Most of the software projects are not successful because of the problems they face like over budget, missing function or a combination. Some software projects are so poorly executed that they are canceled before completion. Below are some best practices for developing a software project:
Development Process:
The companies must be careful while choosing a development life cycle of a project, because all the other activities are derived from the process. There are many choices for this and for most modern software development projects, some kind of spiral based methodology is preferred over a waterfall process.
Requirements:
Gathering information on requirements is fundamental to a successful project and it is important for the development team to understand what needs to be built.
Architecture:
Choosing suitable architecture for the application is the key aspect and if not the project is a failure.
Design:
Many applications are either over designed or under designed and along with a better architecture a successful project needs an appropriate design.
Construction of the code:
Construction of the code is a fraction of the total project effort, but it is often the most visible and it has the same importance that requirements, architecture, analysis, design, and test have.
Testing:
It is important to plan testing process before the coding starts and it is an integral part of software development that needs to be planned. There are number of testing patterns available. Performance testing is done before deploying the software to find out and rectify any defects in the project.
Configuration Management:
Configuration management is the process which is to know the state of all artifacts that make up the project, managing the state of those artifacts, and releasing distinct versions of a system.
Deployment:
It is the step where the company needs to plan for deployment as the software product is released for the public use.
Data Migration:
Most applications are rewrites of existing applications. Data migration from the existing data sources is very important.
Project Management:
Project management is a key factor for the success of the project and the project manager should know these best practices for developing a successful project.
Measuring Success:
The last step is to measure the success of the project developed. The success is measured using a industry standard known as Capability Maturity Model, which is developed by Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.
The above are the best practices which ensure that a good software project is developed.