What are the deliverables in a software development project?

Do you know what to deliver at each stage of the software development project? This post is here to solve this question and present the delivery process in the development of mobile applications . But make no mistake, this model can be used in software projects of the most varied branches.

The start is a good start...

Before defining the deliveries that will be carried out during the development process , it is necessary to plan very well with regard to the available working time, labor, the resources that will be used and, mainly, the project guidelines.

This first step is aimed at the project management area, which in the initial phases plays the crucial role of scheduling the schedule and defining goals for each stage of the application's construction.

We can approach the subject of the different development models that can be adopted, but we will leave this subject for a next text and focus on our main objective, which is to present what is delivered to the customer in the software manufacturing process from the perspective of FWC Technology.

How to define what will be delivered?

Taking into account that at the time of software design, the requirements analysis has already been done and the purpose of the software, along with its functionalities, has already been decided. It's time to apply this knowledge to the mode of operation, and usage constraints listed by the customer, and start thinking of them as use cases.

You must be wondering why use cases are used to define deliverables and not just to test the application, and the answer is very simple: from the construction of the use cases of an application, it is possible to determine the main routes of use of the application and divide them into steps.

In addition, use cases bring the developer and project analyst closer to the real function of what is being used, enabling a critical analysis that favors the user experience and optimizes the application's functions.

Building use cases

To build a use case that is comprehensive, to the point of being relevant, and small, to the point of being supplied and built into the application in a short time, it is necessary to do it from user profiles and for that there is a need of knowledge about the public for which the software was designed.

The importance of this division lies in understanding that a child uses an app differently from an adult or an elderly person, and each of these profiles needs their own tools to best meet their needs .

It is also possible to extrapolate this perspective of users and divide them into groups of people who: do not know how to use the application and do not enter data correctly; users who use the application providing all the information correctly within the app, without making any mistakes; the middle ground between these two profiles, which is closer to the real user, where he makes some mistakes but not constantly.

The performance of user profiles

The first use case that must be built is the perfect user, where no data needs to be validated because it correctly uses the entire system. From it, it is possible to trace the route that starts with the login, proceeds to the main purpose/objective of the software and moves on to finalization.

In an application focused on the education area, for example, we can divide these three steps into receiving the registration and login information of a student, forwarding him to the subjects/activities selected for his profile and then presenting the result of his performance after finishing some test or work. From this example we can define the main deliveries for the customer .

Considering the project suggested above, we defined that the first stage will be granted a preview of the registration and login of the application, between the second and third stage the interface for accessing the tests/work will be developed and the fourth stage of the project will be the delivery of the reports of the user within the application.

The troublesome and the perfect

Now remember the user profiles? This is when the role of these use cases becomes even more important. Among the 3 main deliverables of the project, which were listed above, the fixes raised during testing and development are added. Thus, we guarantee that for each error found by the profile that goes against the application, using the software in a completely "wrong" way, there will be a response or direction from the project to improve the experience of the same and also guarantee the safety of the project .

Considering all the use cases raised so far, we have that the best of the possible scenarios is to define the main deliveries for the client with fixed dates before the beginning of the development and to use the user profiles to direct the tests of the application in the meantime to correct the bugs or errors found before they reach the contractor.

For this, it is important to have in your team a professional responsible for software testing, who will forward to the developer a complete analysis of the inconsistencies found in the tests, which were directed by the use cases, so it is possible to reduce or even eliminate software errors. even before it gets tested by whoever hired the app to develop.

What to do at the end of the project?

Remembering that with the delivery of the last stage, with all the functionalities of the previous deliveries working perfectly, the construction of the mobile software is finalized and finally its publication on application distribution platforms , whether for Android, such as the Playstore , or for IOS, like the Apple Store, or any other chosen by the client at the beginning of the project.

In summary

1. In order to define the deliverables of a project, it is necessary to gather the requirements of the same and put them in use cases.
2. After tracing the profiles of use of the software, the routes that the users will transit in the application are defined and thus it is possible to partition in stages.
3. Between one delivery and another, tests will be carried out and corrections will be implemented, which do not necessarily need to be punctual deliveries to the customer, however the applied corrections must be available in the next main delivery.
4. The completion of the project takes place when all functionalities are implemented and are working completely, after which it is already possible to forward the application to the distribution platforms.

Still in doubt? Here we have the answer:

Interested in the subject and want to know more about application development? Contact us! We have a complete team of professionals ready to assist you and answer all your questions, we have testers, analysts and developers from all over Brazil and we can turn your project into reality.

All of our deliveries are monitored very carefully so that the result is in line with your expectations and can give you the security of presenting your software as a reliable product to your customers.