Development

How your Web Application Performs on Various Browsers?

You are in software development and in today’s world you can’t escape from most of your customer demanding either replacing their legacy software in use with new web application or the development of a new web application. Every customer wants to keep maximum leverage for its employees in terms of mobility, flexibility, easy usability etc. and that is why most applications in demand are web based.

Various stakeholders of the project get directly or indirectly activities assigned to them so as to make the project run and finish. The major role in web application development is that of development team. They should be very clear about the customer requirements – what browsers they want to use, what browsers they desire, what version of the browsers, future expectations etc. If these web based requirements are not crystal clear, it is going to create troubles not only for the developers and testers but for customer also. You can’t just dream and design, you have to have specific requirements in hand to develop an application.

Similarly Testers role is also quite prominent in validating customer’s browsers related requirements and ascertaining that all the browsers mentioned by customer (essential and desired) have to be checked for running the application completely.

This small issue can create a major backlog at a later stage. So it has to be handled right in the beginning before the start of development.

Ten Commandants for Project Manager in Requirements Change Management

Requirements Change management if managed haphazardly may become a disaster for both customer and the product, so it has to be managed very wisely and tactically. And the role of a project manager in this is very crucial.

In such a case the role of Project Manager can be sequentially summarized as below:
10. He has to understand well the total requirements of the customer
9. He has to map these requirements in the software already catering to other customers
8. This way he will be able to find out and check what is the impact of these requirements on the software?
7. He also has to check out if some practices already built in the software are better than what the customer is asking for?
6. He has to revert back to customer to discuss (and rather educate him) the benefits of adopting the practices already built in over the changes asked for
5. Customer might agree to some, and might still ask for the changes at certain places
4. Now the project manager has to sit with his product manager to convince him to incorporate these changes
3. Understand the impact of these changes and get back to customer if there is any adverse effect
2. Finally get those changes incorporated in the software
1. But don’t assume that the story is over…

Project Manager – A Solid Bridge between Customer and Product Manager

Let us talk about existing software required to be implemented at a new geographical location. Definitely because of a different location there will be certain new requirements plus some changes here and there in the existing built to meet customer specifications. This need to be handled very minutely and tactfully in such a manner that on one hand it meets all customer requirements and on the other hand puts least burden on the team and software in terms of catering to those specifications or changes asked by the customer.

How it needs to be managed, monitored and done is an art that requires certain level of high skills in the project manager who has to act as a solid bridge between the customer and the product manager. If we consider Project Manager, Customer and Product Manager as three different islands – it is the Project Manager who has to synchronize and gel well together all the three different islands in the journey of building or moulding the software to meet all the requirements of the customer. The project manager in this case is the center point with Customer and Product Manager on his two sides.

How Requirements evolve during a Software Project?

New requirements or change in existing requirements is an inevitable process in any software project. As a project manager you encounter it during every phase of a project. Some requirements emerge internally by your own team and some come from the customer.

Internal requirements result from clarifications in customer’s existing requirements and enhancement of project team in business knowledge. Your team evolves better ways to manage customer’s existing and forthcoming requirements in a better way thereby seeking a change in existing code. It could be a major change asking for involvement of considerable number of developers for certain mandays. Or it could be a minor change involving just a couple of hours.

On the other hand, another scenario of change in requirements could be when your team of developers is working on building the customer requirements in the new or existing software and you receive a change note from customer requiring a major or minor change in the software.

Ten cautions in case of a self sponsored project

What if you have chosen to develop a product for which you don’t have a customer right now? If you perceive that by the time you complete development phase and the product will be ready to launch if will not be obsolete as per technology or concept, go ahead but take care of following cautions to be a winner in the game:

10. Technology: Ensure that you are starting with the latest technology, as even the latest technology will be a little older by the time you complete the product.

9. Concept: Ensure that you do not start building a product that has several variants already in the market. Beat the drum to give the world a new beat.

8. Keep the air in your bag: Let the concept not leak out until you are ready to launch the product. Launch it with a bang. Advertise, blog, press conference, and whatever you feel appropriate for the launch. But ensure that your team confide in you in this exercise till you are ready to shout.

7. Convince, build trust: Convince yourself that you have chosen a right path even if it is risky. Demonstrate your management about your idea and the way you want to design/ launch it. Build trust among your team in giving a real shape to your dream.

6. Risk Management: It is very essential to jot down the risks involved, and ways to mitigate them depending on their severity.

5. Incentive: Let your team know what incentive they are going to get once the product and project is successful.

4. Project Sponsor: Mostly in such type of projects your management will sponsor the project, so all risk lies inside the house. Your stake is quite high in such projects. Equally important is the success of such projects.

3. Project Methodology: Adopt the right methodology and adhere to its requirements.

2. Project Plan: Ensure that such projects cannot tolerate much deviation in terms of time or money. Since in such projects all risk is yours, don’t let it increase at any cost.

1. Definition of successful project: Building a beautiful product in this case is of not any use if there is no buyer at the time of launch. Your total investment in the project can return only if you are able to find out a buyer.

Project Plans having no Place for ‘Documentation Process’ Compromise with the Quality

If we have to compromise with the quality of project at various stages there are many ways to do that. Most stupid way will be to compromise with the quality of the software which in any case is going to create lot of hue and cry in the organization either prior to it goes to customer during internal testing, or when it goes to customer for implementation. The undercover holes covered howsoever smartly will create seepage sooner or later.

Most common mistake that is made during the complete lifecycle of a project is not formally giving documentation (required at various stages) in project plan by assuming that documentation is not that prime. It is presumed that either the documentation will be done at the end or it is taken too casually and told to be done by everyone without assigning a proper ownership.

Both – Quality of Software and Quality of Documentation play a lead role in project management. Compromising with any of the two leads to increased cost, loss of customer satisfaction, delay in implementation or revenue loss.

Project Scope – Customer needs to be shown the right path

One of the project managers of an ERP implementation company got himself into a tight corner. He found himself in a tough situation where an already ‘mutually sealed’ project scope asked for one or two new requirements (or changes in the existing functionality) from the client everyday while implementation. The broadly agreed upon requirements within the earmarked project modules came out with some changes here and there, some new add-ons. Customer is not ready to accept ‘no’ to any of the requirement since they have a mindset that they have ordered for a big project and are investing a large amount of money in it. The customer keeps on pushing for all their ‘now invented’ requirements to be mapped in the existing ‘project scope’. This seems to be a never ending story. The project manager is tightlipped to start a new module since the running one is not ‘done’ so far. And he also can’t say NO and mark any requirement as ‘out of scope’ since he does not want to annoy the customer and wants the project to be a success.

What should be done in this sort of scenario?

The project manager privately updated me about the situation and asked for my help to get him out of this situation. I told him if he carries out in the way he is – he will never be able to finish his project.

I advised him to have an emergency meeting with his client and share his pain with them. Make them clear that you are not saying No to their requirements but there is a need of a boundary line drawn with mutual understanding. Cater to so far documented requirements as phase I. Finish it off. Get it signed off. Whatever new requirement or changes come from the customer – document it, analyze it. Any requirement that is asking for more than 4 hours of efforts, put it in phase II of the project. As soon as you finish off the phase I, finish off Phase II, sign off. And so on.

Eighteen commandants for Project Management Meetings

18. All meetings related to the project must be fruitful for its continuous progress and timely actions.
17. Duration of the meetings should be optimum to cover all major concerns and immediate actions required.
16. Meetings should bring all participants close to break the barrier between them.
15. Don’t hesitate to have one-to-one talk where important.
14. Have lively discussions.
13. Have concrete progress.
12. Explain after taking time the points that require proper knowledge to be brought to all the members.
11. Propose your views and action points.
10. Stress on your viewpoints where you feel the importance need to be expressed to the members.
9. Commit full co-operation
8. Understand every member’s viewpoints
7. Participate in complete
6. Focus on each member and their suggestions
5. Strip away the mental wall separating the members
4. Strengthen the mutual cooperative relationship towards the common goal
3. Give sincere response to the issues
2. Restore trust
1. Make it overall a meaningful meeting

Five ‘must-have’ skills to be a Business Analyst

As stated in my previous post, a Business Analyst is a quite powerful role that establishes the base of a project. It is the first visible pillar for a project which involves communication, leadership, writing, technical and functional skills together. A business analyst has to have a great depth of knowledge of the business on one hand, a sharp understanding power, strong writing skills, great communicator, and a good influencer. Let us see what are the ‘must-have’ skills without which a business analyst can not survive? And why are those skills so important to be a business analyst? Without any relevance to the order in which they are mentioned (as all are equally important) these skills are:

5. Business Knowledge: A good amount of experience/ exposure/ knowledge of customer business are very important for a business analyst

4. Listen and Understand: A business analyst has to be a good listener and with a sharp understanding power without which all the discussions with customer will be fruitless.

3. Technical Knowledge: There will be quite a few technical discussions at customer site. The BA has to be quite conversant with the technologies and methodologies present at his organization.

2. Communication: A business analyst has to be a strong communicator. During the customer meetings, if he does not communicate well about his organization’s capabilities to build up the trust and confidence, probably customer may not gel well with his ideas.

1. Writing skills: Very important skill required for documentation and for conveying the right messages across the board.

Various roles of a Business Analyst

Business Analyst is a quite powerful role forming the base of a project. It is the first visible pillar for a project which involves communication, leadership, writing, technical and functional skills together. A business analyst has to have a great depth of knowledge of the business on one hand, a sharp understanding power, strong writing skills, great communicator, and a good influencer.

For a software company having various new development projects a business analyst has to understand the existing business processes, methodology, rules etc. of the customer, document it (which itself is a specialized task) and hand it over to development team to embed the customer requirements into the software to be built.

For a software (or IT) sales company a business analyst has to sit behind the sales/ business development teams – understanding their current process of acquiring new business or sustaining current business and bring out a better approach, methodology, process to enhance business in terms of new business and holding current business.

For a manufacturing company a business analyst has to understand the process, re-engineer it to enhance the production, product yield, thereby increasing customer satisfaction and reducing defects or rejections.

A business analyst ‘s various caps thus include – business process analyst, business strategy analyst, business methodology analyst thereby becoming a backbone to business process managers, sales teams, management, development teams , product teams, quality teams etc.