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Software Development Project Management

Software Development Project Management

Software development project management involves managing software development processes and software procedures. It generally comprises software planning, software scheduling, allocation of software resources, software execution, software tracking, and delivering software and web-based projects. Unlike the traditional software project management process, software development project management is unique as it involves a cycle that requires multiple rounds of testing, updates, and customer feedback. Software development projects are complex to undertake and have various software features that require diligence and proper leadership to execute successfully. Due to the complexities of the software development processes, a software development manager should handle the esoftware task.

How Software Development Projects Work

JIRA and Confluence: Manage Project Requirements and User Stories

Any software under development has its specific capabilities for performing certain functions to solve the end-user problems and achieve business goals. These requirements are defined at the onset of the project as user stories or project requirements. The way a project manager manages these user requirements will affect the whole software development project. Underestimation and improper systemization of requirements of a software development project from the onset can lead to the delayed implementation of the project and misunderstanding among members of the software project development team. Worse, the entire project may fail and ultimately waste resources (time and money.) 

To avoid such a scenario, a project manager can employ the help of online-based user stories and project requirement management tools like JIRA and Confluence. Let’s explore how these tools can help.

Confluence Defined

Confluence is a web-based tool that’s suitable for the documentation of requirements in software development project management. It allows you to create predefined pages (templates) that help standardize content and capture all stakeholders’ initial project requirements. Project managers can use this tool to refine and break down project requirements into user stories before delegating them to members of the development team to work on. It’s also possible to create a space for each software in the works and a space for each team you’re working with. That way, you can keep everything related to specific software or team in one place and facilitate the easy organization of the software development process, better communication, and seamless monitoring of progress. The tool also lets project managers and stakeholders track the development process and progress to determine whether you’re achieving project goals.

JIRA Defined

Confluence and JIRA are interconnected, as JIRA tickets originate from Confluence. While Confluence documents the requirements, the actual management of the requirements and stories occurs at JIRA. Just like Confluence, JIRA is a web-based application. It maps and tracks task management and trouble ticketing and enables the software developer and project managers to control the development process from end to end and achieve the project’s objectives. JIRA helps gather and link different software development project requirements and issues inside the same tool. That allows for the testing and the execution of the whole software development process consistently, regardless of the project stage.

The Common Steps in the Software Development Project Management Process

Most software development management processes take up four main phases. They include:

Initiation

It’s the first step of software development project management. Here, you’ll define the most fundamental project requirements. Both the stakeholders and the appointed project manager document all the project requirements as stated by the stakeholders, and they agree upon a chatter. Once the key project stakeholders sign off this charter, the software development process commences.

The Planning Phase: Developing and Managing a Detailed Project Schedule and Work Plan

During this phase, the team working on the software development project formulates the project plan. One of the key outputs of this phase is the project deliverables. A project may have a single deliverable or multiple deliverables. Now is also the time to define the criteria that measure the project’s success and the activities making up the project work. Some key elements of the planning process include:

  • Identifying, creating, and assigning different software development tasks
  • Specifying project milestones
  • Identifying dependencies between tasks, where completion of one task depends on the completion of another
  • Grouping linked tasks into task lists

Execution

It’s at this phase of the software development project that the actual software development work takes place. There’s a further series of processes ongoing here, including design, testing, and quality assurance. The project manager’s main task is to manage the software development team and monitor the project work progress. That includes tracking the project’s progress against the available time and identifying any blockers that could impede the team’s progress.

Evaluation

The software development team should meet and jointly evaluate the project at the evaluation phase, the final phase of the software project management process. At this meeting, the team should assess the success and challenges of the project to learn and improve the planning and execution of future projects.

How to Improve the Software Development Management Process

There are various measures that a project manager can take to improve the software development process. According to a Forbes article by Scott Stiner, here are 8 ways you can improve the software development process from a managerial position:

  • Ensure that you take away any software non-development work off your team’s schedules to allow them to focus on the software product in development.
  • Keep your team motivated by sharing the success stories of other software developers who have become giant tech industry players.
  • Let the team members focus on assigned tasks and avoid frustrating them by changing task schedules.
  • Try to always stick to the original software development plan adopted at the start of the project (unless the changes are necessary for the project’s success.)
  • Encourage your team always to be organized and manage their time properly, and you can lead by example for your team to emulate this character.
  • Ensure that you delegate tasks effectively to streamline productivity and achieve your goals.
  • Adopt communicating on a personal level and take a chance to know your team to build rapport.
  • Have specific tasks for every person daily by breaking down the project requirements. When everyone knows their role, they’ll focus on it fully and work diligently.

The Benefits of Software Development Project Management

Software development projects are very complicated and need proper management. By integrating software development project management, you’ll keep the cost within the set budget, complete the task on time, and enable your team to deliver a quality product. It also allows the software development team to commence work with clear guidelines, vision, and objectives. That reduces incidences of errors and any form of confusion during the development process. Besides, you’ll have an easy time completing the project.

Any software development project should have a project manager who plays the key role of coordinating the team to increase the chance of success. Proper software development management keeps every team member aware of their role and part in achieving software development goals.

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What’s a project manager’s role in software development?

The project manager oversees planning, scheduling, budgeting, executing, and delivering web and software development projects. They also manage the team performing the software development project and ensure the successful completion of the task at hand.

What is meant by software project management?

Software project management is the process of planning, scheduling, allocating resources, executing, tracking, and delivering software and web-based projects.

Is project management good for software engineering?

Yes, it is. Proper project management and software engineering practices are the fundamental aspects of any successful software development.

What are software development project plans?

A software development project plan is a timeline of activities involved in the project cycle. It shows when each phase of the software project should begin and end, along with all the steps necessary to complete each phase.

What is the goal of software project management?

The main goal of software project management is to finish the software development project within the stipulated time and deliver a quality product while sticking to the set budget.

What is the use of software project management?

Software project management helps plan and schedule the project. It’s also crucial in resource allocation and change management while the project is in motion.

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