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Tools that improve productivity and make the project visible to you
Software development is a combination of factory and craft. The best companies use tools which improve their productivity and enhance the creativity and quality of their craft. These tools also help you to see the current health of the project and manage potential problems on the horizon.
Collaboration tools
You should have access to as much information about the project as you want, and you should be able to get it at any time.
Collaboration tools are the central location for all project communication. It doesn’t matter which tool your software developer uses as long as it supports open collaboration. Applied well, a collaboration tool makes it easy for all project team members to share information and to deliver the current status of all your projects.
Source control tools
A critical tool for any software project is the version control system. This system provides a centralized repository for all of your important files. These files (or artifacts) include specifications, source code, and documentation.
Source control maintains a consistent structure for all project artifacts so that every team member can find exactly what they’re looking for. It also provides change management controls. Team members can see the history and contents of file changes and accurately merge changes contributed by multiple team members.
The developer you choose will work with you to define the structure of your repository as well as the details for accessing it.
Bug-tracking tools
The other critical element of any software project is defect management. This software provides reliable tracking and assignment of issues such as bugs, feature requests, and action items.
Defect management provides a centralized location for the creation, editing, and tracking of any issue. The tool is responsible for tracking the status of the issue (open, closed, etc.) and for notifying the correct people at appropriate times.
This tool is used by the Quality Assurance (QA) team in concert with the development team. It’s the primary tool for tracking and driving the quality of all deliverables.
This tool is also used by the project management team for the assignment and tracking of action items, change requests, and other tasks. Your project manager will assist you with incorporating this powerful tool into your workflow.
Tools tell you a lot about the worker
Imagine you hired someone to build a house for you. This person shows up each day early. The truck is full of clean and organized tools. At the end of the day the builder sits down with you and shows you what was done that day, explains where the project is in the schedule, and alerts you to potential problems that may arise. Imagine how confident you would feel in this contractor.
Waverley wants you to feel this same level of confidence in projects you do with us. We use the best tools, not just to improve our own productivity, but to give you visibility into where we are and where we’re going.
Defined communication paths
Part of the benefit of hiring another company to develop a custom software application for you is to reduce your management load. But most companies still want to keep a close eye on the project – to make sure that it is on track and to proactively deal with potential problems.
Every software development project team has a need for defined communication paths. Of course, all teams are different—different sizes, different personalities, different organizations—so the paths need to be tailored to the specific team and its organization. Distributed teams have special needs since it can be so easy to communicate information to the local team and neglect the remote groups.
The purpose of defined communications paths is not to limit communications. The purpose is rather to expand communications so that those playing a central role are involved at the right time and circulate information as needed. This also helps to keep the entire project team operating under the same priorities.
It comes down to finding the right balance between defined communication paths that everyone understands and the flexibility to go outside of those communication paths, especially when you need to speak directly with a specific person.
Learn more about how Waverley structures projects and engages with clients. Or, if you are ready to take the next step, contact us to talk about how we could work together.