Save Your Project and Make It Successful

According to a Synopsys report, the total cost of poor software quality in Russia in 2024 will amount to 200.08 trillion rubles.

This is certainly discouraging for entrepreneurs and other leaders in the tech space and beyond. After all, no one wants their project to fail. But too often, companies encounter difficulties they consider insurmountable, when in fact they can often save their projects.

Not sure what to do next? Here are typical mistakes and how to fix them, along with tips for successful project execution in general.

6 Common Sources of Problems and How to Fix Them

1. Misunderstanding Requirements

Misunderstanding the requirements for a specific project can lead to delays or, worse, a complete breakdown of the software development process. Requirements serve as goals that guide the project to completion, and if team members, clients, or stakeholders do not understand what these requirements are and what they mean, it will be difficult to determine when success has been achieved.

Solution: Involve all stakeholders in the requirements gathering process early on. Make sure you and your team translate them into non-technical terms understandable to laypeople and include them in all official contracts and documents related to the project. Clarify all priorities and issues in advance.

2. Changing Requirements

Another common problem software development teams face is frequently changing requirements. With each change, project deadlines typically increase, and the team is forced to find new and more workarounds.

Solution: Again, software development teams must work closely with clients to establish clear requirements. They should also explain the importance of locking in these goals and list the problems that will inevitably arise if they change too often. This should also be written into the contract. I don't mean that requirements should remain unchanged from start to finish — modern projects often require requirements to evolve during development. What I mean is that they should not be changed constantly, but only when absolutely necessary.

3. Lack of Deadlines

Deadlines give employees a reason to work. Without them, they are in a sense not bounded by constraints — instead, they can adopt a more careless approach. This is not how to approach a software development project that requires constant oversight.

Solution: There is a very simple solution to this problem: set deadlines! Set realistic deadlines and milestones for key deliverables so that the project is broken down into easily manageable parts.

4. Conflicts Among Team Members

Disagreements happen from time to time, but larger conflicts can cause a project to fall apart. They can lead to reduced productivity, poor communication, delivery delays, and other issues.

Solution: Of course, team members don't have to be best friends. However, it is important that everyone can function as a unit. The manager's job is to ensure disputes are resolved before they escalate. One way to address them is to establish a communication system so that everyone has a chance to voice their concerns. It is also your responsibility to regularly communicate with developers to ensure they feel heard.

5. Skipping Key Stages

Sometimes development teams spend the necessary time building the product but skip critical stages. For example, the quality assurance (QA) process is one important stage that is absolutely key to any software development project. If developers overlook it, they risk releasing subpar and buggy products to the market.

Solution: To deliver quality products to consumers, you cannot skip the stages necessary to implement the project. Before starting work on a project, you need to create a detailed plan that includes all necessary stages.

6. Lack of Skills in the Team

You may have an exemplary team that consistently delivers high-quality work, but you might need specific specialized skills that your staff simply don't have. In that case, you will not be able to create the product you need.

Solution: If your team already has specialists with the required skills, that's great. But often that's not the case. For a specific skill set, one cost-effective option is to bring in external experts, such as through outsourcing. Choosing an external team does not mean you are replacing your in-house employees — you are simply supplementing your current team with professionals who have the qualifications needed to complete the project.

4 Tips for Improving the Process

1. Find the Root Cause of the Problem

This is a key step before trying to fix anything: you need to identify the source of the problem. It might be a lack of communication or a shortage of resources needed to do the job effectively. Whatever it is, you need to conduct a thorough investigation before working on a solution.

2. Maintain Close Contact with the Client

Always remember why you are building this software: you are doing it for the end user. The client may be the end user or an intermediary who will deliver the product to the consumer. In any case, it is very important to maintain close communication with the client so that they are kept informed and satisfied with the project's progress.

3. Budget Properly

Create a proper project budget that accounts for resources, labor, and other expenses. This requires extensive research to determine how much needs to be spent, taking into account timelines and other factors that could increase costs. Work closely with suppliers and clients to get a clearer picture of the required budget.

4. Define KPIs

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are not the same as project requirements. These measurable metrics serve as benchmarks and goals for the project, and they should be clearly defined in advance. They can relate, for example, to the time it takes to complete the project, the processes to be used at each stage, or the value of the software itself.

Too often, projects that could be saved end up sidelined because teams encounter problems and don't know what to do next. By taking a step back, understanding what the problem is, and thinking about how to solve it, you can save the project and even make it successful.