The role of a project manager in a software development project is one of the most vital roles in the process and yet it is not even part of the main line. There is no “real work” involved here but proper software development project management will determine the success, or failure, of a project.

To better understand how you can help succeed with software development project management, it is important to begin by defining the role of a project manager. This role is the most clearly defined in the software development process since they must facilitate, encourage, and organize the schedule to ensure that it works as intended. The management team will therefore utilize the knowledge, skills, and tools available to complete the project and meet requirements.

The project manager has to consistently perform all throughout the span of the project. After all, they will be the driving force behind all of the other part of the team to ensure timely completion of the project. More importantly, they need to facilitate work focus such that the project objectives are accomplished.

An efficient software development project management system involves effective communication pattern between the development team and the client. Thus, you can match product with the expectation of the customer. On the other hand, it is also a crucial process to let the client know about how the project works for a more reasonable agreement for the contract.

An integral part of a software development project management is the sending of status reports. Each part of the team will get the opportunity to provide the project manager with updates on the progress of the project for an overall assessment, or if they can complete the project within the time allotted for it. This is why experts believe that project managers play a dual role. On one hand, they are prodding. On the other, they plan out steps to resolve any problems that arose in the process of evaluation and assessment of the project.

The project manager has to look specifically into the details of the project to ensure consistency. However, they must still be able to look at the larger picture for evaluation of risks and project schedule to determine whether time estimates are accurate. Two of the most vital skills of a project manager that would serve well in these instances include proper listening skills and restraint. First off, they must be able to listen and consider what the development staff has to say about the project to identify problem and make sure it is understood. Second, s/he must be able to practice restraint and refuse to act affecting the out unless it is premeditated.

Anyone can be a project manager in a software development process. You do not need to have IT knowledge or technical know-how to assume this role, although that would be advantageous to increase your understanding of the project. There are other skills that can be learned through proper coaching, such as status reporting, communication, and maintaining control over the progress of the project.

Software development project management can be easy, provided that you understand what the roles of a project manager are. The biggest challenge for this role would have to be handling the non-technical aspects of the project, such as fixing political turf wars and pushing people to their limits, such as working for extra hours to meet tight deadlines.

Software development project management is not a role that everyone can handle. As a sub-discipline of project management, it is both an art and a science. Hence, you need to strike a balance between two integral aspects of the job to ensure satisfactory completion of software development projects within the designated time frame.

The business of offshore web development has seen exponential growth in the market over the past few years. It is considered as the perfect online solution for businesses hoping to increase their web presence such that it is considered a must for any business. The most appealing benefit to this outsourcing method or service is the ability to make huge cost savings, especially for small time businesses who wanted to compete with their larger counterparts. But the truth is, there are far more benefits that you can enjoy beyond the tremendous savings you can make.

As mentioned above, the ability to tap the services of offshore web development companies have enabled small- and large-sized businesses to compete in an even playing field. For the former, it is all about choosing the right web development outsourcing partner to ensure that you can stay abreast with global trends and outsourcing structures that will boost brand and online visibility. Offshore web development companies are equipped with the latest web and software development technologies to provide customized online solutions.

On the other hand, their team is made up of specialized staffs who are skilled in their respective fields. They are also hard at work in upgrading their infrastructure to provide the highest quality of services to their clients. You can therefore leverage that to provide optimum web development services even for a fraction of the price you would have spent if you did the project yourself.

But even if you use your own resources for the web development project, your offshore staff will work on utilizing the available resources to the maximum and within the acceptable parameters to ensure a cost-efficient completion of the project. Simply put, they always have your best interest in mind.

There is also a sense of timelessness with an offshore web development service. Hence, there is no need to worry about your projects being done remotely since the staff and development team understands your needs and goals. They will therefore work hard to ensure timely delivery while overcoming geographical barriers.

Personal communication is also a great advantage when you offshore web development projects. The development team is also easily accessible when you need them, especially if you have specific concerns. And because of the time zone differences, you can ensure that 24/7 service is available and rest assured that a skilled personnel is looking after your project even while you are away.

Although the massive savings you can make with the marriage of low cost labor and the eliminate of the need to purchase your own infrastructure and technologies all contribute to minimizing the cost of your business operations, it all boils down to enjoying business value technological solutions.

Software development is a complex task that require certain level of skills and the use of right technology. But did you know it is possible to use a methodical approach with the use of software development methodologies to ensure that you can minimize defects and increase value for the project within a relatively short delivery time. A methodology can therefore be best defined as a selected process of techniques intended to improve your software development effort and the quality of its product.

Choosing software development methodologies does not readily guarantee success. There is a challenge on your part when it comes to choosing the best method available and following its recommendation. Your goal must therefore be to employ the processes recommended to improve business processes while curtailing common problems such as wasting time, lack of productivity, and demoralized developers. All of these efforts are recommended as risk management procedure for the business.

There are two top software development methodologies available for developers to employ in their project. Each model has their own set of pro’s and con’s such that project managers are advised to examine them closely to determine which model suits you best.

Waterfall Methodology

This is the perfect epitome of software development methodologies. According to those who developed this model, a project can achieve better management if segmented into various stages and adapt a step by step process.

This methodology works based on a few principles: all work are done in stages – each stages require content review to be conducted – reviews help ensure that all work is completed within the same quality points expected of the project.

This particular methodology is therefore all about following an orderly sequence for the project, which is what software development methodologies are all about in the first place. Each stage involves proper documentation that can be used later on for content review to ensure that the development process is maintainable, reliable, and of superb quality.

Although there are certain benefits to the Waterfall Methodology, a lot of clients dislike its slow and cumbersome approach at software development. Indeed, the elaborate steps can result in reduced time-to-market deliverance. It therefore inspired the development of a new methodology, which is known as the Spiral Method.

Spiral Methodology

This is an evolutionary software development method that work best when the project is incremental and iterative. This was developed in an effort to overcome the disadvantages offered by the Waterfall Model which basically adapts some of the common approaches to the Waterfall software development methodologies while eliminating some of the known risk factors.

There are four phases under the Spiral software development methodologies, namely Planning, Evaluation, Risk Analysis, and Engineering. It therefore reiterates the objective of the Waterfall Model although each phase will iteratively follow one another such that you can effectively rid of the problem once the same phase is repeated.

Each phase of the Spiral Model is discussed in brief below:

*Planning – You must determine and document the objectives and alternatives for the software development project. Make sure to fix the order for the specifications to decide on the best approach you can use for the project’s life cycle.

*Risk Analysis – This is one of the most distinctive phase for the Spiral Model. All potential alternatives are listed down to determine the most cost-effective approach for the project in case the original approach is not plausible. It also aims to identify and resolve risks to come up with a possible solution, or when there is a need to change the requirements of the project.

*Engineering – This is where the actual development process is carried out. The output then undergoes through each of the phase to see if there is a need for certain improvements.

*Customer Evaluation – Once the finished product has been completed, it is passed on for customer evaluation wherein the developer aims to gather feedback or suggestions. It is comparable to the testing phase for the Waterfall Methodology to determine whether the software program is workable.

The progression of the project follows in a spiral sense with the Spiral software development methodologies. All four phases are iterated to ensure that all risks are eliminated and to deliver a complete software system. The only downside to the Spiral Model though is that you need highly skilled individuals to perform each phase of the method and could be somehow expensive.

Upon deciding to outsource a software development project, a common question asked by the client is “how much it will cost?” This is a fair enough question, although it would make more sense to understand what you are planning to build first before that question can be answered. Needless to say, software development cost will vary from one project to another.

The most basic step to determining a software development cost would be to identify the various pricing models available for software development outsourcing. There are four basic models to choose from: fixed pricing, hourly pricing, phased pricing, and retainer pricing.

You can get more details about each model below:

Fixed Pricing – In this pricing model, both the client and vendor agree on a flat fee upon the completion of the project. This is the best solution for clients who have a fixed budget in mind and want to ensure that they will not overspend, regardless of how many revisions are to be done for the project to ensure it meets the quality standard you aspire.

However, the software development team has the call on how much the project will cost and they must provide a detailed explanation on how they were able to reach the estimate. The client, on the other hand, can benefit knowing that they can extract as much work from the development team without paying extra.

Hourly Pricing – This is the most common pricing model for outsourcing software development. This is a flexible model although it can rapidly cause the software development cost to go up, which is why you need to use this model only when you are confident that you have highly skilled staff to do the project for you within the allotted time. This is a fair compensation plan though for both client and developers since the client only pays for the total amount of work done and the developers get paid only for the work they have rendered.

There are certain risks entailed with opting for the hourly pricing model on the client’s end. First off, there is the tendency of exceeding your estimated budget, particularly if you are not careful and unscrupulous contractors can take advantage of you. Opting for hourly rates would often result to a less efficient work and low productivity.

Phased Pricing – This pricing model combines both aspects of a fixed rate with an hourly rate to ensure benefit for both parties while reducing the amount of risks involved. This is recommended for a project that is large enough to be completed in over 2 weeks’ time. The consultant will come up with a rough estimate depending on the scope of the project, and then a new price estimation will be determined at each phase of the project.

Retainer Pricing – This type of pricing model is ideal for maintenance and support projects only, instead of web development projects from ground up. This is guaranteed for clients who are looking to avail of services for a given number of hours or maintenance work that is to be rendered on a regular basis.

Estimating Software Development Cost and Budget

You are the only one who can determine the estimated cost for your software development project. You must therefore determine exactly what you want to enable the outsourcing development team to assess the size and scope of the project. Be as detailed as possible when describing the project to the team for them to understand the software development cost.

It is also important to come up with your own budget projection. Then, the development team will inform you on whether the project is achievable for your budget or not. On the other hand, they can also utilize their expertise to realize your project while staying within the budget. Hence, it pays to be upfront to them about the software development cost issues to avoid overspending.

This can be achieved by describing to them your intended use, features, and functions for the software. Then, your development team can add features in increment based on priority. This will enable you to avail of a usable product that is of business value, in case you run out of money during the software development process and had to put it in halt.

In conclusion, software development cost depends a lot on what you want to achieve but there are ways for you to minimize or keep the costs within the allowable budget range.