Developing and maintaining software is a risky task. The reason why most of the projects undertaken by the enterprises fail because of poor project management and not identifying the risks.
Even the smallest errors can sabotage long-term projects. Reports clearly state that 32% of the projects fail due to short-sightedness. Failure to plan a course of action leads to unavoidable consequences.
48% of the projects fail due to changing or poorly documented requirements, 40% owing to underfunding or under-resourcing, 37% due to weak team or organizational management, 32% because of insufficient time allocated to testing, and 17% because of immature developer tools and application platforms.
IT project management risks
A risk can be defined as an event that hasn’t happened yet, can have some negative impact on you or your organization, and can be prevented. Some of the risks can be wrong estimation and poor scheduling of development time, sudden growth in requirements, low employee turnover, some procedural risks, technical risks, etc. In this article, we will talk about some specific risks related to software development.
What are the sources of IT Risk Management?
In IT risk management, it is crucial to find the source of such risks. The risk can be an external one like the result/feedback from the client and its influence on the team and internal risk like the result of the software development process itself. Based on the same concept, let’s find out the most common project management risks in software development.
Seven common project management risks in software development –
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Changing requirements and priorities
Nothing can be fixed, neither in life nor in a project! Concerts change, requirements, change, and priorities too! The client may ask for changes at the last minute while submitting the project or ask you to make the prototype again!
Possible consequences can be overloaded sprints, abandoned uncompleted tasks, a partial rewrite of the app, and even changes to the schedule.
Before you react to these risks, it is essential to analyze their sudden impact on the current state of the project, the amount of effort it will take, the risk of delays, etc. After analyzing the situation, you can further work on dividing the tasks by updating the priorities and giving the client with the latest information. This will lead to 100% transparency in the system and eliminate further complaints.
“Individual commitment to a group effort: That is what makes teamwork, a company work, a society work, a civilization work” Proper engagement of every team member is central for the success of a project.
It is also imperative to note down the responsibilities of your role and help other team members too! If there is a shortage of motivation and commitment, there will be a delay in deliveries and further, put a negative impact on other team members.
In such a situation, try to motivate the team and make them feel good. Talk to each member personally about their aspirations, needs, any problems they are facing, and praise them. Make sure that you provide every detail of the project.
Communication plays the most pivotal role in the coordination among the team. Through the right channel in the right way is the need of the hour. There is an acute shortage of communication skills in the corporates, which leads to multiple scenarios of confusion and sometimes hatred.
Gaps in knowledge, duplicate tasks, and decreased productivity are the significant consequences of poor communication.
Regular meetings with team members can solve the whole problem. It can be formal or an informal one but must be organized. Allow everyone to put their views on the table, even if they are silly. Answer every query and let them feel proud of their role in the project.
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Unplanned absence of a team member
An impromptu absence of any team member is a cause of concern. This leads to disorganization, delays in delivering tasks, missing out the critical details of the project if the absent member had to play a vital role, and demotivation for the team.
The project manager if informed prior, can make a replacement and share the same essential project details with other members. Also, documentation is quite necessary as it will enlighten the new members going to start work on the same project.
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Poor communication with the client
Maintaining a positive relationship with the client, and continually keeping in touch, getting the feedback every day can be fruitful for all the team members.
In this way, the members will get to know the requirements of the client, and there will be no sudden demand for changes. Poor communication with clients can cause delays in the project and can be a reason for demotivation for other team members.
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Failure to deliver on time
Project completion without any delays is still a dream come true for many. It is an ideal situation. Changing requirements, poor estimates, failed tests, poor communication with the client leads to such delays.
It can lead to client dissatisfaction and create a bad working atmosphere. The possible solution can be considering all the factors while planning the deadline for any project. After analyzing the risk, the client must be informed beforehand.
Assign tasks according to the skills, strengths, and weaknesses of the members. If your team is unable to meet the deadline, inform the client as early as possible.
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Risk identification in software development
The risk factor can have a very high impact on the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The customer and development team must ensure the usage of the Facilitated Application Specification Technique (FAST).
The client must allow the development team to have a flexible schedule if the requirements are expected to change during the SDLC. There are ample techniques used for risk management.
Best risk identification methods adopted by RavStack
Some of the tools and techniques used by RavStack to improve your risk identification process are:
Documentation will provide the delivery and message mechanism. It should be consistent, contain a common language, and clear objectives.
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Detailed analysis of project objectives
It should contain policy and procedures, auditing risk management effectiveness, risk methodology and analysis, and risk tools used.
A simple conversation between all team members can go a long way.
Conclusion
Risk management helps you focus on the product and maintains the flow of providing quality services. Developers performing risk management can work on the projects with concentration, meet the needs of the client, and avoid all the shortcomings.
Our team at RavStack always performs risk management whenever we take up a project. We keep our clients always in touch and give regular updates. Better coordination among the team helps us to accomplish our target within the target time.
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August 12, 2020
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September 30, 2020
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