How do you compare software engineering solutions?

In accordance with the relevance of each quality attribute to a specific software solution, prioritization becomes essential. It involves a perpetual trade-off between performance, security, and usability. The primary objective of a new software solution is to fulfill functional requirements; however, over time, areas requiring improvement will surface. It is at this stage that attention can be directed towards those specific aspects. It's important to note that the flexibility and robustness of the system facilitate progress with minimal effort. The ability to adapt and endure serves as a foundation for seamless advancement

Comparing software engineering solutions involves evaluating various aspects of solutions to choose most suitable for a given problem or project. Some attributes are :- Identification:- Identify relevant quality attributes (e.g., performance, security, maintainability). Options:- List potential solutions to the problem. Evaluation Criteria:- Define specific criteria for each quality attribute (e.g., response time, vulnerability assessment for security) Prototyping:- If feasible, develop prototypes to test and validate how solutions perform concerning different quality attributes. Comparing solutions ensures we meet functional as well as non-functional needs that contribute to the software's long-term success and effectiveness.

The constraints are king here, we need to prioritize what we need to keep an eye in constraints like time to market. Look only to technical issues is a risk to the project at all.

There is often a trade-off between convenience, security, performance, usability, and quality in all software systems. The solution that is best for an individual/organization will often vary depending on the qualities of that group. A startup might require convenient and performant software systems, whilst larger enterprises might focus more on security, compliance, and quality. As an organization changes, needs will change, and adapting to new technologies is essential.

It's hard to delineate exact demarcation between various qualities; so normally I use the following guidelines in this order (which I normally do in chronological order for greenfield development), - correct - safe - cheap - fast

Typically a "cost benefit" framing is too loose. Costs: There's really only two possible costs: "within budget" and "too expensive". Benefits: comparing two systems of any complexity will leave you with subjective apples-vs-oranges tradeoffs. How do you quantify extensibility against ease of use? Liberal licensing vs organisational track record? A better framing than cost-benefit is binary yes/no fit for purpose: 1. Define which criteria are your table stakes based on your context 2. Beyond that minimum, define a single factor to optimise for (1) will eliminate all but a few options (2) will reveal the best of the remaining options

Compare software solutions by assessing costs (development, maintenance) and benefits (efficiency, revenue). Calculate Return on Investment, always consider time-to-value, analyse risks, involve stakeholders, make an informed decision, and monitor performance for optimal results.

Always look to market, many times buy a solution is more effective than build it in house. And if you do a good design, you can anticipate the delivery and star to build a solution more suitable for your specific needs.

All solutions always have a cost, both intangible and tangible. Some solutions with a quicker ('cheaper') startup cost can be more expensive in the long run. Smaller organizations often are more cost-burdened and choose solutions that are cheaper from a resources perspective (human and financial capital), often accumulating technical debt over time. It's when there is enough capital (human and financial) available that the tech debt can be repaid.

Compare software solutions by evaluating adherence to industry best practices and standards. Assess coding quality, architecture, security, documentation, and scalability. Choose the solution that aligns with established norms for optimal performance and future growth. Using Agile in daily work life is also a game changer.

Context matter, look for best practices but remember to think each solution to your specific case. You don't need to follow the same path as Netflix if you are building a small back-office solution.

There are thousands of organizations around the world often with similar considerations to be made when comparing engineering solutions; most of the time there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Following the best practices and standards of the industry (and continuing to stay current) allows businesses to focus on their core products/services, without compromising other aspects of their operation (security, compliance, etc.).

KISS and YAGNI are the main principles to be followed here. There are lots of best practices and industry standards to pick from. You just need to make sure you are picking the ones that really meet your current needs. Don't just follow a practice or a standard just because everyone is doing, or because it might be useful in the future. Best practices a and standards should not be set in stone at the beginning of the project, they should change and evolve as your project does.

If you don't have all the business knowledge, choose the simplest solution and deploy it. Running software is the best way to gathering feedback and remove uncertainty.

Compare software solutions using feedback and evaluations. Gather input from users, stakeholders, and experts. Analyse reviews, surveys, and usability tests. Choose the solution with positive feedback, addressing concerns for an effective, user centered outcome.

The most critical aspect of evaluating feedback is having a metric/benchmark to evaluate it against. If there is no metric, it can't be measured. E.g., system (what performance metric did your system fail/meet/exceed) E.g., user analytics (what % of people converted from a trial to a paid customer) Having metrics that are well defined and are updated as needed will ensure meaningful analysis and follow-up actions can occur from feedback that is garnered.

Agile methodologies can help you a lot on this point. Having short development and release cycles. With a new working version released every 1 or 2 weeks. This will give you a constant flow of feedback, from users and customers, while also allowing you to evaluate and assess performance and quality metrics incrementally of each new feature released.

Compare software solutions by assessing innovation and creativity. Evaluate uniqueness, novel approaches, and problem-solving. Consider how each solution addresses challenges in inventive ways. Choose the solution that demonstrates forward-thinking and originality for enhanced outcomes.

Innovation and creativity can contrast established practices. Looking at the current solutions used in an organization, and understanding how they aren't meeting the needs of the organization creates an opportunity to introduce/develop something new and innovative.

Innovation and creativity will naturally come to your software solutions when you features are innovative and creative. That is where innovation and creativity should focus. And we need to be open-minded for features that might seem too complex or even impossible to implement. I'm sure many features were seen like that, until someone thought outside of the box, and found a creative solution for that.

Innovation and creativity are two key factors on how far this product could move the market. It's all about finding that unique edge, whether it's through enhancing user experience, building novel features, creative way of problem-solving, or a futuristic vision. These qualities can set your project apart, improve user experiences, and drive long-term success. Don't forget to consider other aspects to add more life to your product using adaptability, ecosystem integration, and market considerations. Borrowing ideas from competition is not bad either, as long as there is unique approach towards it. Risk appetive is important factor to evaluate when taking an innovative route.

Personal preference and experience is a subjective aspect that can significantly impact the effectiveness and satisfaction of the software and its users. Different solutions may resonate differently with Ops, with busines users or with retail customers. Customizing the end user need is key in this aspect. Ultimately, the best solution is one that aligns as well as exceeds expectations compared to existing industry standards. It should have ways to receive user feedback, go through trail versions, ease of configuration as per personal preferences like dark/light mode or what to see on dashboard and what not etc. Have ways to get UX metrics and compare with other products in that space.

It depends on who I'm developing the software for. For corporate projects, I like to keep a balance, between working with popular languages/frameworks and checking what is new that can be added to the project without bringing too much risk. This way it's easy to build a team with the necessary skills, while also keeping the developers motivated through the opportunity to learn new technologies. But on a side or a small project, I might feel more free risk a little more trying new technologies, if they can significantly boost the productivity.

Simplicity. It's important not to over engineer software solutions. We want to build the best solution that meets the requirements of the user, not a solution that's based on hypothetical requirements or a load of "what ifs". These often will delay the build process, cost more, and result in a system that is more difficult and expensive to maintain going forward.

Another generic criterion is the culture that you want to support. For example you can choose between open source or an enterprise solution. Another example can be a more green solution with less carbon footprint such as a serverless which is a trend that rises and can be used for Marketing reasons too.

Flexablity can be important to have the option to customize the solution to your neefs. Simplicity yes, but to be able to go deeperband change things if needed, and not to be locked into one solution. Also ideally data should be easy to export, and get summary reports on.