App designers have famously lofty ambitions, and we’ve all heard the horror stories of how many apps get shot straight back down to Earth before they can grow. But what happens if your app is a hit? Are you ready to scale it upwards?
It’s a sad sight when an application becomes a victim of its own success. Here are five tips to ensure that doesn’t happen to you.
1. Use a Web-Based GUI Client
MongoDB is a fantastic database system for building scalable applications. It’s used by many top developers and it’s a great choice for your startup. Like most great pieces of tech, there’s a right and a wrong way to use it.
The right way is to use a web-based MongoDB GUI client. This makes accessing and managing data faster and easier, and you don’t have to install clunky client software.
Using an intuitive database system that was built with scalability in mind is the best way to ensure you’re ready for the challenge of growing your app beyond its initial success. Make sure you’re ready.
2. Use Cloud Servers
Conventional servers are pretty expensive these days. They’re in high demand and they’re not exactly energy-efficient. Cloud servers tend to be a far better choice for small applications – and this remains true when your application needs to scale upward.
You’ll have easier access to increased server space without having to pay a premium for it. Many cloud server providers offer affordable scalability as part of their core service, which is much more intuitive than banking on what you’ll need before your app takes off.
3. Work with a Dynamic Team
When your application starts growing, you may find that your current developer team needs to grow along with it. However, finding new hires and integrating them into your in-house team takes time and can be very costly. This turns into a full-scale disaster when work slows down again – now your team is too big and you aren’t making enough money to cover developers’ wages.
Outsourcing is poorly understood by some business leaders. It should rarely be used to replace work performed by a competent in-house team. However, it can be an excellent solution to supplement an increased workload.
Cheaper wages and flexible contracts mean that outsourcing can be a godsend when scaling your app. Use it wisely, and it can be a real asset.
4. Don’t Overinvest
How many stories have you heard about projects that crowdsourcedfunding for a project that had high hopes, only to vanish off the radar when investors began asking how progress was coming along? Securing an investor’s backing is incredibly exciting. But don’t get giddy.
Their funding should go as far as possible. If you don’t need to spend it all in the initial stages, don’t. Apportion your investors’ money frugally – they’ll be more likely to come back for the second round of funding when you need to scale upward.
5. Stick to Short, Tight Deadlines
Likewise, drawn-out deadlines are the death of many tech projects. If you give a team ten months to design a project and they scramble it together in the final two, what does that tell you?
- That surprisingly few people are above procrastination.
- That they could’ve almost fully designed a rough project in the first two months.
Deadlines should be short and urgent. Keep yourself and your team on your toes.
Final Thoughts
Great software, flexible servers, a dynamic team, and using your time and money pragmatically prepare you to grow a project.
And remember – don’t go into a project expecting to fly. Just be ready to spread your wings when it happens.