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What is project management and why is it a critical success factor in software development? These are the questions about project management we’ll answer for you today. We’ll cover the primary differences between waterfall and agile project management processes and discuss the seven steps you need to take to see development to completion. Waterfall vs. Agile. Which project management process is better? Project management is an art of planning and executing projects using time-management, tracking, risk management, and troubleshooting. This process helps businesses get from point A to point B along the path of least resistance without taking unnecessary and costly detours. Two of the most common project management approaches are Waterfall and Agile. The former was adopted from traditional businesses where the second step of the process could not begin before the first one was complete. The latter approach is an iterative and feature-oriented approach that works well for small teams and time-sensitive projects. Agile development does not require a step-by-step plan, using sprints of predetermined length and deliverables instead. Each project management process, Waterfall and Agile, has its advantages and disadvantages. For instance, a fixed-price project and an MVP can benefit from a well-documented Waterfall approach, as all requirements are delivered upfront, and changes are unlikely. However, if you choose the time and material model, Agile development might suit the project better, as it provides quicker results and is better equipped to dealing with requirement changes on the fly. A step-by-step guide to project management If you are wondering how to become a project manager, the answer is you will need lots of practice. The role of a project manager is critical to the product’s success. However, you can’t work on knowledge and education alone. To hone your skill, you will need to go through this 7-step process time after time until you reach perfection. Step 1. Requirements Elicitation This step allows you to focus the project’s vision and collect actionable requirements from stakeholders, who have a direct or indirect influence on the requirements, like product owners or end-users. The elicitation process can comprise interviews, user cases, and scenarios. You need to consider the requirements of all stakeholders and get a detailed list of end-user needs, that will form the basis of the system requirement specification (SRS). Step 2. SRS Development High-quality SRS means you have more chance of meeting the project’s budget. At this step, clarify, organize and prioritize the user needs gather in the previous step. There are several levels of granularity to requirements, from the broader definitions of the project’s scope and goals to the finer details of specific features and procedures. To ensure the high quality of an SRS for business software solutions, devise several features for every user need and develop several test cases for every feature. We have covered the specifics of in an earlier article. how to create a perfect system requirements specification Step 3. Project Estimation This step is critical for both startups and established businesses as a single day of delay can make or break the project. Based on an SRS you should estimate the time necessary for every specialist’s work, including developers, designers, SEO experts. Estimate two timelines for every task: an optimistic and a pessimistic one. After you have estimated the time necessary for every task, use Monte-Carlo analysis to estimate the likelihood of completing the project within the estimated amount of time. You can also use the Gantt Chart to visualize the separate stages of the in-house or outsourcing development process over time and get a better understanding of its time frame. Based on the development timeline you can estimate the project’s budget. You might want to hurry the developers along, but before you choose speed over quality, . set your software development priorities straight Step 4. Scope Reduction If the project estimation meets your budget and timeline requirements, you can skip this step and move onto step 5. However, if you can’t afford the time or money the project will take, go over the requirements and features one more time. You need to interview the stakeholders again and identify the major features the project can’t go without. You need to reduce the project to a minimum viable product (MVP) that has a market value. Once you reevaluate the project with a reduced scope, move to the next step. If you want to , check out our earlier blog post. make sure the project estimation is correct Step 5. Development Planning This step allows you to have a clear picture of every development stage and the whole timeline for specific experts working on the project. A detailed plan will allow you to manage human resources of software development services provider in case tasks are not completed on time. Use the same Gantt Chart you have developed in step 3, but make it more detailed with specific tasks assigned to individual developers, designers or other specialists. Step 6. Risk Management Most software projects fail because of unforeseen risks, so risk assessment and management is a critical step necessary to ensure a positive outcome. To assess risk, use a premortem method. Unlike a postmortem autopsy performed after the patient is dead, a premortem analysis is conducted at the outset of the project. Assume the worst has happened, and the project has failed, then move back along the timeline and propose the reasons for its untimely death. For every risk, evaluate the likelihood and impact, creating a risk matrix. Address the problems at the upper right corner of the matrix that are the most likely and that can have a severe impact. If you are new to project management, you will need to consult the project’s lead developer to assess the risks. Do not discard the risk matrix after the project is complete; software companies store them in a risk registry extended after every new project. Step 7. Project Execution Even the most careful plans sometimes fail, so to ensure the project is finished on time, you need to keep the hand on its pulse. Start each day with evaluating the project’s progress according to the Gantt Chart you have created in step 5. If there are any problems, analyze their reasons and propose actionable solutions. Unexpected risks can arise, both technical and personal. The former can be resolved by inviting consultants while extra specialists are often enough to solve the latter. Every other week go back to your risk registry, analyze and broaden it with new troubles you have faced. Project management starts long before the developers begin coding. High-quality preparations, like requirements elicitation, scope assessment, and risk management are invaluable for the project’s success. If you are new to project management, don’t leave your product to chance, let Freshcode’s and experienced project managers help you! web development services We have established that every project starts with an outline of requirements. To make this project management stage easier for you when you create your own app, we will cover the best practices of building an SRS and performing requirements elicitation in further articles. Stay tuned for our blog posts: Creating an SRS template step-by-step by analyzing project requirements SRS template for a CRM project SRS template for an EdTech project Hands-on project management through Jira and Trello Did you like the article? Clap us please! Share article with other people on Medium. Visit our corporate for more interesting articles. FreshCode.blog Feel free to contact us on our FreshCode.website Original here

How to manage your project step-by-step

Sometimes creating a is like walking across the minefield. You never know which creative solution will endear the users and which will make them leave the brand forever. And while research and analytics tools provide insights into the user’s preferences, some design errors are persistent. Today we want to take you on a rollercoaster ride of the five worst mistakes a web designer can make and the five trendy ways to correct them. web design Design originality that hinders usability Designers get caught up in the creative flow and forget that they create interfaces for users, not themselves. And when people can’t find content, they turn from interested into annoyed and then just leave never to return. Unhelpful category names, an excess of links and menus, illogical structure and unexpected locations of interface elements, like the search bar, can turn away potential clients. Remember that internet users spend most of their time on other websites and they have certain expectations about what an interface should look like and how it should work. Sometimes plain and easy-to-understand beats creative and unique. Still, if you wish your website to stand out, use Broken grid and asymmetrical layouts Everyone and their mother uses classic grid layouts. They are clean, easy and boring. That’s why over the last year more and more designers ripped up the traditional grid and made images and text overlap and blur into a single beautiful design. Asymmetrical layouts attract customers who are tired of classic blocks and plates, as long as they stay user-friendly and logical. Both big brands and small startups have already embraced the trend that might very well turn mainstream in 2018. Overwhelming users with content For years designers and marketing experts believed that cramming the first scroll with as much information as possible is the way to go. As a result, the Internet was filled with pages and applications bombarding users with huge blocks of texts, dozens of images, CTAs and buttons. Overwhelmed by the wall of content, users left for greener pastures. What designers forgot to take into account was the fact that online users scan the pages instead of reading everything. Unstructured text, without subheaders, bullet points, and highlights is a waste of space and a missed opportunity for a web app. If you want to engage clients from the get-go, employ. Interactive and engaging animations While exhaustive GIFs can be a major turn off, artful animations are a useful tool to direct the user’s attention and keep it focused on the critical elements of the design or copy. Classy animations can engage the client without being distracting, though some people find them overwhelming. Two of the most prominent trends this year are animated page transitions, which link all pages into a single seamless experience, and variable scrolling rates that create an exciting effect and set a pace for the user experience. Ignoring screens of other sizes For years designer worked exclusively on desktop-oriented web applications and websites. They devised clever hover state animations and selected breathtaking photos, developed beautiful multi-level menus only to see the traffic take a plunge. All these solutions do not translate well into mobile. Small unreadable text, increased load time and garish animations turn mobile users off and make them seek other services and brands. Designers need to remember that 2017 saw mobile traffic finally overtake that of the desktop. You should start creating designs with smaller screens in mind if you haven’t already. Or better yet, Develop mobile-friendly experience first Some mobile-oriented solutions have already become industry standards, like a rollout burger of a menu and icons instead of large illustrations and photos. Designers strive to make mobile versions more intuitive and less cluttered, as the size of the screen imposes many restrictions on the amount of content and its structure. Many companies start with developing mobile versions first, then adding to them to create a comfortable experience for desktop users. Design elements resembling ADS The road to Hell is paved with good designer intentions. To attract user’s attention to a specific link or button designers turn the whole area around it into their playground. They use bold colors, fancy typography or flashy animations to hook clients and reel them in. However, despite all their efforts, links stay untouched, falling prey to selective attention and advertising blindness. People ignore anything that resembles a banner or a clickbait image, closing popups without a second glance. There are ways to control and manipulate users to follow the path intended for them throughout the website. To stay on top of these techniques, start using Classy custom illustrations A picture is worth a thousand words. However, stock photos have fallen out of designers’ grace lately. And since art and fashion repeat themselves in cycles, now is the time for custom illustrations. They give the web interface a stylish look, catching attention and forming a unique brand identity. Another bonus is that drawings do not limit the audience’s identity the same way photos do. A hand-drawn stick-figure does not have a race, nationality or gender, unlike a real-life person on any of the stock photos. As a result, using illustrations can broaden the target audience and attract new customers. Using poor onsite search engine Even when designers utilize the simplest layouts and navigation tools, some users get confused. They turn to a search bar to guide their experience and get instantly disappointed when they see zero search results. Literal search engines that don’t account for plurals, variations of the words and even typos doom the web application to be forgotten. Another unforgivable faux pas is sorting search results by the number of query terms instead of their relevance and importance. In the age of Google, no one is willing to waste time trying to figure out your search bar. Besides improving the search engine, try making the user experience more streamlined by implementing Floating navigation tools Users don’t like feeling lost, that’s why designers strive to ensure they always have navigation menus at the tips of their fingers. Floating menus have become a significant trend that is here to stay for the foreseeable future. However, to capitalize on this solution, designers rip the nav bars off their usual positions and move the navigation tools to the foreground of the page, making them pop off the screen both in Material and Flat design. Hiding other design elements under the menu bar gives web design impressive depth. We hope this list was as exciting and inspiring for you as it was for us. Come back to it from time to time to remind yourself of the design errors that we should not repeat online in 2018. Did you like the article? Clap us please! Share article with other people on Medium. Visit our corporate for more interesting articles. FreshCode.blog Feel free to contact us on our FreshCode.website Follow FreshCode on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , Behance , Medium Original here

Design rollercoaster. 5 epic fails vs. 5 trendy must-haves

Nearly every other IT company in the USA uses offshore teams to boost their software development efforts. Outsourcing some tasks to talented developers from lowers the overall cost and provides quicker results. However, offshore team management can be difficult, if you don’t follow the best practices. Today we’ll share the tips and tricks to get the most out of your outsourcing . China, India, Latin America or Eastern Europe development team Keep cultural differences in mind Language, time zones, and cultural sensitivities can all influence the software development progress unless you factor them in your management style. For instance, if your team speaks English as a second language, avoid using phrasal verb and idioms that don’t translate well into the teams’ first language. Unclear phrasing can cause unnecessary misunderstandings and alienate the team. When you hire an offshore development team, take time to learn about their most important holidays. If you take the national holidays into account at the onset, you will be able to plan the work around them successfully. In China, developers will happily work through Christmas, but you won’t be able to reach them during the Chinese New Year celebrations. Management style can also vary depending on the country your development team is based in. IT specialists in Eastern Europe and Latin America are used to the western management style with equal respect among the team members of different stations. The developers from South-Eastern Asia might require more micromanagement, and the team leader will expect more respect and some delicate handling. Immerse the team in the company values Every development project, either in-house or outsourced, starts with a . The designers, developers, and testers won’t be able to begin the work without a clear understanding of what they are expected to produce. Still, if you want the product to be outstanding, devote some time to acquaint the offshore team with your company, its mission, and values. Outline the goals you wish to achieve and the philosophy behind the project. system requirements specification This preliminary stage will let you get to know the team better. And the specialists will become more invested in the project’s success. They might come up with unexpected solutions and insights that can expedite the development process and increase the project’s revenue. Set up regular communication possibilities Like any relationship, offshore team management requires transparent communication. You should decide on the preferred communication channels in the beginning. Explain your communication expectations, so the team can expect to hear from you at predetermined intervals. Video and audio calls are the best option for regular team meetings. Instant messaging can help when you require a quick update. If you ignore this advice, you might face an unpleasant situation with the team being too afraid to reach out to you when something goes wrong. Due to the lack of productive and open communication, the project will miss the deadline, and you will lose money. Face-to-face communication is still the easiest and quickest way to get the message across. So make an effort to fly out to visit your team, especially if you are in for a long-term project. One meeting at the onset of your cooperation will let you meet the team members and make them understand your goals and needs better. Oversee the work without micromanagement Trust is the basis for any outsourcing project. When you hire , treat them like the professionals they are. There is no need to check on the team’s progress every half an hour to see how much work has already been done. This will not endear you to the team, instead, causing tension and impeding the performance. The developers should not be spending more time on their progress reports than on actual coding. offshore developers So avoid micromanagement, set the interim goals and a plan for the project, select one day a week to conduct team meetings and address questions and troubles. Choose one among the numerous project management tools to follow the team’s progress without interrupting their workflow. Offshore development teams can be more productive and produce quicker results than in-house developers if you treat them right. Follow our advice to set up communication channels, build trust and keep cultural differences in mind, and you will never regret your decision to outsource s . oftware development Did you like the article? Clap us please! Share article with other people on Medium. Visit our corporate blog for more interesting articles. FreshCode.blog Feel free to contact us on our FreshCode.website Follow FreshCode on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , Behance , Medium

Four management tricks for software development outsourcing

The Big Four have been investing billions into EdTech for years now. Giants like Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, see two significant benefits to conquering the education market. First, they get to create lifelong fans by addicting students to their products from early on. Second, software giants realize the trillion-dollar potential of the market that has long been ignored by the IT. EdTech benefits for every classroom While teachers and parents can’t agree on the best way to educate children, most believe that changes are necessary. While two of the acknowledged educational leaders, Finland and South Korea, utilize opposing approaches, both countries are open to the use of educational software. American teachers agree. A survey shows that over two-thirds of the American teachers want more technology in their classrooms. They believe EdTech to be a motivating factor for students. The same poll shows that educational technology allows teachers to reinforce and expand learning content, show and do things that would be otherwise impossible. Here is just a quick overview of the benefits EdTech can bring to every classroom: The correctly utilized educational software can increase the personal engagement between students, as well as allow parents a better understanding of their children’s progress and extra needs. Better communication between students, teachers, and parents. When schools close for the night, students have an option to continue their studies and consult the teachers through learning platforms or mobile apps. Online learning opportunities are crucial for students in rural areas. Extended classrooms available 24/7. With a drastic decrease in attention span, gamification, VR, AR, and smartboards allow teachers to keep their classes engaged and in constant interaction with study materials. Increased engagement through entertainment. The educational software allows teachers to adapt learning materials and assignments to suit learners’ individual needs. This enables students who would otherwise fail the class to keep up and succeed. Personalized teaching and learning style. EdTech reduces the need for printed handouts, tests, worksheets, and even textbooks. This means less need for deforestation and waste management. Smaller carbon footprint. How does educational software help schools? Student Information System (SIS) An SIS deals with the daily needs of the classroom. It is also sometimes referred to as a student management system (SMS), student record system (SRS) or a student information management system (SIMS). Before the age of available SIS, teachers used spreadsheets and Microsoft Access databases to keep track of their students. New EdTech solutions automate many functions and make teachers’ lives easier. SIS solutions allow instructors and schools to: Manage prospective students’ inquiries Process student admissions Enroll new students in classes Record attendances and absences Handle grading and assessment Evaluate students’ academic progress Banner by Ellucian and PowerSchool are two examples of popular and successful SIS solutions. Learning Management System (LMS) An LMS is a central platform for faculty members to create and store class materials and make them available for students. Learning management systems are ideal for e-learning courses. High school and colleges can also benefit from using LMS to extend their classrooms and provide their learners with a single place to study, communicate and get evaluated. Most LMS solutions consist of several essential parts. Content management systems allow teachers to upload lectures, additional reading, audios, videos, and photos. Teachers can also provide learners with calendars and gradebooks. Communication component usually takes on the form of a chat or a forum for students to ask questions and seek help from their teachers. Some LMS solutions include assessment features allowing teachers to create tests and quizzes and grade their students’ performance. Learners can also submit their written assignments through an LMS and receive teacher’s feedback. Many high schools and colleges utilize Blackboard Learn, Google Classroom, and Canvas to ensure the outstanding online educational experience for their students. Classroom Management Software Classroom management systems are designed to improve the in-class experience for students and help teachers track their progress through means other than grades. Increased student engagement is achieved by different means. Some software products limit the students’ access to distractions: websites, programs, and gadgets. Others provide stimulating content that adds a new layer to the classroom experience and keeps students engaged. Advanced feedback features can improve learners’ performance and behavior. Using classroom management software, teachers set individual goals for every student and track their progress, sharing the results with parents. Unlike SIS and LMS, classroom management systems provide a deeper insight into the children’s academic results and behavior for both teachers and parents. Kahoot, ClassDojo, and McGraw-Hill Connect are among the most popular classroom management software solutions on the market. In short, software solutions are drastically changing the landscape of education. They change the way we teach, learn and evaluate progress. While there are many great EdTech products on the market, there are still problems that haven’t been addressed. And the industry’s financial potential is compelling more and more startups to try their hand at improving the school experience for students, teachers, and parents alike. Did you like the article? Clap us please! Share article with other people on Medium. Visit our corporate blog for more interesting articles. FreshCode.blog Feel free to contact us on our FreshCode.website Follow FreshCode on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , Behance , Medium

Is EdTech the next big thing in IT?

Small-scale mobile app development will cost you up to $8,000, while gaming app development costs can reach a whopping $250,000. You’d think such investments would have a respectable ROI, but, according to industry research, only one in 10,000 apps will be successful one year after launch. Why do so many mobile applications fail with all the time and resources spent on development? There is a host of reasons, but we have found six important factors that can precipitate your enterprise’s failure. Use our checklist before you start the development process to increase your chances of success. The APP doesn`t have a market Many people think they have come up with great ideas for a mobile app, but they are wrong. Before you start spending thousands of dollars on marketing and development, make sure your idea has potential clients. Research is boring but vital. You need to find answers to many questions, like: Will the app solve someone’s problems? Will it make someone’s life easier? Are there no apps that perform similar functions? Are there people willing to pay for your solution? Is your idea defined clearly enough to develop an application? Even if all your answers are a resounding “YES”, start small. Use an MVP to explore the market and find people interested in what you have to offer. Iterative development is designed to avoid market failures, so use it to its fullest. The APP is no different from others The sad truth is there are dozens of similar mobile apps. Some have millions of downloads and excellent customer retention rates. Others are never installed or discarded within say or two. If you are not going to develop the next Uber or Airbnb, research is the name of the game once again. To ensure your app’s success, you need to check out the competitor’s products and define their strengths and weaknesses. This information will help you formulate a unique value proposition that will be the driving force of your app’s downloads and sales. The APP does not account for platform differences If you decide to start with Apple App Store, your application should work perfectly for both iPhones and iPads. Users expect certain features to work the same way, but your development team will have to work extra on making the application work seamlessly across devices with different-sized screens. Creating a cross-platform app capable of satisfying both Android and iOS lovers is an infinitely more difficult task. The two operating systems use different navigation gestures and buttons. Ultimately, they operate differently. As a result, users have certain expectations, which you have to meet or be faced with frustrated and unsatisfied clients. So if you decide to go cross-platform, make sure to take Android and iOS peculiarities into account. The APP si too slow Our attention span is shortening with an alarming rate. It is no wonder most applications are deleted within a few minutes after initial download. Users do not want to wait for the app to load, update or perform key functions. There should be no lagging, long load times, endless registration forms. The more time your client needs to spend on getting to know the app, the less chance there is that it will become one of his or her favorites. Remember this before you decide to develop another feature that will add a couple of seconds to the app’s load time. The APP is neither user-friendly nor intuitive Even if your application is beautiful, quick, and unique, poor user interface and user experience practices can ruin it. People have certain experience with mobile apps on different platforms and specific expectations about the app’s responses to gestures and commands. If your application does not respond in a predictable manner, it will be ruthlessly deleted, never to be used again. Users have neither time nor desire to inspect the manuals and read FAQs to understand how your app works. It should be easy to navigate and operate for every new user. Luckily, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are commonly accepted UX practices you can rely on to make the app intuitive and user-friendly. The APP is full of bugs Did you realize that every other iOS app has some performance issues like crashing or the shutdown of the key components? Of course, it is nearly impossible to release a 100% bug-free app, but testing and quality assurance should be among your top priorities. One crash is usually enough for the user to delete the offending application. You will be lucky if the client is not disgruntled enough to leave a negative review. Otherwise, you might be in trouble. The more poor feedback you get, the lower your chances of getting new users are. It is a vicious cycle you don’t want to start. Test the app religiously before putting it on the market and respond to customer feedback about performance problems as soon as possible. Of course, there are other reasons why mobile apps never realize their full potential, like poor marketing and lousy monetization strategy. But those are quite a different story. We have tried to cover the main problems your app might have development-wise. And we hope you will avoid these mistakes and create a truly successful app capable of generating a steady revenue stream. Original link Did you like the article? Clap us please! Share article with other people on Medium. Visit our corporate blog for more interesting articles. FreshCode.blog Feel free to contact us on our FreshCode.website Follow FreshCode on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , Behance , Medium

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