Boosting software performance means modifying its functions and characteristics to make it work faster and more efficiently. This performance optimization process usually focuses on improving one or several system performance characteristics, such as memory utilization, average response rate, user satisfaction, stability, scalability, etc. This article explains how to improve software performance without wasting time and money.
Start As Soon As Possible
Delays are costly and risky. If you identify bugs and errors at the initial stage of software development, it will be much easier for you to address them. Once the software is out, performance improvement may cause temporary disruptions in its functioning that affect end users. Moreover, boosting software performance at the initial stages of its creation is less expensive, meaning that timely attention to errors is a must for companies with a limited budget.
Adopt Best Practices and Standards
When introducing improvements, make sure they are most up-to-date. All upgrades and optimizations should be made with the future in mind, which means that you need to make sure that any future enhancements will not require significant changes. To put it simply, changing a light bulb does not mean installing electricity in the whole house.
Perform In-Depth Testing
Software performance measurement is an essential part of software development and maintenance. Select the metrics relevant in your case (e.g., error rate, average response time, garbage collection, etc.) and identify the points of failure. This will help you make your improvements meaningful and purposeful. You can take advantage of performance testing tools such as Locus, which allow for in-depth performance assessment, such as distributed testing.
Choose the Level and Type of Required Improvement
Performance of your software can be improved on several different levels, which include:
- Design level
- Build level
- Algorithms and data structure
- Source code level
In addition, determine what type of optimization you need – server-related or client-related. Servers-sider improvements deal with how the server operates and may not be evident to customers, even though they all serve to improve their experiences. Client-related changes, in turn, are more visible to the customers and may include minifying the files, bundling, improving image usage, deleting the duplicate code, etc. Keep in mind that problems occurring on both sides may be more time-consuming and challenging to address.
Include Optimization into Your Budget
Your software requires ongoing maintenance, so you’ll likely need to boost its performance from time to time. Do not allow improvement needs to catch you off guard. Build optimization into your budget so that your team can address the issues as soon as they emerge.
Final Remarks
When it comes to software optimization, you need to be forward-looking. For instance, you need to predict and mitigate risks to your hardware and software (e.g., emergencies), which can be unexpected and very costly. Far-sighted developers also keep in mind their future needs and make software design as simple as possible. It allows for more efficient and cost-effective maintenance and helps prevent many common issues. Another simple rule to remember is that instead of spending resources to fix the software issues, developers should focus on the quality of their software from the start.
