The latest edition of the study “Brazilian Software Market – Panorama and Trends 2025”, by ABES in partnership with IDC, showed that IT and Software Development investments in Brazil grew by 13.9% in 2024, reaching USD 58.6 billion. This consolidates Brazil as the 10th largest global economy in the sector and the absolute leader in Latin America.
Despite this optimistic outlook, execution challenges remain significant. According to the Standish Group, 59% of traditional projects (waterfall model) fail, while agile methods present much lower failure rates: only 9%, with 42% proven success. The difference lies in how companies organize their development — from technical planning to testing and scalability.
In this guide, we’ll demystify Software Development: from architecture to DevSecOps culture, from best practices to the use of AI and low-code tools. Keep reading to understand how development can be a true competitive advantage for your company.
Software Development in companies: what it is and why it’s strategic
Software Development is the process of creating, building, and maintaining applications that solve real problems — whether through internal systems, digital products, APIs, or business-integrated tools. In practice, developing software means making technical decisions aligned with organizational goals.
In recent years, the role of software has become even more strategic: it not only sustains operations but also acts as a competitive differentiator. A custom-built solution streamlines workflows, improves customer experience, and expands the ability to scale securely.
When we talk about software development for businesses, we mean tailor-made solutions — designed to meet specific business contexts instead of relying on rigid, generic tools. Of course, choosing between an off-the-shelf product and a custom software solution depends on factors like cost-benefit analysis, legacy integration, required security levels, and the speed at which the business must evolve.
By investing in custom software, a company can:
Increase operational team efficiency
Ensure data security and governance from the start
Continuously automate processes
Reduce long-term costs with rework and adaptations
In practice, opting for custom software means building a technology foundation designed to scale — essential for growing companies or those digitizing internal processes. But it requires going beyond coding: it’s about aligning product, architecture, team, and strategy.
To truly see this impact, companies need to understand how the development chain works, from initial planning to long-term scalability.
How the application lifecycle works
Software Development is rarely linear. Instead, it follows an evolutionary cycle that starts with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and advances toward a robust, scalable, and sustainable solution. Understanding this cycle is key to aligning expectations, avoiding rework, and ensuring that software keeps up with business changes over time.
MVP – The starting point
The MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is the first functional version of a software. Built with only the essentials to validate the application’s value proposition, it allows quick launch, hypothesis testing, and user learning. This is where strategic decisions are made — and the faster the learning cycle, the better.
Continuous evolution and feature expansion
After initial validation, the product enters a phase of constant evolution: new features are added based on feedback, metrics, and business priorities. At this stage, the team refines the product, improves user experience, and addresses real needs.
Refactoring to maintain code quality
Over time, the codebase grows — and if left unmanaged, it can become difficult to maintain. Refactoring restructures code parts without changing functionality, ensuring readability, easing future changes, and avoiding technical debt.
Architecture adjustments and scaling readiness
As the system grows, it requires more robust architecture to handle increased users, data, and integrations without compromising performance. Strategic technical decisions, smart tool use, and scalability focus ensure the system performs even under higher loads and complexity.
Microservices-based architectures, caching strategies (e.g., Redis), and elastic scaling help maintain stability. Thinking ahead prevents bottlenecks, reduces rework, and allows the software to grow with the business.
Evolutionary maintenance as a long-term strategy
Unlike corrective maintenance, which fixes issues, evolutionary maintenance anticipates demands and adapts the system for the future. It includes planned updates, technical improvements, integration reassessments, and scalability support. This ensures software remains useful, secure, and aligned with business needs years after launch.
Agile teams and work organization
Software success doesn’t depend only on technical choices — it’s also about how work is organized and who executes it. Agile teams have stood out in recent years: according to the Standish Group’s CHAOS Report, agile projects are over three times more likely to succeed than traditional waterfall projects.
This performance comes from structure. Many companies now operate with agile squads: small, multidisciplinary teams with autonomy to plan, build, and evolve products end-to-end. This enables shorter cycles, frequent deliveries, and closer alignment with business goals.
Squads rely on ceremonies like dailies, plannings, reviews, and retrospectives to maintain focus and quickly resolve blockers. Clear roles also matter: distinguishing Scrum Master from Project Manager responsibilities ensures smoother delivery, especially in complex tech projects.
Beyond Scrum, approaches like Kanban, XP, and Scrumban also provide valuable frameworks. When applied effectively, agile methods reduce rework, accelerate delivery, and improve technical quality without losing pace.
Architecture, structure, and coding best practices
Strong software starts not in code, but in architecture. The architecture determines whether a system will be sustainable long term or fragile and hard to maintain. That’s why establishing solid foundations in architecture, organization, and coding style is essential.
Software architecture as the backbone
Software architecture is the skeleton of any application. It defines component relationships, data flow, and performance/security points. Good design anticipates bottlenecks and guides future technical choices — from stack selection to deployment type.
Modern solutions include microservices, event-driven, or cloud-native architectures, which offer flexibility and scalability. The key is choosing the right architecture for the team, product, and business stage.
Data structures and maintainable design
Data structures remain at the core of Software Development. They ensure efficiency, security, and scalability, especially in large-scale or mission-critical projects.
SOLID principles keep code modular, readable, and testable — reducing coupling and easing future evolution.
Clean code and documentation
Clean code isn’t about aesthetics but clarity and communication. Readable code shortens onboarding, eases reviews, and prevents bugs. Documentation should also be treated as essential, not optional. Clear documentation of decisions, flows, and APIs saves time, reduces miscommunication, and supports scalable growth.
Testing, automation, and security from the start
Modern software must not only work but also scale, remain secure, and be maintainable. Quality, security, and automation are now integral to development.
Automated tests validate expected behavior, prevent bugs, and reduce rework, giving teams confidence for fast, iterative cycles.
DevSecOps culture integrates security early into CI/CD, identifying vulnerabilities sooner and ensuring compliance without slowing delivery.
Automation via GitHub Actions or CLI tools streamlines repetitive tasks, standardizes delivery, and strengthens control.
Containers (e.g., Docker, Podman) provide portable, consistent environments that prevent the “it works on my machine” problem and simplify scaling.
API development, state management, and frameworks in daily work
Integration is central to modern development. Instead of building everything from scratch, teams connect services and build distributed solutions.
APIs: Well-defined APIs ensure stability, security, and clarity across systems. Standards like REST and GraphQL enable robust integrations.
State management: Tools like React’s Context API maintain predictable front-end behavior, reducing bugs and complexity.
Frameworks and libraries: Frameworks speed up development and improve reliability. React dominates front-end SPAs, while Python stands out in back-end and data-intensive projects.
Programming languages, low-code, and AI in the future of Software Development
The software ecosystem evolves quickly. Staying updated with languages, frameworks, and tools keeps teams competitive.
Languages in demand: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, and Kotlin lead; Go and Rust grow with performance and security; Elixir, Dart, and Julia gain niche relevance.
Low-code & no-code: Once limited to non-technical teams, these tools are now mainstream for rapid prototyping and validation.
AI in development: From code generation to automated testing and documentation, AI boosts productivity and frees teams for strategic decisions.
Do you need a technical partner that delivers strategy, not just code?
At BIX, we combine technical depth and product vision to create customized solutions that solve real problems with scalability, security, and focus on results. If your company seeks a team that understands the business before writing the first line of code, talk to our specialists by clicking the banner bellow.
