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January 25, 2021 - by Synoptek
Software project management, although critical, has become a challenging endeavor for organizations worldwide. The dynamic nature of projects and constantly changing requirements and business landscape are making it difficult for project managers to manage time and resources within the allocated budget. As the industry evolves, additional problems arise in the world of software management. Read about the top problems with software management and how you can overcome them.
Project managers are always under immense pressure to deliver projects on time, within budget, and as per expectations. Yet, in most cases, they are met with several issues all along the lifecycle. Although the potential issues associated with any project may grow up to an exhaustive number of items depending upon the type, scope, and other attributes of the project, here are 6 problems that are most widespread:
In the race to bring products into the market quickly, many teams compromise on the planning phase, often not realizing that proper planning lies at the crux of every successful project. If you want your project to meet its goals, planning ahead is the most important factor in getting it off the ground. Irrespective of time-to-market pressures, make sure to take out time in planning the scope, budget, resources, and tools.
When teams begin working on a project, they tend to set the bar too high – often aspiring to achieve milestones that are impractical. Although it is good to want the product to meet several specifications, setting out with expectations that are too optimistic often leads to setting them up for failure. When beginning to work on any project, make sure to set SMART goals; goals you can easily measure and achieve with the tools and resources you have in the specified frame of time.
Given how complex today’s projects have become, they often span several months or even years. It is very likely for technologies and trends to change during the course of the project. As third-party technologies soar, teams may be left wondering how to adapt – which may throw a wrench in your project. Keeping up with the latest trends requires teams to embrace agile and microservices-based approaches, so new technologies and trends can easily be incorporated into the ongoing project.
With software forming the foundation of almost every business today, the skills gap has become increasingly wide. In fact, reports expect that the skills gap could jeopardize $454 billion of the US economic output in 2028 or more than $2.5 trillion over the next decade. As more and more projects need to be kicked off, many organizations are having trouble attracting and retaining the right talent. Overcoming the skills gap requires project managers to engage with qualified IT providers on a pro-project basis and meet their project goals with ease.
Another challenge that is rife with today’s projects is improper requirements gathering that could lead to issues later down the road. Building products with unspecific or oscillating requirements can cause scope creep, overshooting budgets, as well as missed deadlines. To set the project for optimal success, it is important for project managers to identify stakeholders, gather and document key requirements, and implement a well-planned requirements gathering process.
No matter the pressure project managers are in, you must educate high-level executives and stakeholders in order to secure buy-in. Engaging the C-suite early in the project lifecycle ensures you have the approvals you need across budget, tools, and resources. Their support also helps in overcoming any issues you might face as you bring your project to closure.
Success of any software project depends greatly on the tool(s) you use to manage the project from beginning to end. Having the right tool(s) in place means you have all you need to ensure your project is completed within time and budget, and to stakeholders’ expectations. But choosing the right tool can be a complex task, and requires you to stay aware of features and capabilities that can help in meeting your project objectives with ease. Therefore, while on the lookout for a Program and Project Management tool, make sure to choose one that:
The complex nature of software projects today has made it very difficult for project teams to achieve the intended outcomes from their project management efforts. Challenges across poor planning, changing market trends, skills gap, missing requirements, and engaging the C-suite tend to wreak havoc – but not if you embrace the right approaches and use the right tools.
If you want to successfully execute your projects, you need access to the right resources and technology. A qualified partner such as Synoptek can deliver modern Program and Project Management capabilities, building a continuous pipeline of feedback and improvement. By never losing sight of progress, a partner can help propagate a culture of collective success while ensuring your project is on track and drives the right results every time.
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