.webp){kind=logo}
Helping clients solidify, recalibrate, or reformulate their development processes
Learn how Product Perfect helped a large real estate data firm assess its IT footprint to plan a multi-year modernization effort.
Regardless of the development model, there are fundamentals that we can help with.
Waves and Iterations an iterative approach allows the team to move methodically towards completion by incorporating learnings from each iteration into the next. Rolling wave management focuses on short-term goals and gets its name from the naturally looping work cycle as each iteration is planned and completed. Agile sprints are an iterative Scrum tool used to focus resources on the most important backlog tasks.
Quality Assurance activities include functional testing, code reviews, and simulation. A successful quality assurance strategy is interwoven with the project plan throughout development to catch bugs and errors in real time and minimize their risk of propagation. Along with a documented release plan and deployment management, quality assurance is a fundamental pillar of Delivery Assurance.
Post-release support functions, including ongoing maintenance, new feature addition, and the inevitable bug fix, are essential for maintaining customer satisfaction. Although often perceived as a postscript function, the resources, documentation, and tools required for effective support should be included in the initial development planning.
Our seasoned consultants work with clients to break-down and redesign an optimal calibration for their software development teams.
A typical outcome to our engagements with clients will center around calibration for optimal cross-team collaboration long-term.
A customized approach that balances structure with flexibility helps to maintain development team focus throughout the project.
The methodology should be tailored to the project needs and resources. Agile development methodologies such as Scrum employ an iterative approach that relies heavily on collaboration to minimize risk. The DevOps methodology focuses on reduced failure rates and faster time to market through automated continuous development.
The software development team must be assembled early in the planning stages. Foresight and detailed task analysis produce the right mixture of in-house and external talent, including both generalists and specialists. The ongoing tech talent shortage makes team-building challenging as 5G, the IoT, and cloud computing ratchet the demand for developers.
The client or customer’s expectations are the primary inputs when establishing a realistic spending limit. Project complexity, team composition, software type, project risks, and duration all feed into an accurate cost estimate for comparison to available funding. Minimizing scope creep and establishing a minimum viable product (MVP) are keys to staying on budget throughout the development lifecycle.
Gantt charts and other project management tools are useful for laying out phase-based timelines in a graphical and relatable format. The coding phase is typically the longest and therefore the most frequently accelerated, compressed, or performed concurrently with other phases to meet the overall project schedule and budget.
"I've seen first-hand some of the handiwork from the Product Perfect leadership. They've got decades of experience and I highly recommend."
Pete Klein, Software Development Manager, Microsoft
"Designing and developing brand-new software products for our clients is the heartbeat of Product Perfect. It's what we do best."
Chad Collins, Senior Consultant, Product Perfect
"Creating beautifully-designed custom software is an art and a science. We tackle both every time."
Jeff Sherwood, Senior Consultant, Product Perfect
The product manager establishes and refines customer and stakeholder requirements. By defining a functional business model, the product manager develops a roadmap for the product lifecycle. Most importantly, the product manager aligns the team behind a common vision while helping to clear any roadblocks that arise.
A backlog derived from the product roadmap is prioritized based on project needs, customer priorities, and interrelationship with other tasks. As a central repository of all tasks for each iteration, the backlog also spawns discussion and collaboration between the product manager and Scrum team. As the backlog grows larger it is further divided based on long-term and short-term goals.
The software development and coding phase of any project is the most complex, risky, and time-consuming. It is during this phase that any flaws in the development plan, goal ambiguity, or communication issues between backend and frontend developers can propagate into show-stopping delays.
Oversight becomes a delicate balancing act when fast-paced, software projects compete for highly skilled and often transitory resources. Effective internal or third-party oversight ensures the project plan is adhered to throughout the duration, scope creep is minimized, and customer satisfaction is safeguarded.
“You should use iterative development only on projects that you want to succeed.”
Martin Fowler,
Software Developer,
ThoughtWorks.
Senior consultants with previous experience with these types of projects can set the stage for a well-framed engagement.
A focused session on your specific software applications, platforms, or projects. Typically this includes technical resources from both sides.