In a world of increased digitalization and hyper connectivity, deploying the best digital solutions is a prerequisite for exceeding customers’ expectations and ensuring business success. Organizations that become truly agile and implement a culture of continuous improvement, will have a true competitive advantage.
In the DevTalks Reimagined 2021 edition, Andrei Pavel, Director of Engineering at Cegeka Romania, presented how a preparation phase for a software project, prior to implementation, can impact the success of that solution. We called this phase - Foundation.
Why do companies need a Foundation Phase?
We talked about the importance of understanding the business part of the project and the as-is context by using different techniques like: impact mapping, value stream mapping, process mapping and more. We mentioned about techniques and ways to define functional requirements using story mapping, customer journeys, etc., so that their quality does not impact the project as long as it does not change significantly.
Also, the importance of the technical implications (performance, scalability, integrations, Security and many others), as well as about the estimation and planning ways.
What are the advantages?
Implementing a Foundation Phase can have numerous advantages. Firstly, the experts required for the successful completion of the IT projects can be clearly identified. Given today’s tech talent scarcity, it is crucial to identify exactly which experts are needed for each project implementation. This allows us to select the right expertise from our extensive talent pool and quickly scale it up to successfully develop the digital solution your company is aiming for.
Furthermore, at the end of this process, a high-level architecture will be established, clearly outlining the solution in detail. A project implementation plan will also be created, considering all resources needed: the right expertise, time and budget. Another valuable outcome is the ability to establish the project's feasibility and its cost vs. benefits. In case all information indicates the project might be too costly, too time-consuming, or too difficult to implement other alternative solutions can be sought. Otherwise, if the project is worth pursuing, the implementation restrictions will be established to allow for a successful implementation.
Cegeka Romania offers Foundation as a Service, respectively partnership in the further development of the entire project. Watch Andrei Pavel's presentation from DevTalks Reimagined and discover more about this subject.
The 3 deliverables for such a phase are:
- List of both functional and non-functional requirements
- System architecture - high-level
- Estimation and Roadmap based on the two points above
Software development projects are not doomed to fail by definition. There are sure ways to avoid crashing and burning. Implementing a Foundation Phase is one of them.
