Whether large or small, any business organization will have some scope for automating their business processes using software, either off-the-shelf or custom developed. If software development is not the core business of the organization, then it is better to partner with a software development company to obtain this software program. Such a scenario is more relevant in the UAE / Middle East markets where IT functions are often off-shored. However, in the off-shored model, despite the advantages of significant cost savings, there are risks of cost & time overruns and business requirements not being met. As a software development organization, do consider the following before you start working on a software project.

(a) Clearly understand user requirements

Understanding user requirements is the basic pre-requisite for any successful project. A software project will never be successful unless the requirements are correctly mapped and base-lined. Understanding the user's requirement which is captured in a Business Requirement Document (BRD) and converting it into a Functional Specification Document (FSD) is a high level skill, almost like an art. Ideally, this process should take a few iterations unless the customer is very clear what their exact requirements are. These iterations help uncover details which if otherwise left uncovered would have an adverse impact on the product during the design phase.

(b) Accurately estimate effort & cost and handle variance

After the initial inquiry for a software application, the customer expects a techno-commercial quote from the provider. This quote would be based on the high level understanding of customer requirements and in the absence of detailed requirements analysis, would not be an accurate estimate. This detailed requirement analysis is captured in the form of a Functional Specifications Document (FSD) which helps estimate the real effort and cost of the project.

Once you start work on the project, you expand the Business Requirement Document (BRD) to create the FSD. During this process, if at any stage you feel that the unraveling business scenario portrays added functionality not originally captured, you need to communicate this to your client, even though it creates variance in scope. A significant variance in scope will have a direct impact on the effort required and consequently on the cost of the project and hence needs to be communicated to the client.

(c) Select the right development tools

When you embark upon a software development project, it is not very important to select the development tools upfront. You need to have your primary focus on drafting the solution and creating the system architecture, followed by selecting the appropriate tools for the situation. In case the customer makes known their technology preference for the solution, it is the service provider's responsibility to evaluate that technology and enlighten the customer on its pros and cons, along with their recommendations.

(d) Modularize the development

Rather than starting off your programming from day one, spend time analyzing the development process. Understand the entities, processes and validations of business rules and figure out how best the solution can be designed. Take time to design the data storage, segregate common routines & functions and come up with your technical document containing flow diagrams and algorithms. The technical document is a detailed derivative of the Functional Specifications Document and contains technical details.

(e) Develop the largest/ most complex module first

If there is no dependency of one particular module on any other module, focus on developing the most complex or the largest module first. This would help in building the confidence levels of the developers. However, a simpler module/ function that is common to multiple processes can also be given priority depending on its importance.

(f) Identify the developers most suited to the project

Every project being unique, you need to identify the right blend of people and skills that are most suited to making the project successful. To make a significant impact on the project outcome, ensure that you have a good combination of variously skilled people in the team. You can have a team full of programming 'stars', but that doesn't guarantee a successful project. In most cases, the attitude and the willingness of the team members makes the critical difference between success and failure.

(g) During development, discourage any 'new feature request' to creep in

You should have spent enough time during the requirement gathering phase to have a complete understanding of the business needs. However, it is highly likely that once you are into the development phase, the customer will come to you with requests for added features that changes the project scope. This, in software development parlance is termed 'scope creep' and needs to be discouraged. Not only does it throw the project plan into disarray, but could also result in events that lead up to a dissatisfied customer. Having said that, requests for minor changes with little or no impact to the overall project plan may be accommodated.

(h) Use automation techniques for testing

Once you are done with the development work, the next phase is testing. This phase is equally important and calls for the need to have a strong and dedicated testing team. The functionality of the software needs to be well tested to ensure that it works as per business requirements. Depending upon the complexity of the project, you can come up with appropriate test scripts and test data that can be used in manual and automated testing. You need to ensure that basic testing starts with the developers themselves performing unit testing on the code they have developed. If the unit testing has been done well, then iterations in fixing during SIT or UAT will be marginal.

(i) Deliver something extra

Delight your client by delivering something creative which brings real value addition to their business. While you should not be committing this 'extra' upfront, make sure you stick to the realistic commitments and try to over deliver.

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