At times, software development is a tremendously difficult process. Not only do multiple departments need to come together, but deadlines are often difficult to meet. Most software companies release software later than their expected release date. Most pitfalls are avoidable, while others are an inevitable part of the process. Oftentimes, software companies have unrealistic expectations regarding their software engineers. Here are the five most common pitfalls in software development.
Communication
Software development involves multiple departments. This can cause communication problems. Oftentimes, the marketing department, has entirely different ideas than the software engineers. The finance department can have problems with both marketing and software development. In software development, there needs to be communication between all departments and their. At a software company, everyone from the CEO down to software testers should be involved in the process. Poor communication results in missed release dates and will cost a company a lot of money.
Expectations
This goes along with communication – a company needs to set realistic release dates. Quality software needs to be tested by the quality assurance department multiple times, and the engineers need time to fix errors. Setting unrealistic expectations will cause the software to be released prematurely, with errors and omissions. Engineers that that constantly work long hours are going to put out an inferior product.
Estimates
When making estimates for a release date, many software companies set their release date way too early. When starting a project, it is almost impossible to have a release date for nine months in the future. Instead, software companies should set estimates on a different scale. A company needs to set estimates for each release and QA testing round. Following a schedule is much easier when setting short term release dates; this will also give the company a rough timeline for release.
Robin Hughes writes about education and technology. Her most recent work discusses online web design degrees in the US.
