69% of developers say they are partly self-taught at the least. This means they can learn and do things in their way, especially when it comes to the software development process.
This process does not have to be complicated, but it can be hard to get right. Check out this guide to find out the 5 ways you can improve your software development process:
1. Create a Workflow
The easiest way to improve your software development process is by creating a workflow. You may be thinking, “wow, why didn’t I think of that?” Yes, it may seem simple and straightforward, but there is a lot more to it that can help with all of your software development plans.
To make your process smoother, you must think about your workflow. This could take time to accomplish because you need to figure out what works best for you. The way a company gets things done may not be the ideal technique for you.
When creating a workflow, think about each phase your work will go through. Planning, creating, reviewing, and sending are all of the phases that you should focus on.
No matter what phase of workflow you are in, you should be able to understand it clearly. It is also important to leave room for any mistakes that may occur. This means making it simple to jump back into a step because you forgot one part of it.
Anything that you feel needs to be done continuously should be made into a mandatory step of your software development process. Making a step into a habit will ensure the step gets done every time. You won’t have to worry about going back in and completing it or having to get someone else to do it for you.
You may feel like you already have a good workflow in place when you are developing software. In this case, look for any inefficiencies so that you will know for sure if your workflow is working for you.
Some inefficiencies could include slow stages, piling work, tasks that get re-opened, and dead tasks. If you have any of these issues, you may want to consider switching up your workflow.
2. Clean the Backlog
Software development project planning is not easy. You may have come up with a lot of ideas, but never follow through with them. This means your backlog is probably getting clogged up.
Your backlog won’t do much good for you unless you are actively picking out of it. An ideal backlog will keep your focus on things that are most important in the now, but still, allow room for less critical work.
Your software development process can be improved if your backlog is cleaned out. Most backlogs are filled with ideas that will never be implemented. This is the problem.
Cleaning your backlog doesn’t necessarily mean throwing out work that you may do later on, it just means organizing it in a better way. Try splitting the backlog into categories.
It still is a good idea to delete tasks that you know you will never get to or that won’t be feasible. Clear out these types of projects periodically to ensure your backlog stays clean and your software development process is easier.
3. Know When Something Is Done
It is common in the developing world to have different definitions of done. This causes a lot of lost time and slows down the software development process.
If something is listed as done and keeps coming back to you for edits or redos, there is a problem. This continually happening means you need to change up the process of how you work.
Find out why projects keep coming back when they were set as done. Identifying the issue could lead to preventing it in the future.
To have a real definition of something being done, set specific rules. This set of rules could include things like features being implemented, unit tests being passed, the code getting done correctly, the SAFe certification being up to date, and more. If your documentation is not up to date, be sure to renew SAFe certification before listing a project as done.
The definition of done should be the same within the team you are working with. If everyone can agree on when something is done, things will run smoother throughout the entire project.
4. Organize Your Progressing Work
The work you have in progress can get messy, especially if you are dealing with multiple projects at one time. To improve your software development process, you need to have control over your work in progress.
Multitasking may seem like the best way to get a lot done at one time, but it can slow you down. There are ways to fight multitasking techniques that cause you to do less work. For one, you can limit the number of tasks you have at one time by setting a limit for yourself.
5. Show Your Progress
Your software development process can run a lot smoother when other people have access to your work. If everyone can see your progress, they can catch something you may have missed. This will save a lot of time in the end.
It can also be productive because everyone will know if you can finish in time, what tasks have already been completed, etc. A good way to do this is by putting all your work on a bulletin board. The visualization of everything in the project in one place will be beneficial to your software development process.
Improve Your Software Development Process
These 5 ways to improve your software development process can be taken into account individually. Find out what works best for you with all of these tips in mind and watch your software development process improve.
Improve your software development process today! Don’t forget to keep coming back for more articles like this!
