Once the system development is complete and the system is up and running, system maintenance is required.
The development company prepares a system to support the stable operation of the system.
The ordering side should not forget the maintenance cost incurred at this time as a development cost.
Here, we will explain in detail the costs related to such system maintenance.
What is system maintenance?
System maintenance is to support the developed system so that it can continue to operate safely.
We will put in place a system so that we can respond immediately if any problems occur while operating the system. Compared to the time of system development, the amount of work is smaller, but since we have a system in place to respond immediately to inquiries from the ordering party, maintenance costs are incurred for the man-hours. To do. Don’t forget that you will still be paid if nothing happens.
Types of system maintenance
There are two main types of system maintenance. First is software-related maintenance. In the case of software, it is maintenance to deal with troubles such as bugs in the developed system. Next, there is hardware-related maintenance, which includes dealing with cyber attacks, dealing with PC malfunctions, and data backup processing.
● I also want to remember service consignment
Besides software and hardware, another thing to keep in mind is service consignment.
This is a field in system operation rather than system maintenance, but services such as EC site operation, content marketing operation, SEO measures to increase the number of visitors to the site, customer help desk to improve user usability, etc. are services. Included in the consignment. Costs in this area vary depending on the company that undertakes system maintenance.
Maintenance cost is about 15% of system development cost!
What is worrisome is the cost of system maintenance. The system maintenance cost cannot be unequivocally determined because it depends on the scale of the site and the requirement definition, but as a guide, it is said that about 15% of the cost for system development is the annual cost.
For example, if you spend 3 million yen to develop a system, it costs 450,000 yen. If it is 10 million yen, 1.5 million yen, and if it is 30 million yen, 4.5 million yen is a guideline for maintenance costs.
In other words, maintenance costs must be taken into consideration at the stage of system development. One thing to keep in mind is that this 15% figure is the sum of the software-related and hardware-related maintenance I introduced earlier. That is, it does not include service consignment.
The point of cost reduction is service consignment
It is possible to reduce the cost of system maintenance, which is about 15% of the cost of system development.
For example, if you do not ask for what you can do in-house, you will be able to cut costs from 15% to 10% and 5%. However, if you are aiming for a large cost reduction, it is important to aim for a reduction in the item of service consignment related to the operation, not the maintenance cost related to software or hardware. This is because there is a big difference in the amount of money depending on the development company in this field.
First of all, as a major premise, as I mentioned earlier, it is safer not to ask for work that can be done in-house.
For example, if a payment system is introduced for the convenience of users, it will cost at least 100,000 to 200,000 yen for development. The UI / UX design part at that time is a point where costs can be reduced. It’s okay if you have design skills and knowledge in-house, and if not, many tools can help you in your design, so using these tools to cover your own is one option. ..
About the calculation method of the appropriate operating rate in the maintenance operation consignment
As mentioned above, the standard for system maintenance is about 15% of the cost incurred during system development, but there may be some doubts as to whether the calculation basis is unclear. Therefore, to manage system maintenance costs in detail, let’s consider the appropriate operating rate of maintenance and operation consignment. It is important to discuss with the development company about the appropriate price from these indicators.
■ Prompt response rate: Number of prompt answers ÷ Number of consultations
When the ordering party consults with the development company, how quickly they respond to the consultation is an important index. It is also important to review the appropriate price whether the answer solved the problem.
■ Underwriting rate: Number of underwritings ÷ Number of consultations
It is a good idea to consider the number of underwritings as one of the indicators.
■ Maintenance time achievement rate: Actual time ÷ Estimated time
The difference between the estimated time and the actual time is calculated, and the appropriate price setting is reviewed.
■ Delivery date achievement rate:
The number of delivery dates achieved ÷ Number of underwritings The delivery date is used as an index by quantifying the actual results.
