When it comes to software development, some would argue that creativity and adaptability are almost as important as technical expertise; if you find that you’re short on inspiration, or you’re not sure where to go next with a project, then you’re experiencing a common symptom of the process.
While we offer our own software consulting services at PulaTech, we don’t mind letting you in on a few of our trade secrets to help you implement a more effective process. We follow the agile development methodology, which promotes continuous development and testing throughout the entire lifecycle. If you’re looking to jump into this same methodology, take a look at our services page to understand our interpretation of agile development, then simply follow these five steps.
- Inception — Once a project has been envisioned, the true work can begin in this initial phase. You will need to identify client requirements, gather funding information, discuss a concrete vision and scope, and create a communication plan. You may also want to outline a precise team for the project now.
- Planning — With the conceptual work done, you can move into creating a framework for the project with facets like the software requirements specifications and the system architecture document. At this point, you will also want to begin focusing on the user interface, wireframes, and a prototype; you should be able to develop a somewhat fleshed out project schedule based on your progress.
- Implementation — The implementation phase of agile development requires that you take on coding unit testing, and thus that you are prepared to manage any necessary changes. Additionally, this step includes functional and technical specification and status reporting; it’s important you remember that agile development requires that you are comfortable shifting your approach at any time in the development process.
- Stabilization — With the first three steps behind you, stabilization is the point at which you can begin to settle into your software with code hardening and integrated application testing. This is also the point at which you can monitor various metrics and analyze them accordingly. By now, you should have a relatively clear vision for the outlook of your project.
Transfer — In this final step of the agile development process, you will deploy your application. Of course, you will also need to create a deployment package and an admin and user guide. This is the moment where all of your testing and hard work can truly be enjoyed.
When following these steps, it’s vital to remember that agile development is a methodology adopted by those who want to adapt to change as deftly and effectively as possible. This system of development is collaborative and heavy on testing, but solutions developed this way are incredibly intuitive.
If you find that the development process is simply too much to manage on your own, even with these steps outlined, then PulaTech is here to help. Our software consulting services span from custom software systems to mentoring and beyond; read our blog about the positive impact a software consultant can have on your business, contact us to see how we can assist you.
