Product Development Process – Overview and Its Importance

In the lifecycle of a product, product development entails the entire process of the creation and maintenance of a product. Starting from the conceptualization, framework building to the end-to-end designing of the product falls under the product development process. In software development, it involves a combination of management techniques, methodologies, steps, and tools that together aid in successful teamwork.

Developing smart productsThe market for smart products is growing rapidly, and so is the number of companies. The competition is already very high, where small details can make or break the success of a product. These forces the companies designing tech gadgets and products to come up with more efficient, integrated, and lean product development processes. Here are a few functions of the product development process that play a pivotal role in the development of smart products.

Problem-solvingProblems appear rather frequently while developing complex software, and it is the product development team that solves them. Problem-solving in product development involves the careful analysis of the problems, thoughtful strategizing, and the implementation of the necessary solutions. An ill-organized product development process would remain ridden with roadblocks. Therefore, an efficient and experienced product development team is of great value to a company.

Proof of conceptWhen it comes to smart products, certain innovations often seem unrealistic in the beginning. Before a company invests its resources into the project, it should make sure that the project is viable. This is what proof of concept refers to; it is the process of checking whether a product is feasible and if the idea would deliver the expected result. In the product development process, the proof of concept is done in the very early stage. The development team would carefully evaluate the project in question. By considering the costs, the risks, and the chances of the product’s success, the team would decide whether to proceed with it.

SecurityEnsuring the security of software is one of the key priorities in a well-planned product development process. Many companies focus on security only during the later life cycle of the product, although it should be a priority from the very onset. While developing any software product, it is crucial to ensure its safety from online threats. An experienced and resourceful product development team would greatly emphasize security and implement effective solutions.

The feedback loopsOnce implemented the software requires constant support and maintenance throughout its lifecycle, for necessary improvements. One of the key functions of the product development team is to build an effective feedback loop to collect ideas on upgrades to carry out. When a product has an active feedback loop, customers can constantly submit their feedback regarding it. This makes it much easier for the company to cater to the needs of the users.

ConclusionFor a company trying to grow its capabilities, it is crucial to have a well-organized and proactive product development team. This would make it easier for the company to identify the problems and come up with IT-oriented solutions. If a company cannot build such resources in-house, they could consider a good outsourcing company with a good product development team. Every company can’t have an in-house team, outsourced product development services would continue to gain significance in the IT industry in the years to come.

Gadgeon is an end-to-end IT outsourcing services company which is reputed for its deep expertise in Industrial IoT software development and Engineering. We connect devices, operations, and processes to create business value, and revolutionize enterprises with the power of data. As a professional IT outsourcing services, we successfully enabled the digital journey of customers with critical digital services ranging from embedded systems to testing & test automation.

Writes for Gadgeon.com, IT outsourcing services and product engineering services.