How Custom Software Development Can Yield Big Returns

March 1, 2013 - PRLog -- Austin, Texas is no stranger to software development - the city's exponential growth can be largely explained by the influence of the technology industry. "Software's a huge driving factor to the bottom line of the city," says Oliver Meek, founder of the development shop LB&M and previously a VP at Paybook. "But developing software reliably requires a solid, structured discipline that's also focused on the business objectives."

Meek has taken his experience at technology start-ups and joined forces with other software giants to normalize the development process and help Austin start-ups and SMEs realize their return on investment in technology. "Tech really impacts every business so we started with a question: how can we help non-tech companies benefit from software and immediately see the difference in their bottom line?"

Technology projects have a reputation for under-performance as budgets and timelines are extended and many are just canceled as companies struggle to reach completion. For LB&M, they have committed to solving this problem and creating a general approach to make custom software development something that is palatable to the average business.

"It's all about process," adds Meek. "We believe that a comprehensive discovery phase can vet an idea, discover the risks and start the development phase in a way that guarantees the goals of the project." And he's not alone in thinking this way - research firm Gartner estimates that the majority of technology projects fail because of a lack of definition and direction at early stages even at large firms.

As Austin grows into the technology sector, competing with cities such as San Francisco and New York in claiming its reputation in the industry, Mr. Meek's LB&M represents a new way of focusing on the success of technology projects instead of their problems. His final conclusion: "If you know what you're building and have a solid grasp of the challenges involved, there's no reason you can't execute flawlessly and see immediate returns on your investment."