5 Ways to Minimize Risk on Your Next Project

Why do projects fail?

Projects don’t fail by themselves. A project’s success depends greatly on how you mitigate risks. Potential risks that can cause a project to fail include:

• Lack of proper application scoping, resulting in poorly defined objectives or additional future challenges.
• Choosing an inadequate solution or not performing process engineering.
• Lack of technical expertise.
• An unfriendly user experience.
• Lack of an iterative approach or not using phased deliverables.
• The project becomes developer-driven.

What are five considerations to minimize risk?

Do not allow your project to become developer-driven.

Projects can no longer be single-developer-driven. You need a business analyst who can analyze your business functions and build phased TSDs. And you need domain specialists who can prepare a blueprint or prototype for implementation, and perform R&D to manage technical challenges and POCs for successful technological and UI implementation.

Prepare prototypes.

The three essential steps in preparing a prototype:

• Planning - Risks can be mitigated effectively if a proper action plan is in place.
• Development roadmap – Eliminates planning gaps, identifies all requirements, and serves as a guide for the development team.
• Prototypes and wireframes – Help visualize how the system will work. User experience refinements can be easily accommodated in a prototype. This ensures the team and client are on the same page, thereby greatly reducing development time.

Choose the right technology.

Many factors, such as resources, cost, development, and target audience, influence technology selection. Ensure you get a technology consultation to make informed, appropriate decisions.

Communicate and collaborate.

Communication and collaboration are key in any project. Teamwork ensures that the project runs smoothly and everyone is working toward the same objectives.

Use an Iterative development process.

Your business needs are constantly changing, invariably leading to new and different challenges. To accommodate these challenges, your software should be developed iteratively. We recommend first creating a basic frame followed by features and additional add-ons. This will ensure your requirements are met without compromising your design requirements or project objectives.

How can Simtekway help?

• Simtekway has extensive experience minimizing risk.
• We follow an agile methodology within our development process to control risks during and after development.
• We use a component factory model to break down system requirements into small, manageable components.
• We deploy a complete team that ensures timely and cost-effective technology implementation.

See our Development Approach – view the The Simtekway Advantage.