Identifying Potentially Valuable Custom Applications

Without fail, in my experience as a developer any potentially valuable custom application project has been the result of identifying some area of operation which:

• Has become unwieldy, requiring too many steps or multiple data entry
• Has become more and more demanding as a result of increased volume
• Always seemed to be behind time – trying to play catchup and not succeeding
• Required information availability not currently or effectively available
• Just “seemed” to take too long to accomplish

My post Application Value is an excellent example of creating a custom application because of unwieldiness.  Another application which I designed that provided for scanning and categorizing of tax exempt certificates was an application which solved all of the issues mentioned above. 

Availability of information is a key factor in identifying value – i.e. An operation may be required to maintain original records  to produce during audits, yet, that same information may also be required at out-lying locations.  The choice can be to maintain a file at each location (trying to keep it up-to-date at all times of course), or somehow provide the means to quickly access the information via a custom application.  “Scanning and Cataloguing” such information can provide the ready access required to solve the problem – and there probably isn’t an “off-the-shelf” program to help!

Bottom line to identifying potentially valuable applications — Review operations closely to identify any of the categories listed above.  Once identified – it’s time to get creative!