If your company is preparing to launch a software development project, you may be in a management position. Planning and preparation are the hallmarks of effective project management. This process includes planning before, during, and after engaging your team.
Here are eight tips to improve your chances of success:
1. Clearly Define Your Project
Before you start developing a project, you need to take the time to define the project’s parameters clearly. This definition includes understanding the final project you are working towards and the tasks necessary to reach that outcome.
By defining your end goal, you can identify the best path to accomplish it. For example, while you could assemble a team of coders to create an app or database, it may better suit your specific project to use a no-code stack.
Developing no-code or low-code technology for your current project could also facilitate future work if you can secure similar projects. Planning before moving forward will help you make smart strategic decisions regarding investing time and money.
2. Build a Winning Team
This point may be null and void if you work with a predetermined team within an organization. But it’s worth mentioning for those building a team specifically with their project in mind. Choose your team members based on their strengths and experience, recognizing how they can support and complement one another.
Each team member will only be capable of completing part of the project. But together, your team can accomplish great things!
Teamwork should always be one of your greatest priorities!
3. Provide your team with clear expectations and deadlines
When bringing people into your team, be prepared to define their roles and responsibilities clearly. This role definition ensures you and your team are on the same page. And clear communication gives your team the information necessary to do their best work and eliminates potential miscommunication. It also empowers you to hold your team accountable for the timeline of their work on current and future projects.
4. Keep the communication lines open
Speaking of communication, you want to establish an environment where your team is comfortable coming to you with any concerns. You can implement this communication strategy with an open-door policy, regular 1-1 meetings, or digital communication best practices.
In addition to hearing your team’s concerns, be prepared to act on this information. This legwork will demonstrate to your team that you value and take their opinions seriously.
5. Avoid micromanaging
Give your team space to do their work. You selected each of these individuals for their skill and experience. You need to trust the people you choose to work with on your team by giving them room to work without you looking over their shoulders. Providing this autonomy demonstrates your trust and confidence in each person.
6. Provide reliable tools for non-technical tasks
Your team needs to focus most of their time and energy on the technical work and coding for your project to be successful. You can help them prioritize these tasks by providing tools to speed up or eliminate non-technical jobs.
Automate reporting and repetitive work where possible. Identify tools that can make tasks easier, like a background removal tool to clean up graphics required for the project in place of manual editing. Other tools to consider include facilitating administrative tasks or creating status reports.
7. Identify and track measurable KPIs
Track and assess progress on the project using measurable key performance indicators (KPIs). Not only is this essential for tracking the productivity and efficiency of your developers, but this data also helps you establish the functionality and success of the project.
Consider values like the number of users that can be active on an app before it crashes or the speed at which software returns the requested information. Be transparent about this information with your team; it will provide a clear understanding of the work needed to improve the project from its current state to completion.
- Test Your Project and Test Again
One of the biggest headaches in software development is the minor errors that can emerge during the testing phase. Knowing that things can go wrong, it makes sense to thoroughly test your software before bringing it to anyone outside of your development team. Don’t just test it once. Instead, put your software through several tests to ensure you have accounted for as many possible errors as possible. This attention to detail will allow you to deliver a better product.
Bottom line
Managing a software development project effectively begins with careful planning and selecting a skilled team. Ensure that you maintain open communication, regularly updating your team about the progress of your project.
To allow your team to perform to their best ability, provide tools to facilitate non-technical tasks or have them managed by someone outside the development team. By incorporating all of these best practices, you can create an environment that encourages your team to perform to their best ability.