Importance and Benefits of Software Maintenance in Development

In this article, we would like to unravel the unknowns of maintenance in software development and explain the benefits of a well-established process. 

S-PRO experts will explain what happens during this phase and why you would benefit from investing in maintenance. 

What is Software Maintenance?

Maintenance is the terminal phase of the software development life cycle. It happens after the software gets released to the production environment. This phase typically includes improvements, fixing bugs, adapting to requirements changes, and troubleshooting.  

Maintenance can be proactive, such as implementing preventive measures to avoid possible issues, or reactive, such as adapting to changes or fixing problems that have already occurred. 

What Are The Types Of Software Maintenance?

Let's take a deeper look at what happens in the maintenance phase of software development. This activity can be classified into several types: 

Reparative 

Reparative maintenance mainly refers to bug fixes. It includes defects triage and elimination and resolving integration, data, and compliance issues. 

Adaptive

When the business requests new features or a change of functionality that has already been there, adaptive maintenance steps in. It includes any development work needed to make requested changes happen. 

Enhancement

This type allows you to polish the quality of your software without adding new functionality, for example, enhancing the app's performance or security.

Safeguarding

The goal is to establish a system that will minimize possible issues by detecting them early. The team designs daily automation tests and conducts other checks, like pen testing. 

Why Is Software Maintenance Important?

A well-established maintenance strategy is critical for your business and your customers. It is a vital safeguarding and cost-saving factor for your company, ensuring your customers receive software products that meet their needs.

Key Benefits of Maintenance Software

Proper maintenance gives the green light to such benefits as:

• Enhanced Performance. Downtime will be minimal, or there will be no downtime at all.
• Increased User Satisfaction. Users will admire patch releases with quick resolution of their issues.
• Reduced Costs. Identify and fix minor issues before they become problems, saving you a lot of money in the long term perspective.
• Expanded Growth Opportunities. By measures of adaptive maintenance, you can scale your product seamlessly. 
• Improved Security. With regular checks, you can catch vulnerabilities early and prevent data breaches.

How To Reduce Software Maintenance Cost?

Reducing software maintenance costs is one of the key concerns for businesses. Here is what you can do:

Don’t Put It Off For Too Long

Pay attention to maintenance in software development before bugs and necessary updates pile up. Addressing these tasks at the right time will go a long way in saving your budget.

Outsource

Outsourcing software maintenance is a cost-effective alternative to supporting it in-house. 

Nearshoring allows collaboration with skilled engineers at lower pay rates and still getting on-par service quality. There are also other benefits, such as good cultural fit and synchronous communication. 

At S-PRO, we have over nine years of experience in offshore and nearshore development and can provide full-cycle software development services, including product maintenance. 

Optimizing Development and Maintenance for Maximum Value

S-PRO experts are happy to share tips on adopting practices that will help you get maximum value. Here are some hints:

Conduct Code Reviews

Do not underestimate quality code reviews, as they help to identify potential issues and improve the overall quality of the software product. 

Encourage your engineers to do it frequently and treat it seriously, even if the new feature seems to work all right. Include code review into the Definition of Done for all of your tickets.  

Invest in Automation Tests

Thorough testing and debugging help software remains stable and easy to maintain. 

Automated testing helps support the quality of software applications and saves human resources and costs. Once you adopt this approach, QA engineers will only have to run automation jobs and adjust autotests as new test cases appear.  

Create Software Product Documentation 

Always document the code to establish a comprehensive knowledge base for your project. Proper documentation is a single source of truth for your software product and can be particularly helpful if you need to transfer maintenance to another team or outsourcing company.

Helpful documentation includes:

• Software Requirements Specification (SRS)
• Test scenarios and test cases
• Release notes
• Class, sequence, data flow, and activity diagrams

You can involve software and quality assurance engineers and business analysts in document creation.

Conclusion: Setting Up Software Maintenance Process

Now that you understand the benefits of maintenance in software development, be mindful of such activities and start thinking of them throughout the development process, not only by its end. You will reap the benefits of increased performance, reduced costs, and improved security. 

To avoid diving deep into software management peculiarities, consider partnering with S-PRO. Reach out to us, and you will get top-class maintenance service.  

FAQ

What does software maintenance include?

It includes such activities as fixing bugs, updating security protocols, making improvements, and adapting the software to changes in the business logic, technologies, or user needs. 

Is software maintenance Taxable?

The taxability of maintenance services varies depending on the state and country your business operates and hires. 

To review the tax implications of maintenance in your specific case, reach out to S-PRO. Our tax experts will research this issue and get back to you.