The Importance of Planning
The reason many software development projects fail is due to poor planning. Without it, you run the risk of delays, errors and costs. For developers, the excitement comes from getting stuck into writing code and seeing a project taking shape. As a result, meticulous planning is often overlooked with developers cutting corners and making assumptions. Understandably, customers want their software up and running as soon as possible, so often focus on the core functions rather than considering rare scenarios. It’s not until the software begins to be used that these scenarios manifest themselves and the gaps are revealed. The cost of retrospectively fixing these gaps in terms of system stability, cost and time can be severe. To solve these problems and to avoid functionality gaps, additional cost and disappointment, for each development project we work on we create:
- A functioning model – prototype – of the new application. Even the most creative among us can struggle to visualise what software will look like and how it will function from a piece of paper. With the prototype, you won’t have to. Everything is covered and nothing left to assumption.
- A Product Backlog – a discrete list of functions, fully documented with screen shots and testing criteria, which is the “master list” of all the features to be developed throughout the project.
- Optionally, and depending on whether we engage under the Agile or Fixed Price model, an articulate and concise functional specification. This is a blueprint for your application; it sets out in writing exactly what you’ll be getting once the development is complete.
- A sprint schedule – a plan of what features will be developed in what sprint.
- A fully project-managed service, with a delivery team comprising a Project Manager, a Scrum Master and a Solution Architect, to ensure the successful delivery of your project on time and budget.
