Also, depending on the device that you are using, you might make a special prototyping PCB that lets you use an in-line debugging capability of the MCU. This may be a simple as adding SWD or JTAG connector to the board - which you just don't populate for the production run. Then you can use the full capabilities of the IDE - and perhaps be able to do in-line programming if/when you find a bug in the firmware.
Susan