Often this is because people are attempting to take shortcuts. If you want something done right then it needs to be done according to the plan. Of course, there will always be extenuating circumstances where there is no time for this or that has changed massively but if it’s rare then avoid cutting corners even further in order to catch up.
This is only going to make things worse in the long run and can lead to major issues down the line. This is especially true when you have got a deadline looming and time is running out.
In order to avoid this, establish a timeline from the very beginning that takes into account everything that needs to happen, no matter how small. Also, make sure that people adhere to this plan and deliverables on time.
Sometimes we think of the plan as more than it really is and start to add bells and whistles which weren’t part of the original idea. This will lead to a lot of unnecessary work down the line when you have to go back, remove some features or rewrite them and rework everything.
This is particularly common with deadlines, where we often underestimate the amount of time we’ll need in order to get things done and rushing can lead to us adding more than we would do otherwise.
One way around this is to include a buffer zone at the end of your timeline for these kind of problems. This will give you some flexibility should something go wrong and make sure that you stick to the timeline.
Not updating your documentation can lead to issues further down the line when there are new features added, bugs fixed or even an entirely new person coming in. And giving people outdated or inaccurate information is simply not good enough for a professional software development team.
This is even more important if you are working on a public project or one which has client involved.
Document everything, every feature added, every bug found, any changes to documentation and so on. Set up an online wiki for this information to go into and just update it as things progress.
When errors happen they need to be fixed quickly. If they are not then you run the risk of losing people’s faith in your development team. Plus, nobody wants to use software which keeps crashing on them after all.
This is an easy mistake to make if you are working on a lot of different things at once and it falls by the wayside as something else comes up. However, this is an important one and it needs to be dealt with quickly in order for people to have faith in your team.
Many teams will prioritize errors based on severity but even so, ensure that the most critical ones are fixed first and if there is a big backlog then get help from someone else who can help you deal with them.
Let’s face it, nobody wants to work on the same thing over and over again. If you do then you are either very dedicated or slightly mad (or both). Of course, sometimes there is not a choice in this matter but if there is then avoid repeatedly doing the same task again and again.
If you have to do this, then take a break from it before you start again. Whether you go and grab a coffee or work on something else for a bit, this will stop burnout from setting in and make sure that things are completed to the best of your ability.
So now you know about some of the most common issues people run into when doing their software development. Granted, there are a lot but these are some of the top ones and if you avoid them then it will make life much easier for you and your team.
Not everyone will agree on what features should go into software first and prioritizing issues is something that even professional development teams differ on (it’s not as if we can all sit around drinking coffee all day, right?). The important thing is to be aware of these issues and do what you can to avoid them.
Sometimes we think of the plan as more than it really is and start to add bells and whistles which weren’t part of the original idea. This will lead to a lot of unnecessary work down the line when you have to go back, remove some features or rewrite them and rework everything.
This is particularly common with deadlines, where we often underestimate the amount of time we’ll need in order to get things done and rushing can lead to us adding more than we would do otherwise.
One way around this is to include a buffer zone at the end of your timeline for these kind of problems. This will give you some flexibility should something go wrong and make sure that you stick to the timeline.
Not updating your documentation can lead to issues further down the line when there are new features added, bugs fixed or even an entirely new person coming in. And giving people outdated or inaccurate information is simply not good enough for a professional software development team.
This is even more important if you are working on a public project or one which has client involved. Document everything, every feature added, every bug found, any changes to documentation and so on. Set up an online wiki for this information to go into and just update it as things progress.
Even if you are working on an internal project for yourself there is no excuse not to do this because it only takes a few minutes and it will save you time in the future. You can always go back over old documentation when you have time, too.
When errors happen they need to be fixed quickly. If they are not then the problem can escalate and create more issues. This is particularly true with crashes which seem to snowball into all sorts of things if they are ignored for too long.
This often happens because of deadlines, where you want everything finished so that you can hand it over and move onto the next thing. While rushing through software development is bad enough, ignoring problems can be devastating and only add to the time you need to spend fixing things at a later date.
It’s much better if you actually take some time out from what you are doing, put it away for a bit and come back when you have calmed down or when you have fresh eyes that can spot errors that may not have been so obvious before.
If you see a problem and don’t know what the best course of action is then ask for help! There is no shame in asking questions, especially if there are problems that need to be fixed quickly. It shows that you care about your work and want things to go smoothly and it will get more difficult for you and your project if things don’t work as they should.
So there you have it, 5 of the most common issues in software development and how to avoid them. Of course there are a lot more out there but these will give you some good pointers that can help when it comes to tackling the problem head on.
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