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Custom Software Development Project Management
Date : 2019-10-09
Custom software development project management can mean the difference between success and failure of a custom software development project. Software development projects are complex and multi-faceted, represent a major investment in both time and money and can be fraught with problems if not managed properly. Finding a competent custom software development partner is only one part of the equation. You must also have a clear vision, strong management, and a well thought out plan.
Why Custom Software Development Project Management?
Custom software development project management starts with detailed planning in advance to ensure that you get all the features that your business needs. It will also help prevent costly scope creep. Here are the key steps that will help ensure that your custom software is delivered on time, and to budget.
Define Your Goals
Before you get into the detailed design of the software, define your high-level goals. For example, these might include streamlining current processes, automating time-consuming manual tasks, or increasing productivity. Once you have defined your top-level goals, identify quantifiable metrics that you can use to measure the success of the project with respect to these goals.
Appoint a Project Manager
Custom software development project management is a team effort. Many people within your organization may have input into the project. While getting input from all levels of the organization will benefit the project, you will need one final decision-maker. Appoint a single senior member of the team to manage the project. Too many decision-makers can lead to confusion and a lack of direction.
Map Your Business Processes
Talk to key members of your team about the day to day process that is currently employed. Document how tasks are currently completed and draw up flow-diagrams of the processes. In a large organization, you may need to limit the number of employees that you involve in this process. Remember, though, if you only talk to senior managers, you may not learn about bottlenecks that occur at lower levels of the organization.
Be Aware of Scope Creep
Be mindful of scope creep from the outset of the project. It can occur from the early planning stages, right the way through the development cycle. Focus on the key objectives of the project and stay within the boundaries of the original concept. Scope creep is the most common cause of custom software development projects running over budget and being delivered late. professional, custom software project management will ensure that you get this and other critical factors right.
Prioritize Your “Must-haves” and “Nice to Haves”
Just because it is possible, doesn’t mean that it should be added to the scope of the project. When you are defining the required functionality for custom software, prioritize features into “must-haves” and “nice to haves”. The “must-have” features will be those that will accomplish your original goals. The “nice to haves” are optional features that would be useful but are not essential to a successful outcome of the project.
Don’t Assume That Your Software Development Partner Knows Your Business
You know your business much better than your software development partner does. Even if a software development company has developed similar applications before, don’t assume that they know things like industry-specific terminology, regulations and laws. Define your requirements clearly and explain ambiguous terms. A simple misunderstanding can be very costly in a custom software development project. This is a critical step in successful custom software development project management.
Define Staged Deliverables
Plan to have your custom software solution delivered in stages. This will allow you to complete your own testing of each stage and give your feedback. This will also allow the software developers to concentrate on specific aspects of functionality. When providing feedback, keep in mind your “must-haves” and “nice to haves”. Too many unnecessary software change requests could delay the completion of the project.
Treat Your Developer as a Member of the Team
The relationship between a client and a software developer is different from the traditional supplier/customer relationship. The relationship will work much better if you view your developer as a team member. You will both have deadlines to meet if the project is going to be completed to plan. You will need honest and transparent two-way communication if you are going to achieve your goals.
Understand That Programming is Complex
Good software developers make programming look easy. You say what you want, and they deliver it. Remember, though, that a simple change that you ask for may take hours of work to complete. If you do ask for changes in the scope of the project, however small, make sure that your developer tells you what the impact will be in both timescale and cost. Internally, you will need change request management to ensure that your project manager is the only person who can approve software change requests.
Planning Creates Good Custom Software Outcomes
A successful custom software development project is one that delivers a solution to the objectives, on time, and to budget. That requires good planning from the outset of the project and sound project management throughout the life of the project. Work with your custom software developer and stay focused on your key objectives. That will ensure that you receive a custom software solution that meets your business needs and provides you with a good return on your investment.
The Benefits of Web-Based Systems for Business
Date : 2020-05-05
The Benefits of Web-Based Systems
Web-based applications used to be very limited in functionality. However, advances in technology, security, and internet speeds have greatly increased the potential scope of web-based systems. Today, we have web-based business accounting systems, web-based CRM systems, a web-based Microsoft Office, and more. Web-based applications offer some significant advantages over native, client-based software. Here are just some of the benefits of web-based apps for business.
What is a Web-Based System?
A web-based system is an application that is accessed via HTTP. The term web-based is usually used to describe applications that run in a web browser. It can, though, also be used to describe applications that have a very small component of the solution loaded on the client PC. The host server for a web-based system could be a local server, or it could be accessed via the internet.
Lower Development Costs
A web-based application runs in a web browser. That means that a single, responsive web application can be used across multiple device types. Although web apps will need to be tested on different browsers, there is no need to test them on different operating systems. This makes development and testing much easier. It cuts development costs and reduces development time.
Easy Installation and Maintenance
Unlike traditional software that is loaded on each device, web applications run from a host server. There is no installation on local machines. Software upgrades are all completed centrally. That reduces the costs of installing and upgrading software. It also ensures that all users are always using the same version of the software.
Accessible Anywhere
Users can access a web-based system anywhere. So long as they have an internet connection, a web browser, and the appropriate login details. This means that users can access the data they need when they are away from the office. It also brings the possibility of staff working from home.
Easy Data Sharing and Collaboration
The sharing of data and collaborating on projects is made much easier with web-based systems. Data is stored in one central location, so users can share data and work together on projects. It is also easier to integrate web-based systems than isolated desktop applications.
Centralized Security
As web apps are installed on web servers, security is controlled by an IT professional. That avoids sensitive corporate information being held on many local client PCs, which are not as secure. Employees can access data when they are away from the office via a web application. So, it is not necessary for data to be held anywhere other than the secure central location.
Reduced Hardware Costs
Web-based systems can eliminate the need for powerful client PCs. Processing is carried out on the host server. The host server can be engineered to efficiently service simultaneous, peak demand. So, the storage, processor, and memory requirements for client PCs can be reduced. Taken across an entire organization, this can represent a large cost saving for some businesses.
Increased Efficiency
In most businesses, the deployment of web-based solutions leads to the streamlining of business processes. Often, paper-based processes can be replaced by workflow-based solutions. The business process improvements can lead to higher employee productivity and lower costs.
Adaptable to Changing Workloads
The deployment of web-based applications requires no software loading on the client PC. All that is needed is the setting up of a new user and the relevant secure access controls. This can be a major benefit for growing businesses, or for seasonal businesses. Users can be added or removed very quickly.
Greater Availability of Information
Web-based systems make it easier to provide access to real-time information. The paper reports that might take days to prepare and distribute can be replaced on online reports and digital dashboards. That can improve the quality and the speed of decision making, right across an organization.
Web-based custom application development can provide businesses with significant cost savings and productivity improvements. Now that internet access is almost universally available and internet speeds have significantly improved, applications that previously had to be client-based can now be deployed on the web.
Although this is the case in developed Western countries, it is not the case worldwide. In some countries, internet access is unreliable. So, the major deployment of web-based applications may still not be possible. International organizations with overseas offices may not yet be able to take full advantage of web-based solutions.
For domestic organizations, though, web-based systems have a promising future. From web-based office applications, like content management systems and productivity applications, to custom web-based software developed specifically for your organization, the foundation of many future software solutions is likely to be web-based.