Project management is a widely-used practice across all industries and organizational sizes, such as manufacturing, marketing, finance, and IT — including software development.
Creating innovative software is a complex task that demands a well-organized framework to manage resources, time, people, and expenses to guarantee the successful delivery of projects, on time and within budget.
In this article, we will discuss the key steps involved in successful project management for software development.
Inception Phase
Proper planning is the foundation for the success of any software development project, and the steps that fall under project planning are those you complete during the inception phase.
You should use this initial phase to gain a clear understanding of what you need to accomplish and how. Apart from setting the basis for the whole project, everyone involved should come out of the inception phase with a shared understanding of the project goals, scope, timeline, budget, and risks.
Below is an overview of the steps a team normally takes during this phase:
- Setting project objectives and goals. These goals provide a clear direction for the project, ensuring that everyone involved is working towards the same end goal. In project management terms, objectives should be SMART — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
- Devising a project plan. A detailed project plan includes tasks, milestones, dependencies, and deliverables. It should consider the available resources and timelines in order to be achievable. At this point, teams may decide on tools and techniques for project scheduling to help streamline their efforts and track their progress.
- Identifying project stakeholders. Stakeholders include anyone who has an interest or influence in the project, e.g. project sponsors, end-users, developers, and testers. Identifying stakeholders and their needs is one of the cornerstones of good project management, as this step helps teams stay aware of stakeholders’ requirements and expectations.
- Estimating project timeline and budget. For this crucial step, the project manager estimates the time and resources they require to complete each task, according to the established project plan and scope.
- Risk assessment and management. Risks are events or circumstances that can impact the delivery of the project, and are normally tied to the project’s objectives, timeline, and/or budget. Once the team identifies the risks, they can develop a risk management plan to outline how they will mitigate or manage risks if they occur.
- Choose the right tools for efficient project management. From classic project management apps to communication, good tools are essential for an optimal workflow.
Implementation Phase
As the name suggests, the implementation (or execution) phase is the stage where the team implements the project plan. For software developers, it involves building the software and delivering it to the end-users or clients.
These are the steps typically taken during the implementation phase of a project:
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Assigning project roles and responsibilities. The first step in the execution of any project. The project manager must make sure that the team members assigned to the project understand their roles and responsibilities and have the required skills and resources to perform them.
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Communication and collaboration. Throughout the implementation of the project, team members should consistently communicate and work together to achieve project goals. Tools such as project management software, video conferencing, file sharing, and instant messaging apps can facilitate communication and collaboration.
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Tracking project progress. The project manager (or dedicated members of the team) should monitor project progress and identify any deviations from the project plan during the execution phase.
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Quality assurance and testing. Quality assurance involves ensuring that the team develops the software according to established standards and procedures, while testing involves verifying that the software meets functional and non-functional requirements. Development teams should duly perform quality assurance and testing during specific points in the implementation phase, as well as later on, during monitoring and control.
Monitoring and Control Phase
As previously mentioned, project progress should be tracked at all times up until project closure. However, you can view the monitoring and control phase as an opportunity near the end of implementation to address any issues or risks that could impact the project’s success, including those related to resource allocation, schedule delays, or quality problems.
Generally speaking, teams should use good time management practices to prioritize issues and risks before they escalate. Teams should also make sure to allocate enough time and resources to address these issues or risks accordingly.
Another important factor to take into account is budget review. While you should monitor project spending from the beginning of the implementation phase, the control phase is the perfect time to make any necessary adjustments to the budget, if any are needed.
Finally, teams should complete thorough quality control and testing in this phase to ensure the software meets its requirements. Teams should test according to established procedures, and project stakeholders should document and review the results.
For software developers, this part of the project cycle also involves collecting and analyzing telemetry data for troubleshooting purposes. A tool like OpenTelemetry can help evade complications that may emerge during this process by standardizing telemetry data collection and transmission to backend platforms.
Project Closure
The final step in software development is delivering the final product to the client. Along with this delivery, the project team should provide any necessary training or support to the client upon delivery, including tutorials, guidebooks, and/or live demo sessions.To facilitate this process, consider using a client portal where clients can access important project documentation, and updates, and communicate with the project team seamlessly. This portal serves as a central hub for all project-related information, enhancing transparency and client satisfaction.
Once the team delivers the product and the client has given their feedback, the project manager should conduct a thorough review of the project to assess its success and identify areas for improvement in future projects. This review should document project results, including any lessons the team learned during the project, project deliverables, and the client’s feedback.
The closing phase is also an excellent opportunity to celebrate project success and team achievements. Managers should acknowledge the contributions of all project team members and stakeholders and recognize their efforts and dedication to the project.
Project Management Tools For Software Developers
The key to successfully following through all the phases of project development is to equip your team with the right set of tools and resources to optimize the workflow.
Here are the most important software types you need to set up before starting with each project:
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Workflow and task management tools such as Asana, Trello, or Infinity are the key to setting up the tasks, deadlines, and progress bars for each team.
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Communication apps, among which Slack is the most popular one still, followed with Zoom, Google Meet, and other needed tools for quick and efficient meetings and chats.
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CRM tools for developers - customer relationship management tools can help you test and improve your software with the right feedback.
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Cost management tools are an important part of an efficient strategy for any software development project. They can help you navigate the costs of each project stage and you can opt for a cloud-based cost management tool to make it easily accessible for your finance department.
Conclusion
Successful project management is all about good planning, communication, and teamwork among those involved in the project’s delivery. We hope that this article will help you deliver high-quality software projects that meet your customers’ needs and expectations.
