Anticipate the application lifecycle of your project

Application lifecycle management encompasses the complete management of a digital product, from its design to its use while constantly projecting into its future. This refers to a continuous cycle that includes development, evolution, maintenance, and extending the useful life, where each stage reevaluates and ensures the application's longevity.

Contrary to what one might think at first glance, it is important to emphasize that maintenance and extending the useful life are two distinct concepts. Maintenance is inevitable in any digital project. On the other hand, the stage of extending the useful life occurs when we reach an impasse, either from a technological standpoint, due to obsolescence or the absence of features, and we actively choose to extend the life of the application by working in parallel on a replacement option, rather than disabling it immediately.

In all our projects, the management of the application lifecycle begins from the first conversations: once the business issues and opportunities are identified, our strategists analyze the possibilities for a suitable and sustainable solution. Our project teams then proceed to develop a digital tool based on meticulously selected technologies or those that fit properly into your technological environment. These will be reassessed and updated throughout our collaboration. Led by our Solution Directors, Solution Architects, and Product Managers at the time of realization, this vision will then be taken over by our maintenance and evolution experts who will ensure its long-term viability.

From the discovery phase, our Solution Architects will ensure to select appropriate technologies throughout the project. However, as we have observed with solutions developed under Xamarin that we had to migrate to .NET, external factors may force us to reconsider earlier decisions. Deciding on a particular technology during the solution development can limit the future flexibility of its software architecture.

When nventive is tasked with optimizing an existing solution, it may also be necessary to plan a gradual deactivation of the product, as was the case with the Hadrian project. The pre-existing software operated only on versions of Windows for which it was difficult to guarantee a quality user experience. The original application was therefore maintained in active end-of-life for one year to allow users to benefit from certain key features during the software transition to a web solution.

We do everything possible to ensure that the application remains not only safe and fully functional over time but also that it continues to meet the expected quality and performance requirements.

Our teams are always on the lookout for evolutions in technologies and devices, ensuring the strategic integration of new features, and deploying security patches at the right times. "It's a good idea to conduct annual audits and ensure ongoing monitoring. To limit threats, one can conduct a security audit, particularly on systems critical to operations, or even instrument digital properties with systems that reveal vulnerabilities in real time," supports David Hamel, Vice President of Strategy, CX, and Design.

In addition to contributing to the longevity of your digital product, healthy application lifecycle management reduces the amount of investment required for its maintenance in the long term. "With a clear roadmap of updates to undertake and a well-defined process for integrating user feedback, the client can quickly maximize their return on investment," supports Christelle Lopez, Manager of the Product Owners team at nventive.

It's not just technology that needs reviewing: the conceptual choices of an interface's first iteration may seem outdated after a few years. It is then appropriate to make minor adjustments that can have a significant impact.

Our UX and UI designers can also analyze usage flows and recommend an upgrade to the user experience or the addition of new features. Evolutions can be integrated at any time during the lifecycle and contribute to improving the love rating of your product.

Our Maintenance and Support (M&S) team is the first line of contact to evolve your application after it goes live. An essential step in the application lifecycle, the maintenance of the digital product can take many forms, such as bug fixes, adding or changing features, or technological migration. Unless it has been actively planned in advance, maintenance can begin following a technological audit that allows our experts to establish a precise roadmap, prioritizing the work to be performed.

For example, with its long-time client L.A. Hébert, the M&S team has overseen the technological update of the web application framework from Angular version eight to sixteen and is already planning the migration to the seventeenth edition. The team has a thorough knowledge of all technological changes that can impact the performance of the application. "And that's without counting mobile apps, which must constantly be updated to comply with the requirements of app stores and operating systems!" specifies Josée Barrette, Manager of the Maintenance and Support team.

On the client side, marketing analysis work can also reveal needs that can guide maintenance initiatives and enlighten our experts on the needs or adjustments to prioritize. By keeping one eye on industry novelties and the other on the needs of "our clients and their clients," the M&S team will assess the extent of the work to be done and decide whether it is preferable to undertake them or redirect them to a project team with more capacity depending on the scale. The goal is always to provide a service that meets your expectations.

Navigating the complexities of the application lifecycle may seem daunting, but you don't have to do it alone. At nventive, we create custom game plans that not only meet your unique needs but also focus on the longevity of your digital product. If you are ready to extend the success of your digital product, talk to us about your project!