Most Common Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your Next Development Project
Software is an intangible product that requires careful estimation of time, cost, and resources. The trick is to not be perfect, but precise and balancing between innovation and reliability.
Bill Gates once said:
“Software is a great combination between artistry and engineering” - Bill Gates
In the world of innovation, technology is evolving faster than ever. Before you know it, there’s a new smartphone model, the latest gadgets, and new features in your favorite apps. The tech world doesn’t wait for anyone, and the best way to keep up is by learning from mistakes and avoiding them.
In this article, we will explore the most common mistakes to avoid when planning your next development project.
Not Setting a Clear Objective
The first step in any development project, even before you start doing research is to set a clear objective. Without having a clear path, you will end up lost and things will get out of hand pretty quickly. Take your time going over and agreeing on the project specs with the clients. Especially if it’s a long-term project, not outlining the project scope can lead to serious consequences.
Start with a kickoff meeting, and let everyone in the team know the project scope. Divide the project into small achievable goals that are easy to manage and give your team a sense of achievement after completion. Make sure that the timelines are practical, and you’re not too ambitious with the goals and deadlines.
2. Underestimating the Power of Research
The first most important and often underestimated part of the project is research. Not doing enough adequate research and coding without planning can only lead to technical debt. Planning may seem like a waste of time at the beginning, as the project progresses, you will see how much time you will save by planning ahead.
3. Failing to Communicate Properly
Whether it’s a development project or a coffee order, communication is key. Among the most common project management mistakes is failure to communicate. That includes both listening and speaking. Throughout the project lifecycle, you might not understand certain requirements and will need to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind, it’s better to ask a question today than ponder later and lose time and resources.
In many development projects, the manager starts with frequent meetings and communicates properly with the team. However, as time progresses, they pay less attention to communication and more on other tasks. It’s important to keep your team members up-to-date about the latest decisions, issues, and risks. Not communicating with the team can lead to confusion and misunderstanding.
4. Letting the Bugs Bug you!
If there’s one thing constant in every development project, then it’s ‘bugs’. It’s easy to let the bugs bug you, but remember that everyone makes mistakes. Testing is a crucial and ongoing part of a development project. A small bug at the beginning of the project can end up costing thousands of dollars in technical debt. Instead of rushing through the project or being afraid of bugs, embrace them to improve the product.
5. Chasing Perfection
When you start a new project, it’s okay to want something perfect. However, don’t forget that every project is by time and financial constraints. You can’t spend too much time perfecting the details and it’s important to balance features with reliability. Features make the product exciting. They help businesses retain old customers and gain new ones. Spending too much time on perfection usually means that you’re not spending enough time on the features.
6. Micromanaging the Team
If there’s one thing no one likes is a boss who tries to control everything. Before starting a project, make sure that you get the right people for the job. Once it begins, trust your judgment and your team, and don’t hover around them. People often make mistakes when they get nervous about someone watching them, specifically their boss!
Additionally, micromanaging will give your team the impression that you don’t trust them. That leads to a lack of confidence and motivation. You want a highly motivated and confident team, build a positive and blameless work environment based on trust.
7. Fear of Change
Things never go as planned and in the ever-changing business world, you need to learn to adapt. Change is a part of life and there will always be challenges such as unexpected changes in requirements, last-minute changes, rushed requests, and missed deadlines. To successfully manage a development project, you need to make the most out of the time and resources and be flexible enough to adapt.
8. Not Using Project Management Tools
Tools and technologies are there to make life easier for project managers and help teams communicate effectively. Nowadays, we have plenty of project management tools and platforms that can help manage the code, sync deadlines, and keep up with the project’s status. Common project management tools include Jira, Trello, and Asana.
Final Words: Learn From Other People’s Mistakes
In planning, the phrase “be proactive, not reactive” is appropriate. The idea is to prevent mistakes from happening instead of cleaning up the mess afterward. Nowadays, we have plenty of resources on nearly every subject available online. Highly experienced professionals share their ideas and experiences online, and there’s no shortage of help and support.
It’s difficult to avoid mistakes altogether, but you can lead your project successfully with efficient planning and learning from other people’s mistakes.
