It is imperative for our client’s success that the apps we develop for them are managed properly. An app is a large investment. If an app were to see less than stellar success, that would be detrimental to the future of our client’s businesses.
There are many factors that go into successful software development. Between the leader, tools, processes, and actual tasks.
Darko Mijic, our Project Director says “Trust is a vital component of project management as it directly relates to the project’s success. Whether it is between the manager and the Dev team or the manager and the client a lack of trust often leads to poor communication and lack of motivation on all sides.”
At Nexrage Studios, we pride ourselves on transparent and honest communication. There are a few standard procedures we’ve enacted to keep projects on time.
In this blog we will cover the tools our Project Director utilizes, effective procedures, and our tips and tricks to achieve a successful project launch.
Tools Nexrage Uses
Our primary tools consist of:
Monday.com
Slack
Figma
FigJam
Slack is used for our internal and client communications. The integrations and plugins allow us to automate notifications and updates regarding tasks. We’ve found that since switching from Microsoft teams to Slack, cross-team communication and fraternization has increased Since Slack seamlessly integrates with Monday.com, it’s made task delegation and monitoring a breeze.
Monday.com offers a variety of automations that help for our various departments. Automatic messages via slack when the status of an item is updated, or when the person assigned changes.
Our development team uses GitHub to ease our flow of development. GitHub allows our various teams to push code updates with specific pieces, and our team leads to pull branches and other team members code to ensure minimum risk.
Currently, our Project Director Darko, works simultaneously as our in-house client designer. Figma and FigJam are a few of the tools he uses for that sector of work. We talk more in depth about Figma, why we use it, and the pros and cons in our UI/UX design tools blog.
Task Delegation Tips
Darko, our Project Director delegates tasks based on a few criteria. The most obvious one, being which team does the task fall to? Is this a task for the backend to handle or is it a frontend task? A brilliant and fitting quote to describe project management and its relationship to the bigger picture.
“Operations keeps the lights on, strategy provides a light at the end of the tunnel, but project management is the train engine that moves the organization forward.” — Joy Gumz
Our team currently self-manages most of the time. By trusting our team to get what needs to be done completed, we’ve seen a bigger push in dedication and efficiency. Darko, our Project Director stays away from micromanager or over managing as it causes frustration and lack of motivation.
If a team member seems to be having trouble with a task, the PM (Project Manager) sits down and works through functionality with the team.
Communication
Communication and clarity. The biggest factor in the success of your project and manager is communication. Communication is key in any relationship, especially one with so many moving parts. Proper documentation and regular reports will prove helpful to your team working together. Regular meetings and team standups will create a level of transparency. Clear communication with clients and stakeholders creates trust.
Thorough documentation and explanation of features lets teams properly estimate timeline for specific tasks.
Tools
Since we are a software development company, we use many tools that may not be entirely suitable to you or your business. However, there are a few key tools that will ensure success for any project in any industry.
Previously mentioned, our Project Director uses, Monday.com, Slack, Figma, and FigJam. Our Social and Marketing Manager uses Monday.com, Airtable, Slack, and a variety of adobe projects and SEMrush to ensure success. What do these lists have in common?
Well for starters they both include task management applications, as well as communication tools, but beyond that, they’re tools that work for them and their specific needs. Finding the right tools for your business may be as easy as using the same ones that Nexrage uses, or it may take trial and error. There are so many tasks management tools out there, anything from Monday.com to Notion to Todoist to Asana, to Azure TFS… the list goes on and on and on and on…
We picked Monday.com because of the vast variations on automations, boards, and plugins. We picked Slack for the same reasons, and the variety of custom emojis we could create.
Flexibility
Roadblocks and mistakes are bound to happen. Planning for a buffer can help mitigate the negative effect on the timeline that might result. Being a flexible leader in cases of high stress could mean the success rather than failure of a project. Being able to adapt quickly and think on your feet when it’s crunch time, as well as having the ability to properly prioritize tasks depending on importance to the client is crucial.
It is standard practice to add a buffer to an estimated timeline to account for uncertainties. The method in determining the quantity of buffer varies on the team members attached, the complexity of the task, and what pieces of technology of the existing application or software the feature will touch.
Motivation
Moral and motivation go hand in hand. If your team does not believe in you, they will not believe in the project. For your team to believe in you, you must earn their trust. Getting to know your team members and relating to them personally is one way to earn their trust.Harvard Business Reviews’ analytics and statistics research found that "56% of respondents say their organization has achieved positive ROI from its investment in employee engagement.”
Your project is only as good as the people working on it. Picking the right team members for your client’s needs will determine your timeline and scope.
Time Management Tips
Time management is one of the most important soft skills you can have. The ability to delegate, prioritize, and work efficiently is imperative to productivity and success. Flexibility with your tasks and shifting focus can be helpful in making sure team members stay on target. While jumping from task to task depending on the urgency, our Project Director sees higher efficacy and work ethics from singular focus.
How to manage a large team
What problem is your app or company trying to solve?
With any sized project, it’s important to follow and remember these 5 tips.
Prioritize tasks
Set time limits, and break periods
Organization is king
Set goals
Plan ahead
Prioritizing tasks and organizing your project is essential. Organize your project based on severity of tasks. In software, there’s a hierarchy to how tasks and features are implemented. A home page needs to be built before a menu bar or footer can be created.
Limit the amount of time allocated to each task, if a task drags on for longer than it should, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Our Project Director monitors how long tasks are taking to accurately report back to the client. If a task takes longer than it should, Darko will work alongside our team members to ease roadblocks and assist with complex functionality. Take a minute to step away, clear your head, and taking a walk can improve creative thinking and problem solving.
We previously talked about the importance of setting goals and how to effectively utilize tools to monitor and track progress.
Planning ties all these previously mentioned tips together. By planning ahead you’re organizing your project, prioritizing tasks, creating timelines, and setting deliverables for your team.
Our Experience Managing Internal and Client Projects
One of our longest, most complex, and most successful projects to date (ongoing) is the epitome of project management done right. Directing a project can be easy, difficult, time consuming, and will require creative thinking, and trust all the time.
Read more about Artis (aforementioned project) in our case study.
A project will evolve overtime. With the tools and tips covered in this article, your project will see success too. Trust the process, trust your team. Find the right tools and process that will work with your team, industry, and project type.
Have a question? Contact us today.
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Check out our blog on Digital Transformations and how it can elevate your business with a mobile app.
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