What risks can you expect during an app development and how to prepare for them

The software development process involves a lot of people and requires loads of time and money. Your end users are scattered around the world – they might have different habits, expectations, and tastes. Some software risks are indeed connected to those matters. You need to identify your target group and prepare an app that is attractive in the sense that it both solves a real problem and is user-friendly, with intuitive and aesthetic design. This should be accounted for from the start of your projects.

There are, however, numerous problems that you might encounter earlier, that are connected with software engineering itself. You need to choose a platform for your app and be ready to handle its specifics in requirements and possibilities. Software project development might be too costly or time-consuming for your own team. In such a case, you can go for outsourcing. Such cooperation might also be connected with a slight risk – that’s why, we created an article which explains possible outsourcing risks you should take into consideration while also offering you solutions to mitigate them.

So what else should you have in mind during the development of a software project?

One of the best ways to mitigate risks in software development is a formulation of an adequate risk management plan. It is usually regarded as a very important stage in the preparation of a project, irrespective of whether you do it independently or plan to use outsourcing. Of course, some risks are unseen, unexpected, and unpredictable. However, an appropriate risk management strategy is able to minimise the potential risk and the damage caused by the occurrence of the factors it includes.

A risk management plan is a document that helps you identify, assess, and resolve potential problems that may arise during the course of a project. It can be compared to a map that shows all the obstacles you expect to encounter on your way. Thanks to risk planning, you are able to identify risks more easily, avoid them or even change the route if necessary. Therefore, managers formulate a risk management plan to identify potential threats to a project, assess their impact and likelihood of occurrence, and then define how to respond to them.

Remember, however, that risk in itself is not always a bad thing, and it does not necessarily mean that the occurrence of the problems is inevitable. Risk is just uncertainty. It is impossible to predict in advance what exactly will happen. The software project risks included in the plan may be related to scope, schedule, cost or quality. Therefore, the purpose of creating a risk management strategy is to identify these factors and create a system that correctly recognises them and works effectively, mitigating any negative effects.

One of the biggest risks in the software development industry is creating an application that does not meet the real needs – so the users will not use it.  In such a case, project success is virtually unachievable, even if its individual parts were made properly. Usability risk assessment is therefore associated with proper planning and asking yourself key questions about the project scope, the target audience and their expectations or how can you beat what the competition offers. A good practice is to concentrate on Minimum Viable Product that would help you validate your idea on the market. We created a comprehensive article explaining what is MVP, why you need it, and providing you with all the details about the costs and timeframe.

The usability risk of a software development project is one of the common risks – it means that users will not be able to understand how to use your application. Designing the interface as the first step in the development process can either make your application stronger or ruin it. The technical risks here depend on what functions are added later and how will they fit the User Experience (UX). Therefore, applications that do not fulfil their intended purpose, for example, because they are frustrating to navigate and suffer from an inadequate or poorly made interface. Hence, a good designer and marketing expert are key team members that help you make sure your application will succeed. This is exactly what we do to achieve the best results possible.

The last significant risk here comes from the way you perceive your app. Many companies believe in feature-rich applications because the users are expected to treat them as superior. However, adding numerous features that are rarely used can slow down your app and make the project costs go way too high. Too many features make the app confusing or clunky and require additional resources in terms of project management, investment, time and development. Therefore, make sure the application is as simple as possible and only includes features that are really necessary and attractive to users.

Your first step, which will define the direction in which the entire project will go, is to decide what kind of application you want to develop. If you do not have clear business goals and do not know the needs that your product can meet, you have already encountered one of the major software development risks. However, the mere uncertainty of what exactly you expect is not yet a problem. An experienced outsourcing partner such as TeaCode will help you prepare specifications (these don’t have to be such elaborate documentation processes, but many business owners fear them), describe and refine the idea behind ​​your application, keep your project schedule, as well as help you successfully release your app to the market.

Alternatively, you can define your main software development requirements by yourself, before signing up for a partner. You should create a plan to gain a competitive advantage, reach the target market and fulfil business goals, which is called go-to-market strategy. Defined expectations help to estimate how much effort should be involved, with what budget and for how long the project needs to be successfully completed. For this purpose, it is worth reflecting on some key issues. These include, among others, certain project details:

• the main purpose of the application,
• the target group and its analysis in terms of the systems used, habits or expectations,
• comparison with competing products and identification of the areas in which your idea is superior. It is also worth checking out the user reviews and the number of downloads, which will help you determine the expectations of your target group and its size.

By answering these and similar questions, you will create a clear vision of your application and find out what benefits it will bring to your company and recipients. Your partner or project manager can ask even more of them to build a detailed project scope and in-depth understanding of your goal.

So, the better you define your project, the more precise your project estimation becomes. I delve deeper into this topic in another article that focuses on the product discovery stage. If you’re eager to learn more about the significant impact the discovery phase has on your project, I highly recommend checking it out!

After all, the most important thing for you is the destination, the outsourcing partner will take care of the way and take on some of the software development risks.

An application done well and quickly, in turn, will not be cheap. A project conducted in such a way requires the involvement of a large team, excellent coordination by skilled project managers and a well-developed plan. You may choose to take this kind of financial software development risk to stay ahead of the competition.

Finally, a good and cheap application is certainly not being done quickly. Sometimes, however, you may find out that the best results are achieved by focusing only on one of the three goals. For example, when creating a large commercial project, you need to focus on its quality. It definitely can’t be done either quickly or cheaply, but the potential profit on product success is often worth the risk.

However, there is an exception to the rule, which is outsourcing. If you are a resident of the USA, Canada or Germany, hiring an experienced contractor, e.g. from Eastern Europe, is a good way to quickly create a good application at a lower cost than it would take to develop it in your country. You’ll be able to read more about finding dedicated software developers and top outsourcing destinations in Mike’s article. Professional software project management is in this case combined with mitigation of any technical, financial or schedule risks. An experienced and open-minded partner, such as TeaCode, is able to help you achieve the perfect balance of your project goals, budget concerns and opt for the reduction of operational risks.