SaaS Product Development : A Complete Guide

SaaS product development and management are the new, and emerging, functions. So, we have compiled all the data and experience to provide you with the best knowledge about SaaS product development.

So here is a complete guide to developing a SaaS product for your business.

What is a SaaS product?

SaaS: Software as a service is a delivery model in which the vendor provides the client with centrally hosted software in a third-party server.

And it is a cloud-based software that you can use from anywhere. Many of the apps we use frequently are SAAS, like Google apps, canvas, and Dropbox.

Moreover, the best thing about SAAS is that you do not need any special equipment or specialization to use it.

However, You need to go to the website and use the software to grow your profit—no need of installing anything on your device.

Therefore, the service provider provides all the updates, and updates done on the host’s side is invisible to the users.

And the ease in usability has made the SAAS distribution model popular. Companies have seen rapid growth as SAAS development companies.

SaaS product development is not an easy job and requires correct skills and methodologies to become a success.

Moreover in addition, In this article, we will explain how you can find the right SaaS product development company to gear up your SaaS platform development.

Benefits of SAAS product development:

1. Easy and affordable to maintain SaaS platform rather than traditional desktop software

2. And offers easy accessibility from any device

3. However, cloud-based software is not easy to pirate; hence SaaS development services offer less privacy

4. Offering upgrades become easy

5. Most imp rescues the overhead of making investments in heavy hardware infrastructure

A step-by-step guide to find SaaS product development company

Step 1: Know the basics.

So to ensure that your SaaS development services comply with all the requirements, you must know the basic steps in any SaaS platform development.

And knowing it yourself will help you better judge the process and capabilities of a SaaS product development company.

The five main stages in SaaS product development are:

1. Research and Discovery

Likewise, based on market research and analysis, product goals and requirements are determined.

However, in this stage, client requirements and expectations are figured out.

And this stage also includes knowing one’s target audience better to determine product functions and impact.

2. Product Design

In the second stage, your SAAS development company interprets the product design and creates a prototype.

However, prototyping helps the different phases by crystalizing out the exact features and functionality of the product.

And this allows the UI/UX designers, developers, and testers to comprehend the requirements at each stage better.

3. Product development

An MVP (Minimum Viable Product)rolls out in the next phase.

And this stage is responsible for building and executing a minimum product.

And those products include minimum features to fulfil the needs of early adopters and gather feedback for the upcoming steps.

4. Quality Assurance

So in this stage, all the bugs are fixed, and a defect-free product is made ready.

5. Deployment and Maintenance

And in this stage, the deployment of the company is done.

Moreover, the SaaS product development company solves the issues during the deployment and ensures that the product functions well.

Step 2: Expertise

1. Portfolio

The portfolio of a company depicts the capabilities of a company well.

So explore the company’s website and online accounts. Check for the company’s projects, timelines, complexities, and UI/UX designs.

In addition, also check the case studies that the company has taken in detail.

2. Client Reviews

Certainly, reviews are one of the best ways to find out how reliable a company’s SaaS product development services are.

But in today’s era, it is straightforward to find the review and ratings on public platforms like GoodFirms.

And these platforms rate the product development companies on a series of parameters that can help you evaluate a company based on your preference.

3. Online Presence

Firstly, check the company’s visibility in social media networks.

Moreover, read blogs that the company has uploaded which depict the mastery and challenges of the SaaS product development company.

And check whether you can relate to the objectives, mission, and vision of the company.

Step 3: Technology Stack

In other words, the programming technologies and tools that a SaaS product development company uses, determine to a great extent the success of the company.

Only when the company is leveraging the right SaaS development tools to their best it will bring you profit by developing your software with the right tools.

Instead of choosing a company with multiple capabilities, go for specialization.

First Google and research what is the right stack for a SaaS product development. Gain some personal knowledge so that you can assist your company better. You can start with the following questions:

1. What all are the main features for implementation?

2. How is the community support around the platform that you are choosing for performance?

3. How robust are the maintenance and the security?

4. How will the SaaS development tools affect the time-to-the-market?

Step 4: The SaaS development process and approach

1. Methodologies

For SaaS platform development, the use of proper methodologies takes place.

Moreover, appropriate methods help a lot in saving time and effort. And it would be best if you asked the following questions while choosing the right SaaS product development company.

• How does the company manage its time and resources?
• Is the company equipped with the latest trends and technologies?
• How is the company handling scaling and change of requirements?

Agile methodology is going to go for a SaaS development company.

Agile has immense benefits as it offers a lot of time and flexibility.

And the agile approach does away with the risk of finding the platform at the end with no MVPs. Also, it gives you more charge of project management and execution.

2. Communication & Code Review

Streamline communication is an essential and vital need to ensure the success of the SaaS development platform.

However, ensure that the SaaS product development company that you choose follows specific and organized methods of communication.

Additionally, code review is one of the best practices that ensure the code’s consistency and robustness.

3. Minimal Viable Product

A company working by rolling the MVP out is significant. MVP is the rolling out of the SaaS platform with minimal features that are critical to the organization’s business quickly.

And it will help you accelerate your pace to the market and get to the real-life audiences fast.

Step 5: Team Structure

SAAS product development is a complex process. The process demands a team equipped with the latest trends and technologies with good command of the main SaaS development tools.

Also, the team should be able to face risks and challenges with vigour. It should be easy and productive to communicate with the development team to mitigate any future trouble.

Typically the team of a SaaS product development company should consist of the following:

1. Business Analysts

2. UI/UX designers

3. Front-end & back-end developers

4. DevOps engineers

5. Quality Assurance engineers

Step 6: Support & Maintenance

Any SaaS product is an ongoing set of features and functionality. Thus the maintenance of the SaaS product after its release becomes immensely crucial. Also, since you will be at the live stage after the release, any loophole or risk during the maintenance can cost you heavily.

Only the right team can help you with the correct methods and ways for maintaining your SaaS platform rightly. Always check the policies and standards that the SaaS product development company uses to retain the product SaaS. Check how robust and easy is the support.

Step 7: Cost

The cost of building the SaaS product should be compared well before choosing any SaaS product development company.

Always make sure that you are not overpaying. At the same time, less cost may cost you more on the quality side.

Ensure that you are being costed as per the market standard. Make the cost comparison after studying and filtering the best portfolios.

Talk to people in your network that have experience with cost structuring vs deliverables. Remember that each penny that you invest should contribute to boosting your ROI.

Only the right SaaS product development team with the right experience and processes can make your vision turn into reality at an affordable cost.

Conclusion

SAAS product development has gained a significant expansion in the current market. Many SaaS development platforms are being added each year to the market.

To make a successful SaaS product, you must choose the right SaaS software development company to avoid any regrets in the future. Start with market research and gain some technical knowledge to evaluate the answers of the company better.

Study what approach, SaaS development tools, and SaaS development process does the company uses.

Study the modes of communication and team composition of the company. Keep in mind that the company follows the recent technology trends and cushions managing risks during the software development cycle.

Good luck!