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The Great Divide: The Difference Between Planning and No Planning in Software Deployment

Would you go on a road trip without clear directions or a plan to get to your destination? Some would, and that’s OK.

The majority would have more confidence when going on a trip with a map and a plan to get to where you want to go. Without a roadmap or planned route, there is a great risk of losing time to get to your destination if you get lost, and losing money on wasted gas. 

The same idea applies to any large business investment to be made at a company. It goes unsaid that companies lose time and money when they jump into a large project, such as software investment, without a “roadmap” or plan.

According to Innotas, 55 percent of IT professionals surveyed indicated that they have experienced software project failure. Most of these failures can be traced back to a lack of proper planning.

As companies consider Digital Transformation to plan for new or better software, having a clear plan for a solution can be the difference between business growth and a business failure.

Why software projects fail and how to make them succeed

Problem: Ambiguous business objectives 

Less than 20 percent of business executives can clearly describe the requirement process of their business needs. With that statistic, if the company itself is unable to clearly define the requirements of their business needs, how can developers fully understand the specifications of the project? This ambiguity further also leaves the developers unsure of what features are essential. These expectations should be laid out from a very early stage but it is often not the case.

Solution: Engage key stakeholders early in the process

Software projects need to begin with a shared vision between executives, IT and all internal users of the software. Having a shared vision of the business objectives can mitigate confusion of the end goal. Resources like a Strategy Statement and Empathy Maps of your target audience are helpful tools to align this vision.

An Empathy Map defines your audience and helps to understand what drives user behavior
An Empathy Map defines your audience and helps to understand what drives user behavior
A Strategy Statement is used to define inputs and outputs to measure ROI.
A Strategy Statement is used to define inputs and outputs to measure ROI.

Problem: Unrealistic timelines and budget

One of the most common reasons why software projects fail is because of arbitrary deadlines and plans that are set without sufficient data. In the early phase of a project, time estimation is the best-educated guess because teams are still comprehending the project requirements. When they are not revisited regularly or resourced properly, it can be costly and time-consuming for the business.

Solution: Have a Solutions Plan

Without a clear plan, it is inevitable that developers will need to build and rebuild, which increases the project budget and extends the timeline. Before you begin any project, have a Solutions Plan that outlines the associated fixed costs and estimated timing (with buffers) to complete the project. It is not to say that when you set a timeline upfront, it will be followed to a T. You should revisit your plans and estimates frequently. During development, sprint reviews are set by the developer to review project milestones and check to see if the project is still on track.

A Solutions Plan offers a birds-eye view of the development scope.
A Solutions Plan offers a birds-eye view of the development scope.

Problem: Unclaimed accountability

When determining who is responsible for the software project, the answer should not be “all of us.” There will be many stakeholders and teams involved in the process but with too many cooks in the kitchen, there is confusion around roles and responsibilities. This confusion is often the greatest barrier and source of frustration to delivering successful software. 

Solution: Have a dedicated point of contact or team

Have a Dedicated Project Manager who is the go-to contact for the developer. It’s important to not assume that the dedicated contact needs to be in an IT role. Many organizations fall into thinking technology projects are exclusively an IT responsibility. Rather, it’s a joint responsibility between IT, business or sales team, operations and company executives. The dedicated resource manager should be the liaison between all these groups.

Once you determine a dedicated resource, it’s important to align expectations upfront with your development team so the build progresses smoothly toward your anticipated completion date. 

A dedicated resource for a development project must have a clear understanding of the business needs and goals.
A dedicated resource for a development project must have a clear understanding of the business needs and goals.

 

The software development process begins as early as the initial idea of creating a business software or mobile app. FUSION OF IDEAS’ Solution Mapping is a process to provide clear output so businesses can have a defined plan to participate in a development project or share with stakeholders. It makes for a much smoother and more effective design and evaluation process.

For more information, visit fusionofideas.com/mapping.

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5 Ways to Future-Proof Your Business With Technology

The way we work has significantly changed in the past decade due to workplace trends and technology advancements. Most would agree that the most significant changes occurred in 2020 when the COVID-19 crisis brought about years of change in the way companies in all sectors and regions do business. Employers were caught off guard by the pandemic and scrambled to shift their workforce efficiently to a remote environment.

COVID-19 presented an opportunity – and a need – for many companies to build digital competencies. According to McKinsey Global, the impacts of the global crisis on businesses have led executives to recognize the strategic importance of technology as a critical component of an organization, and not just a source of cost efficiencies. 

Many employers are looking at digital transformation to future-proof their businesses. They are implementing technologies to make their organizations agile, so when unforeseen changes occur in the future, the business will be ready to adapt. 

Here are 5 ways to future-proof your business using modern technology:

1. Go paperless

Moving from hard copies to digital ones enables your employees to easily access everything at their fingertips. With a remote workforce, digital collaboration tools make it easier to conduct teamwork, plan and transfer information faster. Paperless accounting is huge and allows companies to send and receive invoices, payments, and handle general accounting functions without the risk of losing, misfiling, or mislabeling financial paperwork. Going paperless puts all of your content online, instead of having the bulk of documents in your workplace.  Plus, it’s good for the environment.

2. Reimagine the day-to-day work process

Nothing compares to having work processes that save time and increase efficiency. Business functions like onboarding new employees or resolving everyday customer-service issues are made up of hundreds of smaller processes, such as opening a service ticket or submitting a laptop request for approval. By identifying which existing processes would benefit from a digital overhaul, your employees will have an easier time keeping track of things and working more efficiently.

3. Leverage automation

Running a business in today’s competitive world requires gaining an advantage and operating efficiently. To support your growing business and unique process, businesses need the ability to integrate and automate critical applications whether they’re in the cloud, on-premise, or on-device. By leveraging an integration platform – such as Claris Connect – businesses can orchestrate tasks and create highly efficient, streamlined workflows. 

4. Invest in customized software for scalability

According to research by Accenture, one of the main reasons digital initiatives don’t succeed is that they don’t scale adequately beyond initial pilot projects. It’s important to plan how the technology you use will grow with your business. Customized software solutions can scale to account for the current and future requirements of your company.

5. Make cybersecurity a priority

The threat of cyber attacks against modern businesses is increasingly relevant both inside and outside of the office. Particularly in today’s work-from-home environment, employees are working in a variety of unsecured locations, presenting business-sensitive data to a plethora of potential cyber threats. Cybersecurity strategies should include antivirus, encryption, software updates, and vulnerability scanning on mobile devices as well as mobile-specific security awareness training for relevant employees. 

 

Even when you know future-proofing your business is essential, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the options offered on the market or get caught up in pursuing “the next big thing,” Before investing in or upgrading your business technology, it’s helpful to assess your current operations and identify the needs that most impact your organization.

FUSION OF IDEAS’ Solutions Mapping Services does just that. Whether you have a full technology plan but need help refining the strategy, or you need step-by-step guidance on how to begin your digital transformation journey, we can help. For a free initial consultation, contact us at 949.453.0740.

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FUSION OF IDEAS is a Claris Partner!

We are thrilled to share that FUSION OF IDEAS is now a Claris Partner. For 25 years, Claris – formerly known as FileMaker – has been at the forefront of software development and offers a suite of services that drive digital transformation in businesses of all sizes.  

We are bringing more ways to create successful solutions for your business through software-powered innovation. Claris’ platform complements our App Development Mapping Service to bring you extended options for your software integration and solutions development needs. 

Click on the video below to hear what Claris Vice President of Sales
Ryan McCann has to say about FUSION OF IDEAS.

FUSION OF IDEAS is invested now more than ever to be your go-to solutions provider to meet your business challenges. We strive to create meaningful brand experiences with our branding and customization, innovate with new software solutions and help your business deploy devices to your remote workforce.

Read the full announcement here..

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From Concept to Code: How These Entrepreneurs Turned a Business Idea Into a Mobile App

Sue-Ellen is a healthcare professional, who has worked with patients in a variety of settings. With 15-plus years of experience under her belt, she recognizes a common industry problem and has an idea to solve for it through a software solution. 

After being introduced to FUSION OF IDEAS, Sue-Ellen and her husband and business partner, Michael, signed up for the App Development Mapping program and shared their app idea with the FUSION OF IDEAS team.  

This began their journey to explore and plan out their software solution, which is now in the development stage.

Together with FUSION OF IDEAS, entrepreneurs Michael and Sue-Ellen are bringing their business idea to life with a custom software solution.
Together with FUSION OF IDEAS, entrepreneurs Michael and Sue-Ellen are bringing their business idea to life with a custom software solution.

“FUSION OF IDEAS guided us as we worked through the key components of our app in detail, drawing out decision points and required functionality in the context of an intuitive user experience,” said Michael. “They helped us flesh out our ideas and offered other innovative ideas.”

The teams met multiple times, which allowed both parties to have a mutual understanding of the software solution needed. Through these crucial planning sessions, considerations were brought up that would have otherwise been overlooked or not considered until the app was deep in the development process.

Sue-Ellen and Michael participated in the design meetings with FUSION OF IDEAS to understand current app design trends, functionality and best practices. 

At the end of the mapping process, FUSION OF IDEAS presented Sue-Ellen and Michael with tools that would help them make an informed decision on next steps and reduce their time to market. These tools included:

  • Empathy mapping to help understand what drives user behavior
  • Application flowchart that represents the anatomy and high-level functionality of the app
  • Wireframe models that show basic content
  • App prototype to represent the end product.

They chose to continue working with FUSION OF IDEAS for the development of their application.

“The entire process gave structure to work we would have had to complete on our own anyway,” added Michael. “We enjoyed the personal interaction and engagement of the FUSION OF IDEAS team members. [They] were professional and demonstrated a genuine interest in the success of our ideas. We look forward to working with them to make it a reality.”

To find out more about how our App Development Mapping services can help solve your business challenges, visit www.fusionofideas.com/mapping or contact us at 949-453-0740.

Application flowchart
An application flowchart offers visual clarity by showing multiple workflows and their sequence into a single document.
Wireframe model
Much like a flowchart, a wireframe model helps with the visualization of the app. A wireframe incorporates the designs of individual pages in the app.
As the precursor to development, an app prototype portrays the final design, functionality, and user flow of an app.
As the precursor to development, an app prototype portrays the final design, functionality, and user flow of the app.
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Why You Need Pre-Planning for App Development (Part 2)

This is a two-part series on app development pre-planning, or mapping, as we call it. In Part 1, we shared what app development mapping is and why it’s an important part of a software deployment strategy. Here in Part 2, we will explore the steps involved in the mapping process so you can plan your next steps with confidence. 

 

Before any development or coding is done to create an application or software, there is an important process that will help minimize obstacles in the development journey. This pre-planning process, or “mapping” as we call it, can be the most vital part of a software deployment strategy.

As such, if you are considering a new business software or application, here are steps to help prepare you to launch your app effectively.

1. Define your app concept

Start by clearly laying out the concept of your app. Prepare a short description of your app so you can convey the core idea in simple terms. Broadly define the concept by answering these questions:

  • What business need or problem are you trying to solve?
  • What are your expectations for the app?
  • How will the app function?
  • How will it engage and be useful to end-users?

2. Identify target users

Have a clear understanding of the intended end-users. Additionally, invest time and effort into researching and understanding their characteristics. Create an empathy map to describe those characteristics, which will ultimately serve as a guide to how your app will be designed. 

An empathy map describes the characteristics of the software’s user(s), which will ultimately be a guide to how it will be designed.
An empathy map describes the characteristics of the software’s user(s), which will ultimately be a guide to how it will be designed.

3. Identify key project stakeholders

It’s also important to identify the roles and responsibilities of each person who will be involved with the app development strategy. These roles may include a project manager, who will communicate with external contacts, such as developers; and decision-makers who need to be involved in the approval process. It is recommended to include people from different departments in your organization in order to gain a variety of insights.

4. Consider the user experience

Using research on your end-user(s), determine what the app’s user experience will look and feel like. For example, if the end-user will be using the app on a construction field with gloves, you may want to consider screens that have minimal typing fields. Make a list of requirements for the best user experience.

5. Create the application flowchart

The creation of a flowchart allows you to translate your app idea into a visual aid illustrating the app idea, workflow and functionalities. A flowchart should represent the anatomy and high-level functionality of your app. 

The flowchart is a visual aid that represents the anatomy and high-level functionality, showing the complete flow of the application.
The flowchart is a visual aid that represents the anatomy and high-level functionality, showing the complete flow of the application.

6. Create wireframe models

Wireframes are essentially blueprints to detail each screen within your app. They are the first step toward defining the user experience of the application. Low-fidelity wireframes show basic content, while high-fidelity wireframes are more complete representations of the end product.

Low-fidelity wireframes are created as the first step toward the user experience of the application.
Low-fidelity wireframes are created as the first step toward the user experience of the application.
High-fidelity wireframes are more complete representations of the end product.
High-fidelity wireframes are more complete representations of the end product.

7. Create a prototype

A prototype is an interactive interface that mimics the actual look and functionality of the application. Typically, the prototype is created as the final stage of the design before development begins. An application prototype is powerful in two ways:

  • Having a holistic view of the design, functionality and user flow allows you to make calculated decisions prior to development, which can save money and time spent on changes further down the road.
  • The prototype can be used to showcase your app idea to potential investors if you need to gather early-stage investments.
A prototype is an interactive interface that mimics the actual look and functionality of the application.
A prototype is an interactive interface that mimics the actual look and functionality of the application.

One last step…Once your app is launched, it will eventually require updates and maintenance like bug fixes. In your deployment strategy, consider the level of support and maintenance that will be required based on your internal resources and budget.

The app development journey may seem daunting. We get it. That’s why we offer mapping services to help guide you through the pre-planning phase. 

We will also help you determine whether the best deployment strategy is to utilize existing software or build your own if you are unsure. We will guide you through the steps above and create deliverables that are yours to keep – everything from user research to wireframes and prototypes to technical scope documentation. 

By the end of the mapping process, you will be equipped with a software deployment strategy so you can plan your next steps with confidence. To explore more about FUSION OF IDEAS’ mapping process, contact our App Development Business Development team at info@fusionofideas.com.