Development timeline - how much and. how long will it take?

 

 


Once an initial requirement analysis has been completed, the software developer will be able to produce estimates of the development timeline and associated costs. It will generally be advisable to gather quotes from multiple software developers. Examples of factors affecting the development timeline and budget of app development are: 

  • Complexity of the product:
    • Basic MVP (Minimal Viable Product): Simple apps with core features such as symptom tracking only will be faster and cheaper to produce.  
    • Moderate complexity: Apps with personalisation, branching, analytics or integrations with wearable devices will be slower and more expensive to produce. 
    • High complexity: AI powered diagnostics, telehealth platforms, or apps requiring FDA/medical certification will be the slowest and most expensive to produce.  
  • Target platform(s): Major target platforms for mobile app roll-out are Android, iOS, and web-optimisation. Choosing more than one target platform will allow the app to reach a wider market but increase timeline and cost, because tailoring of apps to platforms takes work, for example. accounting for different screen-sizes and interactive modes [touch-screen, mouse] for each design element. If possible, conduct some market research to gauge which platform is key for the apps specific target audience. Currently, Android has around 70% of the global market share. It is possible to drill deeper by looking at statistics for your target demographics (e.g. age, sex, ethnicity). 
  • Third-party integration: Apps that require data exchange with third parties (e.g. an online database) will be much more costly to develop, but data exchange may be necessary if information is intended to be merged for processing. Check if the software developer has expertise in third-party integration, and, if possible, with the specific third-party platform required for your app. 
  • Product testing and scope changes: Changing core functional and design aspects in the middle of app development will increase both the budget and timeline. To avoid this costly mistake, it is important to be very clear and explicit about the core purpose of and functional requirement for the app. Capture and agree these aspects explicitly in an essential requirement specification with the software developer at the beginning of the project, and then work closely and transparently together using agile methodology. 
  • Regulatory and compliance requirements: Regulatory and compliance requirements significantly impact the development of digital health products. Ensuring compliance with HIPAA (US), GDPR (EU), and PIPEDA (Canada) is essential for data protection, while FDA and MHRA approvals may be required for medical-grade applications. Additionally, strong cybersecurity measures, including encryption, authentication, and secure storage, are crucial to safeguarding sensitive health data, often increasing development costs and complexity. 

TIP: Timeline and cost will vary substantially based on requirements and where the software developer is based. Advice on how to choose and collaborate with software developers is provided below. 

 

Choosing and working with a developer

Developers should be chosen based on their expertise and track record in the relevant field, company size, match of developing platform to needs, and geographical location of employees and servers. The latter is important as it can affect cost, security, and regulations, and balancing cost savings of developers in distinct time zones vs ease of collaboration.  

If there is any possibility that the generic app may classify as medical device, software developers need to have both ISO13485 and ISO27001 certifications, which respectively ensure that their Quality Management and Information Security Management Systems meets regulatory requirements. This certification may be a good selection criteria for any app, as it ensures minimal, audited standards.  

A starting point for choosing a software developer can be public rankings such as the  annually published ‘Top 100 Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence Companies’  list by the Medical Futurist; and recommendations from people working in this field. A list of tried and trusted software developers used at King’s College London is available at [insert webpage link]. A template with recommended selection criteria is provided at ​​[insert webpage link]