Software development project management involves managing software development processes and software procedures. It generally comprises software planning, software scheduling, allocation of software resources, software execution, software tracking, and delivering software and web-based projects. Unlike the traditional software project management process, software development project management is unique as it involves a cycle that requires multiple rounds of testing, updates, and customer feedback. Software development projects are complex to undertake and have various software features that require diligence and proper leadership to execute successfully. Due to the complexities of the software development processes, a software development manager should handle the esoftware task.
How Software Development Projects Work
JIRA and Confluence: Manage Project Requirements and User Stories
Any software under development has its specific capabilities for performing certain functions to solve the end-user problems and achieve business goals. These requirements are defined at the onset of the project as user stories or project requirements. The way a project manager manages these user requirements will affect the whole software development project. Underestimation and improper systemization of requirements of a software development project from the onset can lead to the delayed implementation of the project and misunderstanding among members of the software project development team. Worse, the entire project may fail and ultimately waste resources (time and money.)
To avoid such a scenario, a project manager can employ the help of online-based user stories and project requirement management tools like JIRA and Confluence. Let’s explore how these tools can help.
Confluence Defined
Confluence is a web-based tool that’s suitable for the documentation of requirements in software development project management. It allows you to create predefined pages (templates) that help standardize content and capture all stakeholders’ initial project requirements. Project managers can use this tool to refine and break down project requirements into user stories before delegating them to members of the development team to work on. It’s also possible to create a space for each software in the works and a space for each team you’re working with. That way, you can keep everything related to specific software or team in one place and facilitate the easy organization of the software development process, better communication, and seamless monitoring of progress. The tool also lets project managers and stakeholders track the development process and progress to determine whether you’re achieving project goals.
JIRA Defined
Confluence and JIRA are interconnected, as JIRA tickets originate from Confluence. While Confluence documents the requirements, the actual management of the requirements and stories occurs at JIRA. Just like Confluence, JIRA is a web-based application. It maps and tracks task management and trouble ticketing and enables the software developer and project managers to control the development process from end to end and achieve the project’s objectives. JIRA helps gather and link different software development project requirements and issues inside the same tool. That allows for the testing and the execution of the whole software development process consistently, regardless of the project stage.
The Common Steps in the Software Development Project Management Process
Most software development management processes take up four main phases. They include:
Initiation
It’s the first step of software development project management. Here, you’ll define the most fundamental project requirements. Both the stakeholders and the appointed project manager document all the project requirements as stated by the stakeholders, and they agree upon a chatter. Once the key project stakeholders sign off this charter, the software development process commences.
The Planning Phase: Developing and Managing a Detailed Project Schedule and Work Plan
During this phase, the team working on the software development project formulates the project plan. One of the key outputs of this phase is the project deliverables. A project may have a single deliverable or multiple deliverables. Now is also the time to define the criteria that measure the project’s success and the activities making up the project work. Some key elements of the planning process include:
Identifying, creating, and assigning different software development tasks
Specifying project milestones
Identifying dependencies between tasks, where completion of one task depends on the completion of another
Grouping linked tasks into task lists
Execution
It’s at this phase of the software development project that the actual software development work takes place. There’s a further series of processes ongoing here, including design, testing, and quality assurance. The project manager’s main task is to manage the software development team and monitor the project work progress. That includes tracking the project’s progress against the available time and identifying any blockers that could impede the team’s progress.
Evaluation
The software development team should meet and jointly evaluate the project at the evaluation phase, the final phase of the software project management process. At this meeting, the team should assess the success and challenges of the project to learn and improve the planning and execution of future projects.
How to Improve the Software Development Management Process
There are various measures that a project manager can take to improve the software development process. According to a Forbes article by Scott Stiner, here are 8 ways you can improve the software development process from a managerial position:
Ensure that you take away any software non-development work off your team’s schedules to allow them to focus on the software product in development.
Keep your team motivated by sharing the success stories of other software developers who have become giant tech industry players.
Let the team members focus on assigned tasks and avoid frustrating them by changing task schedules.
Try to always stick to the original software development plan adopted at the start of the project (unless the changes are necessary for the project’s success.)
Encourage your team always to be organized and manage their time properly, and you can lead by example for your team to emulate this character.
Ensure that you delegate tasks effectively to streamline productivity and achieve your goals.
Adopt communicating on a personal level and take a chance to know your team to build rapport.
Have specific tasks for every person daily by breaking down the project requirements. When everyone knows their role, they’ll focus on it fully and work diligently.
The Benefits of Software Development Project Management
Software development projects are very complicated and need proper management. By integrating software development project management, you’ll keep the cost within the set budget, complete the task on time, and enable your team to deliver a quality product. It also allows the software development team to commence work with clear guidelines, vision, and objectives. That reduces incidences of errors and any form of confusion during the development process. Besides, you’ll have an easy time completing the project.
Any software development project should have a project manager who plays the key role of coordinating the team to increase the chance of success. Proper software development management keeps every team member aware of their role and part in achieving software development goals.
FAQs and Answers on Software Development Project Management
What’s a project manager’s role in software development?
The project manager oversees planning, scheduling, budgeting, executing, and delivering web and software development projects. They also manage the team performing the software development project and ensure the successful completion of the task at hand.
What is meant by software project management?
Software project management is the process of planning, scheduling, allocating resources, executing, tracking, and delivering software and web-based projects.
Is project management good for software engineering?
Yes, it is. Proper project management and software engineering practices are the fundamental aspects of any successful software development.
What are software development project plans?
A software development project plan is a timeline of activities involved in the project cycle. It shows when each phase of the software project should begin and end, along with all the steps necessary to complete each phase.
What are the 5 stages of project management?
The five stages in project management are initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and control.
What is the goal of software project management?
The main goal of software project management is to finish the software development project within the stipulated time and deliver a quality product while sticking to the set budget.
What is the use of software project management?
Software project management helps plan and schedule the project. It’s also crucial in resource allocation and change management while the project is in motion.
What are the three successive processes of software project management?
The three successive software project management processes are project planning, execution, and monitoring.
What makes a good software project manager?
A good software project manager can properly articulate the vision of the software development process to the development team. They also possess leadership skills to guide the team in the right direction by adapting to any changes and ultimately achieving the goals set out in the project plan. The project manager should also foster a good relationship and encourage the team to lift their spirit and facilitate a hard work ethic.
What do software developers know?
Software developers know multiple programming and script languages. They have expertise and skills in coding languages such as JAVA, Python, and C++.
How can I make a software development project?
You can make a software development project by defining the project’s goals, identifying the team members you’ll need to carry on with the project, and defining the work ahead. Later, you can develop a workable plan and then smartly delegate tasks before executing and monitoring the finished product. Otherwise, consider nearshoring software outsourcing to lower your costs but still get the quality workforce you need.
How do you plan a software project?
Planning for a software project commences with a proper definition of the software project goals. You then need to develop clear guidelines on how you’re going to achieve the set goals. The next step is creating a timeline of activities for the software project and recruiting and building a team of specialists. That will help you develop a budget and allocate time and financial resources towards completing your goals. It’s also important that you develop and prepare a framework for performing progress checks and quality testing of the software development process.
How do you develop a project development plan?
Creating a project development plan involves the collection of requirements from key stakeholders, defining the scope of the project, and creating a work breakdown structure. You’ll also define and sequence project activities and assign staffing resources. Next, it’s time to build contingencies and subsidiary plans and create a performance measurement baseline to know whether you’re achieving the set goals or need to incorporate any changes. Lastly, document all aspects of the software development process.
What’s the main objective of software project planning?
The main objective of software project planning is to enable project managers to estimate resources, costs, and schedules to achieve project goals successfully.
What are the different categories of software projects?
Software projects range far and wide from frontend development to backend development and desktop development to web development. They can also be full-stack development, database development, mobile development, cloud computing, Dev-Ops engineering, or security engineering.
What is the process model of software project management?
A process model is an abstract of the software development process that generally represents the stages and order of each task. It specifies what task comes first, in which order, and at what stage.
What is the role of a project manager in project management?
The project manager is responsible for planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing out projects. Additionally, project managers are accountable for the entire project scope, allocated resources, budget, and the success or failure of the project. Their relationship with the project team is also crucial in achieving the project’s objectives.
What are 3 critical skills a project manager needs to succeed?
For any project manager to succeed, they need to have good communication, leadership, and time management skills.
What qualifications are necessary to be a project manager?
Project managers generally should have a Bachelor’s degree in business or computer science and years of professional experience in software development project management.
What is meant by software project management?
Software project management is the process of planning, scheduling, allocating resources, executing, tracking, and delivering software and web-based projects.
Is project management good for software engineering?
Yes, it is. Proper project management and software engineering practices are the fundamental aspects of any successful software development.
What are software development project plans?
A software development project plan is a timeline of activities involved in the project cycle. It shows when each phase of the software project should begin and end, along with all the steps necessary to complete each phase.
What are the 5 stages of project management?
The five stages in project management are initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and control.
What is the goal of software project management?
The main goal of software project management is to finish the software development project within the stipulated time and deliver a quality product while sticking to the set budget.
What is the use of software project management?
Software project management helps plan and schedule the project. It’s also crucial in resource allocation and change management while the project is in motion.
What are the three successive processes of software project management?
The three successive software project management processes are project planning, execution, and monitoring.
What makes a good software project manager?
A good software project manager can properly articulate the vision of the software development process to the development team. They also possess leadership skills to guide the team in the right direction by adapting to any changes and ultimately achieving the goals set out in the project plan. The project manager should also foster a good relationship and encourage the team to lift their spirit and facilitate a hard work ethic.
What do software developers know?
Software developers know multiple programming and script languages. They have expertise and skills in coding languages such as JAVA, Python, and C++.
How can I make a software development project?
You can make a software development project by defining the project’s goals, identifying the team members you’ll need to carry on with the project, and defining the work ahead. Later, you can develop a workable plan and then smartly delegate tasks before executing and monitoring the finished product. Otherwise, consider nearshoring software outsourcing to lower your costs but still get the quality workforce you need.
How do you plan a software project?
Planning for a software project commences with a proper definition of the software project goals. You then need to develop clear guidelines on how you’re going to achieve the set goals. The next step is creating a timeline of activities for the software project and recruiting and building a team of specialists. That will help you develop a budget and allocate time and financial resources towards completing your goals. It’s also important that you develop and prepare a framework for performing progress checks and quality testing of the software development process.
How do you develop a project development plan?
Creating a project development plan involves the collection of requirements from key stakeholders, defining the scope of the project, and creating a work breakdown structure. You’ll also define and sequence project activities and assign staffing resources. Next, it’s time to build contingencies and subsidiary plans and create a performance measurement baseline to know whether you’re achieving the set goals or need to incorporate any changes. Lastly, document all aspects of the software development process.
What’s the main objective of software project planning?
The main objective of software project planning is to enable project managers to estimate resources, costs, and schedules to achieve project goals successfully.
What are the different categories of software projects?
Software projects range far and wide from frontend development to backend development and desktop development to web development. They can also be full-stack development, database development, mobile development, cloud computing, Dev-Ops engineering, or security engineering.
What is the process model of software project management?
A process model is an abstract of the software development process that generally represents the stages and order of each task. It specifies what task comes first, in which order, and at what stage.
What is the role of a project manager in project management?
The project manager is responsible for planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing out projects. Additionally, project managers are accountable for the entire project scope, allocated resources, budget, and the success or failure of the project. Their relationship with the project team is also crucial in achieving the project’s objectives.
What are 3 critical skills a project manager needs to succeed?
For any project manager to succeed, they need to have good communication, leadership, and time management skills.
What are the five essential qualities of a project manager?
The primary qualities of a good software development project manager are excellent communication, time management, organizational awareness, problem-solving, and leadership qualities.
Why Choose Sonatafy?
Managing software development tasks need precise coordination due to the multifaceted and complex nature of the process. It can also be very demanding and expensive, leaving no room for error. To avoid the inconvenience and losses associated with flopped software development projects, you can outsource software development project management services from Sonatafy. We have over 10 decades of combined software development experience, tech leadership, and an outstanding record for delivering high-quality talent. Call us whenever you’re ready to build a high-performing project management team.
