Navigating the Digital Development Process: From Architecture to Business Integration

Author: Colin Elliott

Author: Kate Toole

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, customizing or tailoring software – whether it’s a mobile app to help customers shop online, or a web-based portal for employees to manage their workflows – is a necessity. However not every organization has the internal skillset to take an app from vision to execution. At RevGen Partners, we use a flexible, yet repeatable, approach to guiding businesses through the digital development process, ensuring the successful implementation of these solutions.

In previous articles, we’ve covered the Envision, Plan, and Design phases of development projects. Today, we are going to address the final key stages involved in the digital development process, highlighting the importance of implementing and refining architecture, developing a DevSecOps framework, writing code, testing and validating, and incorporating business feedback.

Stage 1: Implement and Refine Architecture

A robust architecture is the foundation of any successful digital solution. In the Plan and Design phases, we work with stakeholders to define the architecture blueprint and identify the desired functionality, system components, and their interactions. We may even develop a proof-of-concept.

During this stage, the implementation of the architecture is executed with meticulous analysis and evaluation. It involves incorporating best practices, industry standards, and valuable lessons learned from previous architecture builds. Regular refinement and optimization of the architecture throughout development is essential to ensure scalability, flexibility, and alignment with business objectives. The architecture should be evaluated and refined with each feature developed.

Stage 2: Develop DevSecOps Framework

Security, efficiency, and agility are paramount in today’s digital landscape. A DevSecOps framework provides a comprehensive approach that integrates development, security, and operations. RevGen defines and implements this framework early on, fostering collaboration and enabling continuous integration and delivery.

By automating security checks, implementing robust coding practices, and leveraging infrastructure-as-code principles, the DevSecOps framework ensures that security is integrated throughout the development process.

[Read More: The Care and Feeding of Software – Planning for Code Maintenance]

Stage 3: Write Code

This is what everyone envisions when they think about digital development. The architecture and DevSecOps framework are in place, and now the development team can get busy writing code. This involves translating the architectural design, functional and non-functional requirements, and UX/CX designs into functional code that brings the digital solution to life.

At RevGen, we emphasize the use of clean coding practices, ensuring readability, maintainability, and extensibility. Collaboration between developers and architects is crucial to ensure that the code aligns with the defined architecture and meets the desired functional requirements.

Stage 4: Test and Validate

Thorough testing and validation are essential to identify and rectify issues or bugs in your solution. We employ a range of testing methodologies, including code auditing, unit testing, smoke testing, and system testing to ensure the quality and reliability of the code. Automation techniques and tools within CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) are often leveraged to streamline the testing process, increase efficiency while minimizing human error. Comprehensive testing validates the functionality and assesses performance, security, and user experience to ensure the application doesn’t just work but works well.

Stage 5: Demonstrate and Incorporate Business Feedback

Once each feature has passed rigorous testing, it is time to showcase it to stakeholders and gather business feedback. When RevGen runs a project, it is a standard practice to schedule regular progress meetings. These meetings are essential in demonstrating the project’s ongoing advancements, allowing stakeholders to assess performance and ensure alignment with business objectives.

By providing this opportunity, stakeholders can actively participate, provide valuable feedback, and make informed decisions to steer the project in the desired direction. The regular cadence of these progress meetings ensures transparency, fosters collaboration, and facilitates effective communication among all parties involved in the project, ultimately contributing to its success.

Feedback from stakeholders is crucial for identifying areas of improvement, refining functionality, and incorporating iterative enhancements. This iterative approach ensures that the digital solution is continuously optimized to meet evolving business needs.

Conclusion

Guiding organizations through the development process is a multifaceted endeavor. All the stages reviewed here are vital components of successful development efforts. Embracing an iterative, flexible approach that prioritizes collaboration and continuous improvement enables businesses to harness the full potential of digital enablement, staying ahead in the dynamic digital landscape.

To learn more about the services we offer, visit our Digital Enablement page.

Kevin Able is a Principal Architect in RevGen’s Digital Enablement practice.  He is passionate about delivering practical solutions that drive value to his clients.

Colin Elliott is an Architect with RevGen Partners, having over 10 years of experience in web development across telecom, healthcare, geospatial, e-commerce, and supply-chain/planning. He’s a huge advocate of open-source software/hardware and enjoys keeping up with the latest web innovations.

Kate Toole is a Senior Consultant in RevGen’s Digital Enablement practice. She specializes in tailoring and elevating application designs and development based on her client’s needs.