Development Support
Every day new software projects are started. Some of these projects will go smoothly – meet deadlines in a timely way and fit the customer’s needs perfectly. Many will not. Some of the perils that can derail a software project are:
- Insufficient Planning
- Inadequate Design
- Unrealistic Implementation Schedule
- Communication Breakdowns
- Missing skills
- Changing Requirements
Your business may need someone who can enter a project at any phase to help put it back on track. I support executives by coaching them in effective management of their development teams, especially helping them to understand complex technical issues. Support of your development staff is available to create workable strategies and overcome technological barriers to completing their projects on schedule and within budget. The outline below divides my services into three groups:
- Planning provides the executives the information that they need to manage the project.
- Requirements - Distinguish what the software needs to do.
- Implementation plan - Accurately describe how the software will be built.
- Test plan - Accurately describe how the software will be evaluated while it is being built and when it is done.
- Architecture defines how the software will be structured giving the developers the information that they need to build the project.
- Structure - How will the different parts of the software fit together.
- Task Definition - A complete list of all the appropriate tasks that must be completed to create the software.
- Milestones - Identify points during development when a significant goal is reached. (When framework is complete, when each module is completed, etc.)
- Schedule - Analyze resources, assign tasks, place on an accurate timeline and lay this information out on a calendar.
- Implementation uses efficient methods to develop the software.
- Existing Technology - Researching and incorporating existing software to shorten development time.
- Framework - Creating a strong base on which the entire application will be built.
- Testing - Building a series of automated tests to ensure ongoing quality and performance of the software.