It’s a story of a client who approached a software development company to get ready-made software without project management involvement. They are not interested in spending extra bucks for tax and other overheads that equals nearly 7% to 11% of the software development cost estimation. The client wants to manage everything on their own.
DIY management proves to be expensive when clients find it hard to collaborate effectively. Especially in the later stages where you aim at curating a single vision for everyone involved. You’ll need to keep everyone on the same page and track the progress of the project continuously. Moreover, the problem keeps on growing when they are developing hybrid teamwork.
It proves that the role of the project manager is vital for the success of software development. They have to ensure high productivity along with handling the catastrophes of a project. The project manager can work efficiently and avoid chaos with the right project management software.
What is Project Management?
Project management is about creating a project plan. The software development team works with great coordination from start to final delivery of the software product and follows the software development guide.
It includes task management, time tracking, file sharing, team communication, meeting scheduling, expense estimation, progress tracking, and improved productivity.
The software development project management tool takes away heavy work from the shoulders of project managers. The cloud-based solution makes the remote team connect in a single click across the globe.
Why is Project Management Essential?
Outline the project scope
A software development project started with just a rough idea has fewer chances of success. Usually, in such cases, a software development project suffers without any software development project management methodologies.
Project management starts with project planning and it needs a clear vision. Traditionally, a client pre-approves before considering it as an action plan.
It serves as a foundation for software development. Any changes made to the software development halfway impact the project scope and time massively.
Planning and scheduling get a step ahead
The underestimation or overestimation of software development time and budget is never fruitful for any party. The project managers can create achievable deadlines with reasonable milestones for the software development team and stakeholders.
The changes are part and parcel of the software development game. Agile development plays a huge role in planning and scheduling. The agility enables accommodating the changes after analyzing the availability of resources. Scheduling brings reasonable goals to the planning so that the outcome quality won’t get influenced.
Keep everyone in the same boat
The software development team is a mix of developers, designers, testers, business analysts, and marketers. Expecting the software developers or anyone from the team to define the work status to the client is vital. It also makes sure that anything that might have been missed during development is implausible.
The communication between the client and team remains ineffective unless there is a single point of contact that manages everything.
The project manager bridges the gap between the client and the software development team. They use different communication channels or meeting schedules. Project management software works wonders in connecting all team members and stakeholders. Additionally, it allows them to communicate and share information without much ado.
With easy access to the central dashboard, the client can track the work status. Clients can even update changes related to ongoing projects.
Efficient resources utilization
The client always interviews the team before selecting a software development company. But they cannot assess where they are best at, such as playing with advanced technologies, tools, and techniques. That’s why assigning tasks according to the software developers’ capability and skill is difficult.
Here, the software project manager on the board can assign tasks to different team members. The manager can do this based on their experience and expertise.
The project management system can fill the gap by generating a performance report of the employees. The systematic process ensures that the project delivery is handled smoothly.
Deliver quality products
With so many projects on the floor, the software developers are under pressure to complete the project on tight schedules. The software development process moves ahead in a rush. This results in bad software with no quality testing.
Custom project management ensures that time and resources are allocated to the team efficiently. To deliver quality products, testing each and every phase of development is crucial. The team assesses the software against quality, usability, functionality, and user-friendliness to meet customer expectations.
How Does Project Management Benefit Software Development?
Improved productivity
Software Development Companies enjoy high productivity with leverage in software development project management methodologies. The project management centralizes different pieces of information and rich insights. It allows the software project manager to make an informed decision at speed.
The data-driven decision allows the team to proactively handle the catastrophes of the project before they go out of control. It ensures that the software development team works as expected. Additionally, following this procedure ensures that the software project is done within the deadline.
Mitigates risk
Traditionally, it’s difficult for the project manager in software development to anticipate the bottlenecks that put the project at risk.
The project management software signals things that are not going well. It allows the software development project manager to be ready with risk management strategies. These solutions help to prevent unfortunate things from occurring.
Intensify team collaboration
31% of companies say that miscommunications about project objectives are the number one reason projects fail.
The project management system allows all the software development team members to play different roles and responsibilities. It stays up-to-date with project progress without attending the meetings.
Team collaboration allows the development team to approach suitable members to resolve any issues related to the process. The files, documents, and insights sharing to improve team collaboration.
Centralize everything
Custom Software Development Companies leverage project management software solutions. Moreover, it acts as a one-stop shop for file sharing, task management, team communication, timeline management, etc. It saves a lot of time for the team to move back and forth from one screen to another.
Make remote project management a breeze
COVID-19 has showcased the benefits of remote working to the world. However, 88% of remote workers face inconsistent leadership and miscommunications with other team members.
Managing a dispersed team is never easier without a project management software deployment. The software enables the project manager to make a remote software development team. Even if they are scattered worldwide, they can communicate and collaborate on the project, glitch-free.
Facilitate document management
Many documents are created and shared along with software project files. Facilitating document management aids in managing everything securely.
The team members and clients can share files, reports, plan changes, and other modifications. With the help of the project management software, all the documents can be well organized.
Enhance team’s accountability
Project management tools eliminate the software project manager’s need to track work status. Additionally, they remind the team of expectations, milestones, and deadlines.
The top software developers are aware of the tasks and timelines. It makes them accountable and answerable for things. Moreover, accountability further encourages them to improve productivity.
Conclusion
The software development cycle includes a lot of phases. Experienced software developers follow this to develop good software. Also, various development models are used to meet specific project requirements.
Irrespective of the models used in software development, agile project management is all-important to make the team do their best work. In conclusion, it is also vital to deliver the project as expected and keep the client happy. Don’t ignore the importance of project management in software development. Otherwise, software importance will be ignored by the target audience.
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