The SaaS model has taken the world by storm. It’s faster, easier, and more affordable for businesses of all sizes to access high-quality software through third-party SaaS providers. If you’ve ever wondered how to build SaaS products so that you can ride the wave of this trend, you need to know the many steps to building a SaaS product in 2022.
In this article, we’ll show you how to develop software as a service product and answer the question: how long does it take to build a SaaS product?
How To Build SaaS Products in 2022
If you want to create SaaS software in 2022, you have to consider the many steps to take. Before you dive into developing a SaaS product, you have to consider what type of service you want to deliver, what revenue model you want to follow, and which tech stack to use.
Let’s look at how to develop software as a service product after you’ve got your idea nailed down:
- Prototyping: Once you have a prototype built by your team of developers (or an external team that you’ll manage), you can start refining the product by giving them feedback or getting feedback from your intended audience. You can also use this stage to gauge the interest level in the market and test how competent your dev team is. This step is very important because you can still make changes without launching the product (and wasting the bulk of your money). The product doesn’t have to be complete, but it should look as close to the finished product as possible.
- Backlog creation: Once you’ve approved the prototype, you can create a list of everything the development team needs to do to complete the project (called a backlog). This should give you an idea of the time frame and languages that will be used, so you’ll have a clearer idea of the costs you can expect.
- Development and design: You can build an MVP (minimum viable product) in about 3 months and complete the final product in ten months or less. You can launch a beta version of the product to beta users because going to market with the final version will generate money sooner, but proceed with caution!
- QA testing: Quality assurance testing lets you uncover bugs. This could be done manually or through automated testing, but it’s an important part of finding issues with your platform.
- Deploying: After you’ve done a round of QA testing, you’ll do QA tests for every new feature that is added and then deploy the software to the cloud. A DevOps engineer will be the lead on that portion of your project. You could use a private cloud, but most people prefer using a vendor.
- Keep testing: You never stop testing. Amazon will deploy thousands of times in a single day as they continuously test and improve their site.
- Building new features: Once you’ve gone to market, you’ll create a new backlog and keep adding features to your product. No SaaS product is ever complete. You can keep improving and adding new features as clients share their feedback and need with you over time and competitors enter the market.
Time to Market
You can take a completed app to market in 6 months to a year. Be wary of companies that promise extremely fast delivery when it’s not viable, but note that you can save time on your deployment by using low-code platforms that save time and money. You should also ask your team to build a real MVP that really sells the benefits of your product without getting bogged down in a large product. You should also ensure that the team you work with is able to manage large cross-functional teams efficiently, from product development to deployment. If you are really stretched for time, use an offshoring company that will deliver a great service and brings a complete, experienced team to the table upfront.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to build SaaS products, you can start getting your team together and start working on your MVP! If all goes to plan, you’ll have a SaaS product within a few short months.
