We are often asked how long it would take to develop a custom application for a medtech company and all of the factors that might affect the development process.
The answer is that it can vary quite a bit depending on the company’s needs, the scope of the project, and the different phases required within the project. Below are some of the most common questions we get about application development timelines and the various factors that can affect it.
This answer can really vary quite a bit depending on what the company needs and the scope of the project. Generally speaking, a project could take an average of 3-6 months to complete. However, there are different phases within the project beyond the actual development, and delays at any of those phases could impact the overall timeline and delivery date.
Typical phases in the application development process might include:
Business requirements and proposal – Most medtech companies will put together a business requirements document to define their needs for the application, and then we put together a proposal based on that document.
Proposal review and approval – The medtech company reviews the proposal and gets buy-in from key stakeholders before signing.
Payment – The payment process may be arranged by check/credit card with a deposit or installments, or may require submitting a purchase order (PO) depending on the medtech company’s requirements.
Kickoff and gathering of assets – The development process begins with a review of the milestones within the project and gathering any assets (files and/or systems access) needed to get started.
Development – Our team begins developing the application based on the agreed-upon process.
Testing/revisions and approval/launch – Depending on the medtech company’s requirements, this could include developing documentation and detailed walkthroughs of the application ahead of launch.
In our experience, it’s rarely the actual development that slows down the timeline. We try to be as thorough and accurate as possible about the development time based on the agreed-upon requirements.
More often, delays happen at the business requirements/proposal phase as the details are worked out among all involved parties prior to signoff, or in the testing phase if the medtech company requires detailed documentation and walkthroughs for an application to go live. If the scope of the project changes at any point, that will also impact the timeline.
If there are multiple stakeholders involved in certain phases of the project, like with approving a proposal, purchase order, or review/launch, some delays may be inevitable and should be considered in your overall timeline. However, we use an agile approach to development to help reduce delays during the actual development process, which involves shorter sprints and more frequent deliverables and meetings so that it’s easier to shift course if needed during development. This reduces the number of surprises and large changes during the project.
That said, if there are any larger changes requested during the development phase, they can impact the timeline and budget. If you are on a tight timeline to get the initial application launched, some larger changes in scope might be best saved for a future version of the application, depending on the nature of the change.
Have any other questions about application development? You can contact us here to start a discussion with our team. We’re happy to help!
Bertha Chicas-Gekas
As the senior account manager, Bertha coordinates our clients’ projects to ensure they stay on track and are routed to the right members of our team to get the job done. Simply put, she makes sure that our clients get everything they need to be successful.
As the marketing manager, Ashley ensures that our clients’ marketing strategies are put into action. This includes content writing, SEO, online advertising, analytics, and interfacing with the tools, systems, and team members needed to help our clients accomplish their marketing goals.