IT project planning is a critical component of any IT endeavor. Whether you are a startup or a large organization, failing to plan can lead to disastrous consequences. Discover the requirements for the stages of effective project planning that will help you to avoid common pitfalls and achieve maximum potential for your IT projects.
When it comes to IT project planning, you need to be aware of the different stages it goes through. According to statistics, about 70% of IT projects fail. It happens for many reasons.
Careful planning and constructive discussions can greatly benefit both your team and the client. It will help you make an informed decision about the resources and timelines that you will need to achieve the best results possible. Let’s look at the different stages that a typical IT project goes through and give you an idea of what requirements are necessary for each of them.
What are the stages of IT project planning?
The development of a successful IT product is a complex, multi-stage process with many mandatory stages. Some of them can run concurrently. It is worth noting that outsourcing companies determine the stages of product development in various ways. And the process must be completely transparent to the customer. On average, IT project planning may take you from six to nine months.
So, what does the IT product development lifecycle look like? Let’s take a look at the process of creating an IT project and the requirements for producing a high-quality product:
1. Preparatory stage
Before project development can begin, it is critical to lay the groundwork for strong cooperation and outline the key points. The developer provides the customer with work in a pleasant environment.
He also suggests using the standard Task Tracker and instant messengers to keep communication flowing smoothly. To guarantee a successful partnership, you should ensure that the contractor can hear and consider the customer’s expectations.
2. Analytics
At this stage, the customer and the outsourced team decide on the development goals, record business tasks, user requirements, etc. This procedure takes the form of a conversation. Both parties must be present at this point. The customer may be unaware of some of the nuances of product development at times.
During the information-gathering process, one usually clarifies all the necessary details. The analytics stage’s primary responsibility is to anticipate all potential risks.
He also must be ready to provide options for optimizing the development process. The more information the customer provides, the more precise the terms of reference, and thus the better the final results.
3. Project evaluation
As for IT projects, it is important to take the time to evaluate each stage of the project cycle to make sure that everything is going as planned. It will help you avoid potential problems down the road and ensure the successful completion of your project.
This stage involves outlining the key tasks that you need to complete to meet your project goals. You should also consider potential risks and assess how likely they are to occur.
Following that, you can start planning and organizing your resources. Then, you need to create a timeline and milestones for your project.
4. IT project planning
Competent planning of the functionality of the future IT product and requirement analysis are critical for the entire project. The project manager is in charge of this stage and the entire development process as well.
The planning stage begins after answering all the preliminary assessment questions. It consists of the following sub-stages:
- Creating a team of freelance web designers and assigning roles;
- Creation of a project map with reference points for result reconciliation;
- Creation of software architecture;
- Choosing a technology stack. It includes development tools such as programming languages, frameworks, database management systems, compilers, etc.
The size of a team working on an IT project planning usually includes:
- Project manager;
- A business analyst with a wider range of tasks than the manager had before;
- UX/UI designer;
- Developers;
- Team lead;
- System architect who developed the product structure;
- Test specialist;
- DevOps – they are a link between development and operations, network work, and product deployment.
If necessary, you can expand the team and even consult external services. For example, writing services review websites such as Best Writers Online to ensure that your written data is error-free and has a proper structure.
5. Design
Only after you complete the analytics, assess the project, and reach an agreement with your client, the developers can begin designing the IT project. This phase consists of two parts:
1. UX development
UX is in charge of the logic of building system elements and the product’s adaptability and usability. According to statistics, about 75% of respondents base their assessment of a company’s credibility on its website design and user-friendliness. As a result, when developing system elements, it is critical to pay close attention to every detail that may cause user confusion.
2. UI development
It entails rendering interface elements such as blocks, buttons, and icons assembled into a ready-made layout.
Many people believe that design is only about the visual aspect. Indeed, design is in charge of shaping the user experience:
- Will the user feel comfortable?
- How quickly will he navigate and find what he needs?
- Will he be able to get a quick answer to the question?
- Will he want to return?
If you have difficulties with writing clear and concise information (for example, for the FAQ section), you can visit writing services websites like Trust My Paper. In other words, the easier it is for the user to get the result and perform the desired action, the clearer the interface of the IT product becomes. All of this is dependent on the quality of the UX/UI.
6. Development
The development stage includes considering the customer’s ideas, formalized in practical steps. Sprint development is the best format to do it. The outsourcing team completes work following the project map and shows the customer the results of each part.
Sprint development is convenient and effective. It allows you to collect feedback quickly, respond to changes, and make edits. One regards this method as iterative because it grounds on a flexible methodology.
7. Testing
Testing an IT product is one of the most important stages in its development. Before presenting a new solution to consumers, the company must be completely confident in its performance.
As a result, it is critical to identify critical bugs early on, test the product’s functionality, conduct a thorough analysis, and implement recommendations for improvement. To accomplish this, QA engineers can employ a variety of testing methods for the IT product, including:
- Modular;
- Integration;
- Functional
- Acceptance testing.
8. IT product launch
Following the completion of the testing measures and bug fixes, it is time to launch the finished product. Previously, the product was only available to a select group of developers and quality control specialists.
As of now, the developed IT product must meet the actual users. This phase also includes the configuration of monitoring tools to assist you in learning user behavior and fine-tuning the product as needed.
9. Rights transfer
The finished product passes on to the owner client following the successful completion of the IT project launch and the implementation of the work stipulated by the contract by the developers. At this point, the customer has complete control over the product components and documentation. The cooperation agreement between the customer and the development company specifies the specific conditions for the transfer of rights.
10. Technical support
As a rule, any IT product requires additional technical support. The developer party may provide temporary or continuous support.
In this way, it will reduce the risk of failure following the launch of the new system and provide quick recovery in the event of a problem. Temporary maintenance entails removing potential flaws within a set time frame.
If you want to receive the most recent software updates, you should choose continuous technical support. In this case, the developer team will provide support to eliminate potential failures quickly and unnoticed for the customer and users.
The developer party usually offers support at three levels:
- Level one. Simple questions that do not require much attention or specialized assistance;
- Level two. Improved assistance from staff with more in-depth product knowledge. These are not necessarily technical specialists, but they are well-versed in the product;
- The third level. Expert level, involving the engagement of experienced specialists: product managers, and engineers.
There is also a zero-support option in the form of brochures or operating manuals.
Conclusion
Now that you have all the requirements, it is time for you to dive deep into your new IT project planning. You should not worry if you feel puzzled by its complexity at first.
After all, many factors determine how much effort and what kind of resources you will need to complete your project successfully. However, ensuring that every detail is covered step by step will lead you to a successful outcome.
Author Bio:
Anna likes writing from her university years. When she graduated from the
Interpreters Department, she realized that translation was not so interesting, as
writing was. She trains her skills now working as a freelance writer on different
topics. Always she does her best in the posts and articles.