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Software Product in Software Engineering
In this tutorial, we will learn what is a software product, how many types of software products are there in software engineering.
By Monika Sharma Last updated : April 04, 2023
What is a software product?
Before defining a software product, let us first define what a product is? A product is the final result of the work that we may obtain after doing any sort of work. For example, in a sugar refinery mill, the sugarcanes are the input, the machines work on them, their juice is extracted and further processing is done. After all the processing, we get refined sugar as our final product.
The case with the software product is also somewhat similar. After all the processing, like the requirement analysis, designing, coding, teasing and maintenance work, the final software that is eligible to be presented or released for its users is the software product.
Definition of a software product
Hence, the software product can be defined as,
"The software that is eligible for being delivered to its customers or users is known as the software product."
Types of software products
The software products are of two types,
- Generic
- Bespoke
1) Generic software products
These types of software products are developed for a range or a group of people, or it can be made for the whole population also. These types of products are developed such that the needs for all its users can be fulfilled. These software products are not specific for a person and handle all its users in common as a whole.
Example: Gmail, Messaging Apps, Social Media Websites, etc.
2) Bespoke software products
These types of software products are developed such that they emphasize the needs of a single customer (or a single firm or organization). These products are made available only to those for whom they are especially developed.
Example: Hotel Security system, an application designed for the Prime minister to manage his scheduled tasks, etc.
Final words about software product
As the software product is the outcome of the entire software developing process (though some changes and modifications can be made in it afterwards too), it consists of everything that is developed regarding that software, like the program code (it's the must), the documentations, the Operating Procedures Manuals, etc.
The software products can be imagined as a set of all the following things: Source codes, data, reports, documents, object codes, plans, test suites, test results, data, user manuals, installation guides, reference guides, prototypes, etc.
Fig.: Software products