In order to develop a successful app, or any piece of software, teams should be made aware of problems they could run into. Some projects are doomed to fail without proper planning or communication and this is especially true for software projects because there may be multiple members on the team with varying ideologies and programming strategies.
Scope Creep
When you’re a few iterations into the project and you notice your clients are constantly calling due to a change of mind or extra features…. It can lead to a mismatch in expectations, as well as loads of extra work that you didn’t sign up for.
The Fix
Set boundaries and limits with your clients before you even begin the project. Ask your clients the appropriate questions. This might be a full day of brainstorming but it’s important that you’re both on the same page regarding project requirements.
Inefficient Communication
As well as having a strategy day with clients, you also need to sit down with your teammates to work through what everyone is responsible for. If proper communication falls to the wayside, not reporting an error or becoming overloaded with work, then project deadlines might start looming and finger pointing occurs.
The Fix
Setting aside time for weekly meetings to discuss problems and help each other not only boosts morale, but it keeps everyone up to date on the project and in check for the deadlines. Everyone in the team should be clear on what their role is. Also allow for communication between other departments such as the UX team.
Improper Project Plan
Much like ineffective communication, not having a well thought out plan can also put immense pressure on teams to deliver software that doesn’t align with the one plan. Setting too tight or lengthy schedules can allow for scope creep, or dissatisfied clients.
The Fix
As a team and using your client’s answers, map out exactly what you want every moving part to look like. Develop a methodology, such as Agile or Waterfall to progress the project. Set yourselves mini deadlines for each section and allow for problems to occur. Set team roles so everyone knows exactly what is expected of them.
Testing & Debugging Strategies
How will you know your code works if you don’t test it? It’s vital that you set time aside in every section of the project to test the code you’ve just completed, especially in a big project where there are many moving parts. Because as the weeks slip by you quickly forget about the code you wrote in one section and can hinder solving problems later on.
The Fix
When defining the project plan, set time aside to test your code. Don’t leave this until the last iteration. As well as testing, also have a strategy in place to sort through the code once you know what’s throwing the error. Something small you may have overlooked, might be instantly spotted by another developer.
At TADCO apps, we have systems in place to ensure we plan, communicate and test efficiently. If this is something you are struggling with during your app development, why not reach out to us and see how we can help you.
