This is part one of a two-part series. Read the second part here.
An insight into the project management and collaboration of Viking Software’s Web Team.
If you’ve landed on this post, we imagine that you are A: Considering beginning work on a web application for the first time, or you might have begun work but are struggling with how to proceed; or B: Curious about how we work with web applications, either to be inspired or to see if you think Viking Software is a supplier you can work with.
Either way, we’re glad you are here!
This topic will be split into two parts: Project Structure, and Development and Deployment.
In this article we go through our way of dividing a development project into phases, and proceed to explain how we manage the preliminary phases of the project.
The phases
In any development project there will be some core phases. A team may vary the phases depending on the type of team and projects.
In the following section we break down the details of each phase; from the beginning of the start-up phase to the end of the deployment phase, and how the Viking Software Web Team implement these phases in our development process.
The Start-up phase:
When a project is started, there are some initial discussions about the project scope, project deadlines, different agreements (such as deployment), and payment details.
The VS management team primarily handles the start-up phase, where an overview of the finer details of the projects is finalised. The developers will be involved when needed to assist with the technical aspects of the project.
The Idea phase:
In this phase the management team pass the project on to the Web Team, who, maybe along with a project manager, help the client with brainstorming and ideation before the official project launch. When the ideation is completed, the development phase can begin. However, as the only one of the 5 phases, the idea phase can be revisited if new features are included or if a feature must be changed. Ideally this should have been taken care of in the start-up phase, but our team are always open to changed minds and new ideas.
-
The development and testing phases:
The development phase is closely connected to the testing phase. The two phases aim to develop and test the agreed-upon features and to discuss the features during development with the client. In the VS Web Team, we regard development and testing as a fluid process; if a feature is finalised and approved by the client, the team can move on to the next task. But if the feature needs to be changed or modified to better solve the agreed-upon feature, the development team goes back to the idea or development phase. We don’t expect our clients to accept anything but a satisfactory product, so we keep the communication open and do our best to make our clients’ visions a reality.
The deployment phase and hand-in phase:
When there are no more features left in the current project, the deployment and handoff take place. The deployment of a project and the handoff depends on the agreements from the start-up phase.
Development process:
A development process can be static or fluid. While the fluid process has a positive ring to it and is very popular among inhouse development teams, a consulting development team like the Viking Software Web Team need a more rigid process to be able to keep the deadlines we have agreed upon with our clients.
That’s why we work with an adapted waterfall model, which is rigid but focus heavily on developer-client communication. That means we work our way down the phases but allow ourselves to return to a previous phase for verification or validation from the client.
Focusing on the feedback gives the client the opportunity to correct any misinterpretations and mistakes, while attaining an even better understanding of the progress of the project.
In practice, Viking Software keeps the client in the loop by having weekly or biweekly meetings between the Web Team and the client. In general, this approach gives the developer direct contact with the client, and it has helped our Web Team to quickly discover if the development of a feature was heading down the wrong path.
The start-up and idea phase
The start-up phase begins with an initial project discussion between the management team, specifically our Project Manager, and the client, where an idea becomes an actual project. Here we take the client’s vision and narrow down the project scope to focus on their actual product requirements.
During this phase, the developers are invited when needed to contribute with their experience and technical understanding of what can and cannot be done, to help create a foundation for success
An example of a start-up phase:
Let’s say a client, Client X, approach us with a project. Viking Software decides to have a couple of web developers present at the client’s initial meeting, to suggest features and asses what is possible and in what manner it could be made. During the meeting, Client X decides, with the help of the Web Team, which functions are crucial, which can wait for a different project, and which functions are unnecessary. Viking Software and Client X agree on the core functionalities and the aim of the project.
An example of a start-up phase:
Let’s say a client, Client X, approach us with a project. Viking Software decides to have a couple of web developers present at the client’s initial meeting, to suggest features and asses what is possible and in what manner it could be made. During the meeting, Client X decides, with the help of the Web Team, which functions are crucial, which can wait for a different project, and which functions are unnecessary. Viking Software and Client X agree on the core functionalities and the aim of the project.
As most clients come to us with their vision and trust us to make it into a working product, Viking Software’s role as a consultant is just as vital as the role of the software developer – which is why including the development team as part of the initial project discussion can make a big difference for the project.
When a general understanding of the project is reached between Viking Software and the client, the next step is creating an overview, which where the Web Team starts their actual part of the project. The Web Team uses the overview to know which features should be developed initially and which features are for eventual later implementation if the project is for a longer time period.
It is important to ensure that the project is planned correctly, so the client gets what they need and what they have requested.
Before starting the development, we make sure to have a method of knowledge-sharing planned to ensure that the agreed-upon plan is on track. This could be a shared folder that each member of the project on both our and the client’s side can access. This folder should contain all relevant information concerning the project, thus making it easier to find older documents and small details from the beginning of the project.
This concludes the preliminary stages of a Web Application project in Viking Software. In the next article we delve into the actual development, implementation and deployment, and how we keep our clients in the loop throughout the project. Follow the link below to read the second part.
Working with web applications – Development and Deployment
Working with web applications in Viking Software. The second in a series of two blog posts, here going into development and deployment.
Read More