The Most Undervalued Development Resource: Time
October 2023
At Coretechs we take our deadlines seriously. Deadlines push us forward and are necessary to help our clients get where they need to be. However, we have found that the constantly undervalued resource to make these deadlines work is the thing we need the most – TIME.
Below we’ll show you a couple of the typical conversations we have with clients in order to determine if we have enough time and resources to make the requested deadline.
5 Tips On How to Maximize Your Development Time
1. Before you approach a software company, it is important to list out the “must have” items that you need for your deadline.
Obviously, the longer the list and the more detailed and intricate your process is, the more time will be needed to develop your software. Many customers are creating systems that process some kind of order and are time-sensitive for sales, but we understand that there can be many use cases. Identifying the most common use cases and developing a system to handle those first is the key to getting the product from a development state to being used by real people. Think simple for your processes, and make sure you are covering your most common use cases first!
2. Maintain a flexible mindset.
If you are looking to create something based on a specific look, it is very helpful to come in with a design or mockup. If you want the finished result to be an exact replica of that mockup/design, expect the development time to take longer than you think. Shorten the time by providing a design and saying, “this is the look and feel we want.” Keeping a flexible mindset that allows for adaptations to your initial plan will make it easier to hit your deadlines.
You can also be flexible with how features are launched. It is difficult to launch sites that have many, many intricate features. If you focus on the core feature, then make that available to the public and build from there in phases, your users can provide real-life feedback, and we can adjust additional features to meet your needs.
3. If you are bringing an existing system to a new development team, expect there to be a learning curve of 3 – 4 months.
Just because our developers are talented and very good at their craft does not mean that they can make sense of an engineered system in an hour. The size of the system that already exists will dictate how long it takes for them to learn it, test it and see how it works. Build a learning curve into your time frame.
4. Plan for a “soft launch.”
We define soft launch by letting selected real-life users try out your system or website before releasing it to the full audience. Soft launches are a sure-fire fast way to get feedback that will help you understand the outstanding needs of your project and move development along quickly to get it over the final finish line.
5. Explain your business to our development team.
At Coretechs, we don’t just code systems and then leaving you high and dry! It is helpful for us to understand your mindset of what is important to you and your business within your industry. Part of our work on your project is creating long-term success for your business!
If your deadline is a specific date, we want to know why. Is that because it is a specific event where you need to show off your project? Do you need to compete with another resource on that timeline? We want your business to grow and the best way we know how to do that is to know you and your business better.