The Role of Solution Templates in Custom Software Design

A company’s expertise is one of the most important business advantages. The more tech talents that work in an organization, the more capable and attractive it becomes for potential partners.

Despite only being 10 years old, Computools has gathered deep expertise in software development. To make the most of it, we have developed an effective method of storing our knowledge and experience, it involves the following mechanisms:

– Databases are intended to store information, expertise, and risk registers on every project type, region, and industry. Our databases store solutions that were produced in previous projects. This practice helps us to reduce the time needed to investigate every new project and lowers the risk of choosing a sub-optimal digital solution.

– Solution kits are flexible semi-products that are customized to solve one or more business problems. By developing a variety of solution kits we enrich our competencies and generate the most optimal software solution for a specific project or task, which also gives our clients benefits such as lower estimates and shorter timelines. Computools’s solution kits are produced in an internal think tank guided by the most experienced specialists.

– Solution templates are the simplest form of storing our expertise, but their value is no less important. A typical solution template is used to cut the development time of model elements that are typical for all projects. The use of templates results in faster implementation of functionalities, which helps us to deal with technical tasks more efficiently.

Common Advantages of Solution Templates

The use of solution templates gives the following advantages:

• Reduced time on the development of model elements such as user system core, authorization, registration, etc.;
•  Effective quality code monitoring throughout the establishment of a single format and framework in which a technology team (e.g., Java, Node, React, Vue) will work;
• Increased speed of team onboarding and offboarding without losing the tech talents on a project because all team members are professionals in their solution templates.
• Continuous code quality improvement, which allows us to perform high workloads in the same timeframe and increase the flexibility of the end product by setting internal standards.
• Reduced potential for bugs approaching 0 in template-based software.
• Synchronized interaction between members from different tech teams within a single project (e.g., API between front-end and back-end).

Implementation Approach

There are multiple approaches on how to create solution templates. Solution templates are similar to frameworks. Many frameworks like Java Spring, PHP Laravel, or JS React/Angular are designed to implement basic programming operations, which greatly simplifies the work for software engineers.

We follow the same principle: What’s the point of designing something from scratch if we can use ready-made solutions?

To create a solution template we rely on the projects developed at Computools. We grow a template from a ready-made solution that is later converted into a design pattern. Unlike authors who create frameworks of general purpose, we need not cover a wide range of tasks for software developers with different levels of expertise. On the contrary, we can provide and implement a lot more by controlling the following factors:

1. Knowing the level of expertise our engineers have so that our templates are oriented on their capabilities, whereas general frameworks must be accessible for every developer.

2. Enabling interactions between frontend and backend teams to bind these connections in solution templates, whereas general frameworks should be flexible and adjustable.

3. Detecting potential business challenges facing SMEs and enterprises in different industries and providing working solutions.

4. Limiting the number of architecture patterns.

5. Not tying software developers to specific solution templates based on their framework. The application of any template is discussed and agreed upon in every situation; otherwise, the quality of the end product can be compromised.

How to Create a Solution Template for Every Technology Team

Here is a brief guideline on how we produce solution templates at Computools:

• Choosing a set of architecture patterns and basic architecture principles by which the team will be guided.
  Aligning the interactions between applications (e.g., HTTP API, WSS, CLI, etc.).
• Analyzing documentation, particularly estimates from previous projects and assessing a project model in order to determine which elements should be delivered in the first place.
• Choosing a set of ready-made solutions for each technology team. The more solutions we can offer, the quicker new staff will get involved in our processes and project development. However, we never sacrifice functionality for simplicity or rapidity.
• Revising and improving the estimates of project models and removing modules, which allows us to assess the time saved on solution templates.

Once we have everything outlined, our next step is to organize the process of continuous solution template development. When it comes to the implementation of critical modules, code review, and the acceptance of pull requests, the process is guided by our Heads of technology teams; whereas our most competent developers on the bench are in charge of template development.

It is necessary to say that we take no piece of software from the projects delivered to our clients, as it goes against our agreements. Furthermore, such projects are built on the application approach, which means that a project is fully aimed to solve the client’s needs. As a result, the end product is flexible in handling business problems rather than offering a basic set of tools. Thus, solution templates need a library-level approach that offers the highest degree of flexibility. Since different software engineers will use solution templates in the future, they need to be as adjustable as possible because we do not have the foreknowledge to know which specific business goal it will serve.

Outcomes of Solution Template Application

1. Reduced estimates by 30% for solution template projects

2. Lowered risk of bugs by 90% in software based on solution templates

3. Higher level of employee satisfaction due to a smaller number of routine tasks during project development

4. Improved learning efficiency through the adjustment of training to a fixed set of technologies used in a team.

If you are interested in designing custom software, message Computools’s IT consulting team via info@computools.com. You will be offered a free session in which you can learn more about our wide-ranged software development services and define the most optimal way of getting the kind of digital products that you deserve.