Starting a project is not a guarantee that you are going to finish it, and that is something every business needs to remember. According to a study by PwC, only 2.5% of 10,640 projects were found to be completed successfully.
Software projects are not different. Starting a software project and not finishing it can cause big losses, especially when you are not agile and all your money will be wasted as no part of the product can be used, or using it is pointless.
If you are striving to avoid falling, and want to know if a software project is going down a hill before it touches the ground, here are some signs that you can look for.
There is no predefined plan
If you don’t have any plans, no predefined processes, you should be concerned. That’s for every project, whether it is a startup or it is a software product.
Developing a plan is a step you can’t ignore at the start of a software project, in order to make it progress fluidly. Even if the project is going to fail, a plan in place will make it easier to realize that sooner and avoid more money and effort wasted.
You are constantly missing deadlines
If you have already set milestones and deadlines for them, and you keep missing these deadlines constantly, then that is another sign your project can be going to failure.
In this case, you can decide to explore outsourcing opportunities or put a strict plan for changing this. Hire new talents, enhance your processes, utilize new technologies, and so on.
You aren’t testing what you develop
You can’t develop a software product and leave it without testing. Testing is a crucial part of any software development process. As it fills the gap between what you imagine and what is really delivered.
If you find that testing is not part of your development workflow, it may be not too late to hire a tester or use a software testing platform.
You don’t trust your team can do it
Before starting any software project, you need to make sure you have the team for the mission. If only one or a couple of members will be hired at a point that is okay. But if you are still unaware of how your current team will achieve your short-term goals, then that is a big warning of failure.
The best practice is always to build a great team for the project before the start to avoid delays. That doesn’t mean you should get a whole team of full-timers. You can hire freelancers or part-time employees as part of your team, depending on your project needs.
You don’t have anything done
If you keep developing everything simultaneously, never use agile methodologies. No module of the project is being completed, that is a big sign that your software project is at stake.
Breaking your project into smaller projects is essential. It costs nothing, and it can save huge amounts of money and effort. Additionally, it can let you release the software early and gather valuable feedback that helps you in decision making and in improving your product.
