When you’re a business owner looking to improve operations through a custom business software project, you have to keep one eye on the bottom line. You need to know the project you need will be delivered on time, and on budget. But over time, it can be easy to let added features or delays push you past your estimate. Here’s what you can do as a business owner to keep your business software project on track.
1.Clearly Define the Business Software Project from the Start
The single biggest thing any owner, executive, or manager can do to keep your business software project on budget is to be clear about what the project and the budget are from day one. If you have expectations about what the final product will do that aren’t specifically laid out, your development team may have to go back and remake key features later on. That will add to your cost, and your timeline.
The best way to get your business software project off on the right foot is to meet with a Provisio web solutions strategist first. We can perform a technology / operations evaluation that helps you clearly define what you want your new software to do, and how it can best be integrated with the workflow you currently have in place.
2.Set a Budget for the Full Project
Once you know what a custom business software project can do for you, it is time to set limits based on what your company can afford. Your Provisio web solutions strategist can help you define how much a custom software package will cost, and come up with cost-saving strategies if your budget won’t allow for a from-the-ground-up approach. By being clear about how much you can afford early in the process, you can avoid surprises later on and keep your business software project on budget.
3.Bring All the Decision-Makers to the Table
One mistake business owners often make when planning a business software project is that they forget to get input from the employees who will actually use the program. While you may be the one painting the big picture, including purpose and budget, if your employees can’t use the end product you will never see a return on that investment.
Be sure to include someone in the decision-making process who knows the on-the-ground needs of your employees and can identify any pitfalls in the process. The earlier these challenges are identified, the less likely they are to delay your end product and push the project over budget.
4.Stick to the Plan
Change is another common budget-buster. This can mean many different things. You might change your pricing strategy, hire on a new manager, or realize the project could be even more useful if it just had this one other feature. However, every time you make changes to the development plan, you run the risk of increasing development time and expense. When you add features or change the plan midway through the project, you risk setting your business software project over budget.
5.Stay Connected with Your Development Team
Possibly the best way to keep your business software project on track and on budget is through consistent contact with your development team. At Provisio Technology Solutions, we don’t believe in having one initial meeting and then showing up 6 months to a year later with a “finished” product. We know that leads to unmet expectations and unnecessary work when our developers have to go in and correct what missed the mark.
Instead, the Provisio development team will stay in contact with you and your decision-makers throughout the development process. We’ll provide mock-ups and project specifications along the way so you know what to expect, and how your project is progressing. Then, if anything is off, we can respond early, before the feature is locked in, to bring things back on course. This “agile” development strategy keeps your needs at the heart of the process and keeps your business software project on budget.
At Provisio Technology Solutions, we want to work with you to create a custom business software project that will address your company’s needs. Contact the website consultants at Provisio Technology Solutions today to schedule a meeting.