If your company is setting out to build software, it's important to keep in mind the potential challenges and pitfalls that await you and your team. Luckily, Keith Shields of Designli has taken the time to outline some of the biggest obstacles that startups face when starting a new software project.
Every client has a budget, and most have a time table they’d like to stick with for launching their new app or website. The problem? Estimating the exact time and cost associated with a complex software build-out is no easy task. Projects can take several weeks all the way to dozens of months – and before the customer knows it, the project can easily be thousands of dollars over budget and months behind.
As a client, all hope is not lost – and there are a few things you can do to help eliminate these common issues. Here are some quick hitters on what to look out for:
1. Too Many Scope Changes or an Ill-Defined Scope
Keeping a project within scope is a collaborative effort by both client and hired development team. Your project should be clearly defined at the start; and, in the honeymoon rush of bringing on new clients, many development firms and freelancers skip this vital step.
Your design and development team of choice can help you with this step, but ultimately you need to have a clear idea with written instructions of exactly what it is you’re looking to build. This is the “Technical Specifications Document” that becomes what the development team lives (or, more often than not, dies) by.
Many developers try to push off the creation of this specifications document since, yes, it can be time consuming and tedious to flesh out. However, this is important for you as a client because it’s how you hold your developer accountable for exactly what they have committed to build for you.
After this initial scope document is created, if you continuously change the scope during the course of the project, it can mean major design and coding changes. This will then push your deadline back and possibly cause an increase in costs. So, be sure to do this work upfront.
2. Working With an Hourly Contract But Your Scope Isn't Well Defined
Hourly projects have their place in the development world, but they leave the project open for cost increases. We mentioned in the previous section that too many scope changes push back the deadline and increase costs. You can avoid scope changes by defining the scope clearly before the project starts.
With a flat-rate fixed price, the scope should be clearly defined and then costs are nailed down for the duration of the contract. Fixed price contracts are a good way for you to know the cost of a project without having added costs from unexpected hour input.
If you do decide to move forward with development in an hourly manner, make sure you define your scope and expectations clearly in the beginning. The worst thing you can possibly do as a client is to engage in hourly work without a clear end goal of what it is you’re building and what will constitute the project as being “done.” Your development team will be happy to bill you their hourly rate for the rest of time as you deliberate on features and decide what it is you truly want your app or website to do.
3. Poorly Communicated Expectations
It's up to the developer to manage your expectations. Not only do you want to know how much a project costs, but you also want to know what to expect for the final deliverable. One of the worst ways for a project to fail is for the deliverable to disappoint the client due to failed expectations being met.
The surest way for a custom software project to go over timeframe is for either party to require (or promise) an unrealistic timeframe. No, you won’t be able to build a Facebook equivalent in 1 month. If your developer tells you that he’ll finish your Pinterest website in 2 weeks, there’s clearly something wrong.
Ensure your developer’s promises are realistic, and that your expectations are clear.
4. Working with Teams That Don't Have Experience Related to Your Project
There are several technologies on the market for producing your application. Some technologies are better than others when you need a specific result. Your development team could be experts in certain technology and not the ones you need for your exact project specifications, which means they’ll learn it while coding.
Project deadlines and costs increase when developers "learn while coding." It's better to find a team that understands your coding requirements to avoid extra costs due to training. If you find a past portfolio item that is similar to your project, you’ll be shocked at how much more realistic the promised time frame and price point become.
5. Setting Unrealistic Deadlines or Demands
All clients get excited to see their new project in action, but good development takes time. Your project goes through several iterations, testing and approval before the final product is delivered. Be patient, and avoid unreasonable deadlines or demands of your new team.
Building your product is a collaborative effort, after all. Communicate with your project manager, lead developer, graphic designer – everyone involved – to ensure that everyone has what they need and that there are no sticking points. The last thing you need is to push out a half-baked product to your users (to whom you’ve promised the world) that is still full of bugs and glitches. Be willing to go through the process that the development team has laid out and has perfected over time, and focus on business development and pre-launch marketing while waiting for your development experts to finish the product build-out.
What have you done to ensure the success of your project – sticking to both the expected timeframe and budget that you have allocated? Tweet to us @DesignliCo to share your secrets. We’d love to chat.
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