INTRODUCTION
The need for simple project management is the key point to successful project delivery on time and under budget, and it does not matter if it is a startup or a complex software development project. It’s generally known that demand goes beyond supply, therefore the IT market is full of multiple solutions of how to improve the quality of software development project management. No wonder that the use of effective project management tools, frameworks, and techniques for software development is the hottest topic for discussion. And the key point we are interested in is what project management software and tools will become favorites in 2020 among software development teams.
Software development is a very complex and competitive field that faces problems in development process worldwide, despite the constant evolution in this field. 37% of projects fail due to lack of specific goals and stages of the project, and only 26% of all projects succeed (Source PMI 2017). What are the main reasons that affect successful project delivery?
In partnership with Elinext (software development company based in 1997) we have prepared TOP 5 PROJECT MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES THAT INFLUENCE THE QUALITY OF THE SOFTWARE. Let’s go through these one by one.
#1 – Risk Management
Risk of Failure
- 52% of the projects completed in the past 12 months experienced scope creep or uncontrolled changes to the project’s scope. (Source: PMI 2018)
- 62% of projects always or mostly engage in risk management (Source: Source: Wellington 2018)
When there is no clear goal and evidence of what will be the final result of the project development, it’s easy for a project manager to meet “scope creep” issue. Unclear goals, as well as unexpected requests for “small changes” in the project development process from a stakeholder, can lead to an imbalance of time, cost, quality and performance of project delivery.
How to Avoid
In order not to doom your project from the start and cope up with scope creep issue, it’s worth to get the project goal in writing signed by all the stakeholders. The project manager should determine what could go wrong by analyzing the detailed project documentation to reduce potential risks.
#2 – Communication Management
Risk of Failure
- Organizations wasted almost 12% of their investment in project spend 2019 year due to poor performance.(Source: PMI 2019)
The core competency of any project manager is to actively exchange information about the project and communicate with interested parties and team members. Poor communication at all levels due to cultural differences, language barriers, failing channels, unnecessary stress because of last-minute requests and rushed work in global projects ensure confusion and chaos.
How to Avoid
Clear, unambiguous communication, frequent capacious meetings, well-written emails, and clearly defined tasks lead to the desired outcomes and increased performance. It is worth receiving feedback and constantly keeping all the stakeholders informed about the project’s progress.
#3 – Time Management
Risk of Failure
- 55% of organizations do not have access to real-time project KPIs. (Source: Wellington 2018)
Accurate time and effort estimation is a key issue in effective software development project management. Since the deadline is difficult to comply with, agile teams are forced to rush through the stages of the project, reducing the chances of successful completion of the project.
How to Avoid
It’s useful to track development time and progress using monitoring and controlling tools and systems to avoid wastage of time by software team. Moreover, historical records on completion of tasks, saved between the released projects help, to set more realistic deadlines for the future.
#4 – Finance Management
Risk of Failure
- 27% of projects usually run over-budget. (Source: PMI 2017)
The software development process often costs much more than planned, and such budget overruns can jeopardize the entire project. “Overspending” usually occurs when the scope of work increases while the budget is not adjusted. Project financial management is a tool that helps project meet its goal and make a profit for shareholders.
How to Avoid
For proper financial project management, when managing software development projects, you must take into account an agreed set of accounting procedures: project requirements, planning, budgeting, late payments from your client, improper use of the budget and employee salaries.
#5 – Human Resource Management
Risk of Failure
- 56% of companies are dissatisfied with their current level of PM maturity. (Source: Wellington 2018)
Untrained project managers and staff, lack of trust among team members, over redistribution of resources, lack of commitment and frequently missed deadlines are traps that can sink a ship with your project.
How to Avoid
It is important to hold weekly meetings, regularly monitor the progress of the project, and hold your team members accountable for what they do. Resource management software solutions will help you to keep things organized and work coherently towards a common goal.
“Collaboration is the core need from most of the specific requirements desired, from resource management, time tracking and document management – the need for the team to have visibility into the project is key.” – wrote Olivia Montgomery from Software Advice after the release of their “Project management software buyer report”.
CONCLUSION
Providing automation of business processes and software development for clients, the project manager should actively implement project management tools and project portfolio software. The secret is to choose flexible software for the project you are processing to simplify the workflow and better understand the project management landscape.