Roadmap
Introduction
Developing products is a complex area, the same applies for an automobile as for software. Many projects have more in common than you think but there are even more differences that must be considered. It is therefore very important not to do the second step before the first. Here is a rough and general roadmap, how an idea could become completed software and what to consider during the process and after.
The idea
At the beginning there is an idea. No matter from brainwave or developed through shortcomings of previous solutions, this idea is not really specific. Firstly information need to be collected and processed. Then an economic entity must be built around this idea, risks and opportunities assessed, examined the financial feasibility and placed on solid ground.
Planning
Did you know that a vast amount of software projects fail or burst the financial frame and timeline? Major reasons for that are on one hand the communication between service providers and clients, on the other hand clients often are not aware of the depth of their project. Requirement books help both sides, it clarifies the the requirements of the application to build. Also quality standards and validatability need written agreements. The complexer a project, the more intensive does the planning need to be. Savings at this point often lead to extra costs and delays in subsequent steps.
Conceptualisation
Now it is time to think about realisation, what is technically achievable and what effort does it require. Also the graphic design is to be determinded. At the end of this step all participants know quite accurate what the product will be like and how it will look. The schedule need to be specified.
Programming
The product is being built now. Comparing constantly with the specification (requirement book), for instance with interim acceptances at certain pre-defined milestones, and testing make sure the software has the features and looks like previously described. Often the documentation is being built during this process as well. Helpful would be named reference persons for each party.
Implementation
If not already done the software will now be installed where is should run in real operation. Then final test and comparison to the specification book is taking place. After completing a trial period successfully the application is handed over to the client.
Maintainence
Software ages and need to be maintained. Usually that means adjustments to environmental changes (hard and software). Under circumstance security issues are found a while after the software has been launched or improved technology causes security breaches. For instance due to more and more powerful hardware and more and more efficient software almost any encryption algorithms will be eventually cracked.
