Do you believe that there are factors that can secure the success of any software project? Is it the solid technical background of the professionals involved, or is it the financial side of the project? Does it have to do with the team spirit of the dev team, or is it all, despite all efforts, just a fluke? These and many other questions keep popping up while discussing the key success drivers for a project with software developers and decision-makers.
Working in a bespoke software development company allows me to observe the power of meaningful collaboration between tech and business experts. In my opinion, this is one of the decisive factors that lay the foundation of any successful future product. While it all starts with an idea and action plan, custom software development always aims to overcome particular business challenges. However, without proper communication from day one, the journey can become bumpy and unpredictable.
Now let’s look at the top five tips from IT professionals:
1- Understanding the Business Requirements
One of the things that make custom software projects stand out is that they deliver more business value as they target specific business processes. Such processes can vary from invoice handling or chatbots to complex CRM or ERP tools. In some cases, clients want to develop an entire web application from scratch and help them serve their own end clients better.
But before all this can happen and the actual coding can begin, software engineers need to have a clear picture of the business requirements for the project.
Gathering requirements is one of the initial steps performed by business analysts involved in the software project. Generally, there are two basic types of product requirements: functional and non-functional. A functional requirement defines what the product should do, e.g. manage business rules, audit tracking or authentication. On the other hand, non-functional requirements include metrics such as the system’s performance, reliability, capacity, scalability and many others. After all necessary requirements are well discussed, team roles and responsibilities are defined, project execution can kick off.
2- Frequent Communication With the Client
As previously stated, communication is a vital success ingredient. That is why Agile software development, e.g. Scrum or Kanban, has become so popular nowadays. The paradigm sets frequent meetings with clients by default, ensuring the whole team is aligned with ongoing goals. Also, the client-side is involved throughout the software development process and is constantly up to date with the latest implementations, adding higher transparency and mutual trust.
For example, during the Daily Stand-ups lasting about 10-15min, the Agile team gathers and discusses the next short-term project tasks. If clients decide to join, they receive a prompt report on work done, potential bottlenecks and next steps. When it comes to the Sprint Review, the clients and developers also exchange meaningful ideas about product enhancements and bug fixing. They come to a much more complete understanding of the other team’s perspective and can ultimately create a high-quality custom software product.
3- Enhanced Decision-Making Process
When working on a new software product, developers need cleverly structured project organization to take into account all relevant information and adapt to changes. The chances are that the more innovative your software application, the more surprises you encounter on your way. Project managers know that too well, and it is their task to communicate it. The project receives status reports at regular intervals, and stakeholders can be called in at short notice for decision-making.
The project manager’s task is to ensure the supply of information, moderate discussions, and document vital business decisions. For example, if the software development project works with the agile project management method Scrum, it is common practice to have key stakeholders involved in the so-called sprint reviews. During these, the built product increments are evaluated, and the next requirements are defined and prioritized. Participation of this kind is essential not only to ensure that the clients feel involved but also to show them real results (a functional piece of software).
4- The True Value of Software Testing
Sometimes a developer or even a business executive from the client-side may think that software testing and quality assurance (QA) are time-consuming and expensive. While that can certainly be true in some cases of more complex software with numerous features and integrations, underestimating the value of testing can be risky. At a later stage, skipping tests might put the project in danger with direct implications of the ROI.
The job of every software tester is to detect, locate and document errors so that these can be fixed. Investing time and effort in software testing is worth it as it proves that the software product performs the way it should (functionality), if the program does this precisely (accuracy), or is it secure enough (security). However, the greatest challenge for software testers is that software bugs can’t be reproduced and resolved simultaneously and instead have to go through the developers.
5- The Developer’s Mindset Matters
No matter your current work position or previous experience, soft skills are of incredible importance for the success of your custom software project. Being able to reflect on your own actions, thoughts and habits show that you have a positive attitude on life and want to continuously improve your skillset. On the other hand, if you constantly find yourself bombarded with negative emotions, frustration or anger, seek out ways or external resources to help you overcome them. Here are some tips on how to improve your existing mindset and ensure the success of any software project.
First, a basic requirement is to be open to new ideas. In software development, things can change not only quickly but very quickly. A particular framework can be peaking today, but tomorrow you may hear that long-term support expires in two years. Second, you should work on your psychological resilience and mental health. Every day you are confronted with new problems that are important for the final project deployment, and if every little thing gets on your nerves, your risk of burnout surges. Finally, you should accept that making mistakes is a normal part of software development. It is important to want to develop yourself and see so-called “mistakes” as an opportunity to grow.
