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Software Development Balancing Act
Why do people build ineffective software? It can not be intentional.
Four balanced forces work to shape the success of software development projects. A project is destined for failure if the controlling group applies rigid thresholds for all four factors. Conversely, a project will never conclude if all the factors are allowed to extend uncontrolled.
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Optimally, a workable balance can be attained by fixing some factors and adjusting others to satisfy the project requirements.
Shaping successful software projects:
Features
Everyone loves them, many can't get enough! In fact, an initial software project feature list usually looks considerably different from the final list. That is the nature of software development and the way it should be. "On time" and "On budget" are great virtues but hardly realistic in this everchanging software world. A clear need and a fully defined purpose are much more important than a fixed list of features. A consistent focus on the need is what directs a successful software solution.
Typically, commercial software vendors will add features in order to gain competitive advantage as they fight over market share. The competitive nature of software breeds new innovation. Unfortunately, many will copy features from competing products and call it innovation.
A project has to truly solve a business problem to be worthy of the tremendous effort and resources expended. What seems like a neat idea, without a clear drive and committed "owner," may suffer one of two fates, either delivery without adoption or cancellation without support. This is why many projects fail. Software doesn't need features, users do!
Quality
Like beauty, quality is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone has a different definition for it. Quality impacts one major issue with creating software solutions: adoption. A software solution can fail for many reasons but quality is the one factor that is crucial and trumps all other factors. A high quality software application with a shorter than desired feature list will still gain a following that can actually demand more. An application that is great but late will still garner bittersweet accollades. A software project that costs more than budgeted and does a terrific job will extend Return On Investment (ROI) but make a deserving user group happy for the opportunity. Quality is all about perception and should be defined in detail before any code is written. Quality is king, never compromise on quality!
Time
Time is a constant, it is always marching on. There are extremely few software projects that are delivered "on time" for a multitude of reasons; scope expansion, budget cuts, project collision, etc. A project schedule can be expedited by adjusting any of the other forces at work during a software development project but one that should never be adjusted is quality. A solid software application finished late is superior to a shoddy application delivered on schedule. Late and great is better than on par and bizarre!
Cost
Cost is the great equalizer and a factor in every project. Cost refers to human energy as well as currency. Our projects are a success at any cost and Return On Investment (ROI) is immediately apparent upon its deployment. Other projects require thorough discovery and competitive analysis to justify the outlay of resources before approval and commencement. One rule is always true, it pays to attack a project with sufficient resources and energy rather than half-heartedly attempt to just get something put together. Built-in quality and performance will always outperform later attempts to revamp shortcomings!
A high level of communications throughout the entire process is essential and our commitment to explore emerging technologies allows us to recommend sound technology solutions. We design high-performance custom software that gets the job done. Contact us to discuss your custom software needs.
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