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The Best Software Development Practices
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The reasons that up to 80% of all projects fail are because they fall out of scope, they go over budget, or they are missing an important element.  Then, studies show that 30% of all software projects miss the mark so bad that they get cancelled before they can ever be implemented or executed.  To ensure projects succeed, there has to be best software development practices in place so everyone understands the same information and is therefore, working toward a common goal.

As readers are about to discover, there are numerous aspects of best software development practices, each working for a specific purpose but also an important member of an overall team.

Developmental Processes

The first area of best software development practices is processes.  What this means is that a lifecycle for development has to be identified and chosen, becoming the foundation for the overall project.  Sometimes, modifications have to be made as the project progresses but the thing to remember is that the execution of the process is more valuable than the process itself.

Architecture

Applications also need the right architecture, which is critical and one of the most important best software development practices.  In fact, a leading computer company spent time looking at various software projects at risk and the common denominator was that the architecture for best practices was faltering.  To avoid this problem, it is crucial for programmers and developers to get projects started in the right direction from the start, which can be done by identifying and determining the architectural platform.

Requirements

All successful projects that follow best software development practices gather and then agree on the fundamental requirements.  This means everyone on the development team has to be working toward a common goal by understanding the project requirements.  Otherwise, miscommunication, poor performance, and a non-functioning process results in a failed project.

Design

The next factor of best software development practices has to do with design.  What many developers fail to realize is that a project can still have a poor design even with a solid architectural platform.  Typically, developers will over or under design a sight, which is why code reusing is highly recommended, allowing projects to remain simple but yet robust – in other words, balanced.

Code Construction

Then, best software development practices include code construction.  While not one of the main ingredients, code is still very important to the overall project.  Included for this factor is what is known as the “daily build and smoke test”, which means to create files that are linked, compiled, and combined with an executable program on a daily basis, while the program is put through product testing to ensure it operates appropriately.

Testing

With every project, regardless of magnitude or complexity, testing is a critical part of the best software development practices.  The most vital part of testing is that it needs to be a part of the overall plan and prior to code being started.  Instead, there should be test cases created while the software application is being designed and for the type of testing, it would depend primarily on the product itself.

Peer Reviews

While some people cringe when thinking about having peer review and analyze their work, it is also a key element of the best software development practices.  Without it, determining the effectiveness of testing, coding, and even produce execution would be difficult.  The greatest benefits of peer review include getting a quality product out the door but quickly to remain competitive.

Measurement

Obviously, every projects needs to be measured against a number of factors to include known standards, other companies, similar projects, and so on.  Remember, measuring goals, strategies, and accomplishments are a very important piece of the best software development practices puzzle.

Management

Various management aspects are associated with best software development practices, which are addressed below:
  • Consultants – With this, there are times developers and programmers need a little bit of assistance in the form of consultation.  In most cases, the need for professional consulting is short lived and while there might be a high, initial cost, it is definitely money well spent, more of an investment.
  • Configuration – With best software development practices, there needs to be configuration management, which would be involved to oversee project artifacts while making sure specific versions of the system are released.
  • Quality – Best software development practices also involves quality management, responsible for establishing priorities while also announcing criteria so a plan can be outlined to help the development team achieve only high quality products.

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