuming and complicated, requiring careful planning and discussions to streamline the development cycle.

A timeline provides valuable oversight for the entire software project, from planning and design to thorough testing, release, and maintenance.

Following the advice and structure outlined in this article will help ensure your timeline delivers results as part of a continuous process to achieve project goals.