In a fluid working environment where every company is gearing up to fill the digital divideit is essential to know what a software and what it means to design one.

In computer science and electronics, the term software refers to intangible electronic processing components. A software, or programme, is a computer entity capable of processing data and automating operations.

Designing and developing a programme requires commitment, time, energy and, above all, the ability to working in a team. The IFTS Software Developer Course is designed to train industry experts capable of designing and implementing applications of ICTInformation and Communication Technologies, i.e. digital technologies, in order to increase the corporate security. Relying on professionals is essential to ensure the data protection of its customers.

La design of a programme can take several months of work and consists of numerous steps. Moreover, once created, it must be continuously renewed. It is a meticulous worksince it requires careful and efficient planning for functional execution and process optimisation.

How do you create software?

There are five main phases in the design of a programme: identification, architecture, design, tests e release.

During the identification phasean analysis process takes place, a preliminary investigation to define the market needs and the customer's desired requirements. At this stage, the specification of requirementsThis is a detailed and complete description of the characteristics the programme should have, in order to understand what its positioning in the market might be.

Then we move on to more project phases, such as thesoftware architecture. This in turn is divided into definition and planning:

  • Definition the objectives of the project and the technological tools needed to realise it;
  • Understanding the timelines of the project to know how much time you will have to realise the objectives and budget.

At this stage, the operational teamin which each member will work on one of the software components that will be communicated with the other participants.

We then move on to the design and coding phase where the programme developers receive the necessary design documents and technology tools and actively start writing the software. This is the longest phase of the creation process. In fact, each developer not only write its component code, it shall check with the other team members that each of them can interact. To avoid mistakes, we often use a system of audit control.

The fourth phase is probably the most delicate and important one for check the programme and the quality of the product. La quality is a prerequisite for a decision to launch it on the market. The main test is often called Quality Assurancebut it is not the only one. Each company will decide which tests to carry out depending on its objectives.

The software release is the last step in the creation operation process. After passing all tests, the programme is delivered and a software state is created in the repository. The released programme will be entrusted with a version number. This will allow developers to continue working on the software and its constant updating without making changes to what is available on the market.

There are many types of software on the market today, including: application software, basic or system software, drivers, middleware, etc.

Given the complexity of the operational process when designing and creating software, it is essential to rely on experts in the field to ensure that all steps are carried out precisely and on time, aiming to constantly improve one's level of quality. Moreover, a company with reliable software is a warranty for its customers.

Author of the article

ITS MOVE - Editor