When time is of the essence

Opinion

Most large-scale application development projects come in over budget, over time or unsuccessful. The resulting applications are quickly out-dated and future modifications invariably costly and time-consuming. But the rapid migration to e-business means that companies now need flexible Internet-based applications that can be developed and implemented in months rather than years.

Time is the great enemy of applications development projects, so reducing the time spent developing applications reduces the risk of project failure. By using the following six-point approach IT chiefs can implement new e-business applications before their business environment changes, and in time to stay ahead of competition.

• Shorten the requirements phase. No matter how much time you spend defining requirements, they will never be perfect. Managers of e-business development projects should follow the rule that their clients need to see something first in order to visualise exactly what they want. Never start building an application until the client has approved the requirements.

• Utilise smaller teams as they give a project more focus. The ideal set-up should be a team comprising of six to ten people and should include a dedicated technical expert and a dedicated business specialist.

• Think versions, not first-time perfection. An initial e-business application release should be ready no later than six weeks after the definition of requirements. Subsequent releases should be provided every four to six weeks thereafter.

• Integrate testing and quality assurance. Remember, testing and quality assurance is not simply another phase of development, but should become an inherent part of the process itself. Initial requirements should define the tests necessary for the client to accept the application.

• Understand the cost of scope changes. Companies should document and solidify project scope before defining requirements. You should try to be accountable by documenting the decision-making and rationale behind each decision.

• Implement on a flexible technology platform. Time delays blight many application development projects. A solution is to exploit reusable technical and business components. This automates time consuming tasks, such as frame composition and coding.

Mike Pilcher is vp of sales, TenFold E-Business Group.