Today’s software development ecosystem is undergoing a shift: with AI at the helm, we’re building faster than ever before. But this increase in speed is accompanied by a decrease in our ability to develop software sustainably. We might not notice a difference today, but in a short few years, we’ll start to feel the impacts when our software starts to collapse. So let’s talk about what sustainable software actually is, and how we can build to last.
What Is Sustainable Software?
The theory on how to build a sustainable software is straightforward: it’s about management of growth, and dedication to doing things right. But unlike material artefacts where energy consumption, electricity markets or water usage top the priority list, software — especially boutique applications — can be unsustainable through all three stages of their lifecycle:
- How efficiently can software be built?
- What’s the cost of the resources required to keep software running?
- What happens when software reached end-of-life (EOL)?
While all there are important discussions to have, this article will focus on the first question: building sustainably.
Building Sustainable Software for Tomorrow
Building sustainable software is all about building for tomorrow. And we achieve it through deliberate decisions on processes, philosophies and workflows.
1. Plan For The Long Run
The first step of building is to ... not. Because once you start writing code, you start making commitments. And poor decisions can come back to bite you over time.
Before you start coding, you should explore what an implementation might look like, learn what barriers exist, and validate any assumptions you’ve made. While this won’t completely eliminate issues down the track, you will be more confident in your choices, can build quickly with higher efficiency, and provide a higher level of certainty.
Your goal isn’t just to build something that works. Your software needs a solid, robust, extensible foundation that not only supports the needs of today, but affords the desires of tomorrow.
2. Pace Yourself
Starting one day and building an entire application is rarely a good plan. It takes on a significant level of risk while letting incorrect assumptions compound. In contrast, building sustainable software means working at a deliberate, manageable and sustainable pace.
A better way is to first build an MVP. This lets you reduce your scope, focus on a shorter release timeline and validate the core aspects of your foundation. MVPs have proven invaluable for so many teams and projects — don’t be afraid to reduce your scope early on to revisit at a later time.
3. Keep Everything Sustained
Launch day is exciting, and while it’s the end of one path, it’s also the beginning of a new journey. Maintenance is critical to ensure your software continues providing value well into the future — especially as users’ needs change or they break things you thought were bulletproof.
Keeping everything maintained means performing proactive maintenance consistently over time. This could include:
- Updating dependencies to fix vulnerabilities.
- Re-running tests to ensure nothing has silently broken.
- Expanding the test suite to cover more interactions or edge cases.
- Upgrading to new versions of frameworks, tools or packages and the latest technology.
- Migrating away from abandoned or obsolete integrations.
4. Be Ready To Act
When disaster strikes, you must be ready to act. Sometimes, a bug wrecks havoc on your platform, you’re technology stack is caught up in a supply-chain attack, or AWS went down ... again. Building sustainable software means not just acknowledging this, but constructing a playbook for what to do when things go wrong.
It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.
– Epictetus
This might include proactive steps to limit data loss like frequent, redundant backups. Or having the ability to quickly switch cloud providers if one goes down. But most importantly, it means having a way to know when things go wrong so you can quickly and decisively respond.
5. Build Trust
We are living in a time where trust is decreasing. Which makes it more important than ever. For software to last, there must be trust between those who own it, build it and use it.
You can build trust in different ways, but as developers, it all comes back to a few key points:
- Be transparent about decisions. Nobody likes surprises, especially with things that have a significant impact.
- Voice concerns you have. Your expertise in building software is why you’re here in the first place.
- Take accountability when things go wrong. Even if it’s not strictly your fault, its your job to keep your software operational.
- Keep everyone in the loop. Knowing you’re there and working on things lets them know you’re a reliable partner.
Where Sustainable Software Has Led Us
FONSEKA has a proud history of building software that lasts. And it wasn’t all down to luck; our philosophy of how we build had naturally lead to sustainable software — some still thriving 10-years since the first line of code was written.
We are increasingly seeing a software written quickly and without due care become the norm, especially as AI reinvents so many workflows. Instead of jumping straight from idea to development, we’ve learnt that sustainable software requires restraint and deliberate action.
We see a chance for a better digital future built on the back of sustainable software. So let’s build that future — together.
With 10+ years of software partnerships and 100+ products built, we know our way around a project. At FONSEKA, it’s our philosophy that makes us more than just a dev team, but your long-term technology partner. No matter if you have a brand new idea, need software built or an existing product maintained, see why we’re an excellent choice!