Best Practices For Project Management In Software Development

Software project management is all about taking the right approach to building a product that stands up to client requirements while making the most out of your resources. The importance of selecting this approach and implementing it cannot be underestimated. It works as the foundation of the software development efforts and helps decide the quality of the end product.

Many leading software development companies fail to recognize the significance of this aspect and go about creating solutions that often fail to make their mark in the market. Therefore, we are here to walk you through some of the best practices your business should follow in order to build a successful software that caters to client requirements and helps them grow.

The choice of the intricate steps that must be followed by a software development company greatly depends on the type and scope of the software solution being developed. However, there are some universal steps that help in building a majority of software. These are also the tips we follow at GeekyAnts which have helped us gain positive reviews from clients across the globe:

1. Effective Software Development Planning

First things first! When you have an idea for software development, the primary roadmap consists of first innovating a plan that defines how to go about it. In this stage, we gather as much information about the mobile or web app to be developed as possible. Market research, competitor analysis, defining the scope of the project, etc., are all activities that fall under this step. Once we have enough information that helps answer all the necessary questions about the viability and feasibility of the product, we can begin with the latter stages.

2. Choose The Best Engagement Model

After we know the scope of the project, the next step is to decide on the engagement model. For managing any software development project, the choice of employee engagement model plays a pivotal role. It defines how the entire project will be divided and developed into small tasks to enhance employee productivity and the quality of the product.

For example, if the client requirements state building a product from scratch with a greater priority for quality, we advise our clients to opt for the agile software development approach. It includes dividing the project into sprints where multiple developer teams can work simultaneously. This approach helps us achieve the highest quality of end results while collaborating with the client for evaluation.

3. Use Cutting-Edge Technology

Apart from planning and allocating the appropriate resources, the use of appropriate technology is also considered one of the best practices for project management in software engineering. The tech stack selected for developing any application can be instrumental in deciding its future in the market. Advanced technologies empower software developers to build dynamic and state-of-the-art applications with minimum effort, saving the time and cost of software development. Also, the generated UI and functionalities will help improve the end-user experience. At GeekyAnts, we make use of modern technologies as per the project requirements, including React, React Native, Flutter, Next.JS, Node.JS, and so on.

4. Defining Milestones

Recognizing and defining software development milestones is another important project management best practice that cannot be overlooked. At times also a part of the software planning stage, this step helps identify the key milestones that need to be kept in mind and be achieved as per the timeline. This practice helps ensure that the team does not lose track of the deliverables or tasks to be completed, given the complexity of the software development process. Recognizing the efforts of the development team at attaining each milestone also adds to the morale of the team.

5. Prioritize Team Communication

Communication is the key! Especially for the team that is invested in building efficient software, communicating the requirements, achievements, roadblocks, etc., can work wonders. This communication keeps the team updated on the recent changes in client requirements, if any, and helps solve any difficulties that they might be facing at any point of time by sharing them with their team leaders or members. We use Slack and Email to communicate within and outside the team. We also encourage continuous communication in the form of standup meetings or sprint meetings as per the requirements of each project.

6. Continuous Evaluation

Lastly, effective project management in software development also includes continuous evaluation of the progress against the milestones and client requirements specified in the beginning of the project. This helps us know the status of each project and the amount of work required to attain the goals.

We prefer to keep our clients involved in the project evaluation process to enhance transparency between all the stakeholders. They can easily point out their concerns related to software development that get addressed quickly. We also use tools such as Trello and Jira boards to mark and assess the progress of each project.

At GeekyAnts- App design and development studio, we realize the importance of devising an impeccable software development project management plan to stay ahead of the competition. We believe in the benefits of mutual collaboration with our clients at each stage of this process and therefore encourage them to be a part of it from the beginning through to the end. We consider the detailed requirements for a project and start with the best possible software development approach for it.

Also, our recent collaborations have been based on the agile methodology that has proved its mark from the positive response we get from clients. It is flexible, practical, and the right approach for a majority of software projects that we build from scratch.

With the aim to empower everyone to build things, GeekyAnts will keep on implementing the best practices for project management in software development.