There is no business in the word that doesn’t care about the software development process or the release date of the software. However, there are very few teams in the world that can keep up with the tough deadlines; overwhelming processes, and getting it right from the get-go. Missed deadlines, burnouts, teams quitting, and loss in revenue because of it has become a norm. However, companies are trying to find ways to get software development better and faster than ever before to make a good business in technology development. As far as software development is concerned, speed could be of the utmost importance to customers and development teams. All organizations are under pressure to reduce time to market to maintain a competitive advantage in the sector.
Factors for speeding up the software development
The success of many teams depends upon how quickly that team can develop, deploy and release software for usage. Some of the factors that these teams have to face that acts as a bottleneck for software development include:
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Complications in the development of software:
Developers face many complications and challenges when it comes to the development process. These issues come up because of complex software architecture, frequent edits based on project requirements, APIs, and structural issues. If the team is able to handle all these blockages in a quick manner, they are able to deliver faster.
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Team’s skill and size:
The capabilities of development play a vital role when it comes to software development. A team consisting of smart individuals, rights skills, and self-motivated members will be far more successful. Every member of the team has to contribute to the best of their abilities in order to meet the deadlines.
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Quality of code:
Another factor impacting the speed of software development is the quality and accuracy of code. When the developers don’t take shortcuts and write accurate code, it saves a lot of to and fro; thus, delivering the work on time.
How to speed up the software development
There are several ways using which the software development can speed up without compromising the quality & well-being of the development team.
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Increasing the team size or outsourcing some processes:
Sometimes the deadlines and expectations are unrealistic. Either the client is pushy or realistic expectations weren’t set at the beginning. This leaves the software development company with two choices. There are either hire more software developers or outsource it to a third party. The extra staff makes it easier for organizations to find a large number of associate staff to complete the project.
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Have a clear development plan:
When the development team has a clear and concise roadmap, vision, and plan for each step of the project, they will know exactly what to do and when to proceed. This saves a lot of time and redundant tasks like deciding what to do next (and team meetings about it). Also, if everybody on the team is skilled, experienced, and self-motivated, we can do the job much faster.
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Set small–small goals:
Breaking down bigger tasks into smaller chunks helps in getting things finished faster. Breaking down large, overwhelming pieces of work into smaller tasks creates a productive development environment. In addition, this enables parts of the development team to have smaller groups to solve problems and engage fully in these smaller tasks. In the long run, this not only improves the efficiency of the team but also helps reduce risks and problems.
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Restrict the amount of work in progress:
Having a lot of work in progress (in various chunks) restricts the process’s efficiency and makes team feel overwhelmed. This can lead to more errors, added workload, and make them vulnerable. It’s important to know the team’s capabilities in order to have smooth functioning.
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Use agile development process:
Agile software development is an umbrella term for a set of various frameworks and practices based on the values and principles expressed in the Manifesto for Agile Software Development and the Principles behind it. When they approach software development in a particular manner, it’s generally good to live by these values and principles and use them to help figure out the right things to do given a particular context. The agile software development teams are cross-functional. Management ensures that team members have, or obtain, the right skill sets. Management provides the environment that allows the team to be successful. Once most teams and organizations start doing Agile software development, they focus on the practices that help with collaboration, organizing the work, and getting the work done faster.
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Automate the processes:
Though software development can’t be automated and has to be done in a traditional way. However, there are certain processes that can run automatically like testing, workflow, and integration. Automated testing is probably the best way to reach a compromise between speed and quality. Thanks to the repeating scripts, anyone can run tests in regression without the need to repeat the same steps manually. Similarly, development process as task management, project meetings, workflow discussions. And, so on seem insignificant, but they tend to stack up. You can easily save at least an hour per day by implementing an automation app. For example, Zapier, which will automate repetitive tasks.
Conclusion
Although it is almost impossible to accurately put development in full speed mode to complete the project at a speed of light, companies have full power and the ability to make small changes that can bring big differences. In the long run, these changes not only encourage their employees to work more efficiently to accelerate development, but also help create a more successful work environment in general. As the rapid pace of growth leads the world towards a future of unimaginable achievement, you can bet that software(s) will be at the center of that evolution.
