Best Tips for Strong Enterprise App Development Lifecycle

Enterprise App Development

The Best Tips for Strong Enterprise App Development Life-cycle

Don’t underestimate the planning and effort that enterprise app development is going to take. Too many managers and C-level executives have made the mistake of thinking that hiring top-notch developers to reach their captive audience would make the entire process relatively straightforward.

Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

There are more potential pitfalls to enterprise app development than you may currently realize. To that point, here are four tips you need to know in order to develop your successful enterprise app.

Let’s dig in.

1: Managing Stakeholders

When it’s time to launch any mobile project, it’s going to require a strong organizational champion to back it. In a perfect world this champion is going to be a C-level executive. In most cases you’ll want this to be your CTO. However, depending on the specific project, this key individual could come from Marketing, Corporate Communications or Finance.

Another key tip when launching an enterprise application development project is to limit how many initial stakeholders you have. Avoid scouting out any and all potential contributors for the project. It’s better to work under the radar. This produces results with faster development cycle and a truer product definition.

A larger pool of stakeholders often produces a “Frankenstein app” that tries to solve too many issues and doesn’t answer any of them succinctly.

2: Properly Evaluating the Platform

A mobile app is not like conventional software. It needs to sharply focus on just a few key goals. You need to identify which important user features and stories will define the application at it’s heart. As such, you’ll want to utilize a Value Proposition Design approach that clearly outlines which goals and pain points the app project is taking on.

As a general rule, if you’re in doubt about a feature remove it. Remember that all the best apps immediately and the “What is this for?” question.

Beyond this, take close note of who your target audience is, what their user patterns are and how the app features will meet them where they are.

Defining Success Criteria

You want to guarantee that your app will receive high approval. To do this, you’ll need to have success criteria properly documented. Simply stated, success criteria is a measurable list of outcomes the enterprise app development project plans on producing. Stated another way, your success criteria are a list of items that directly demonstrate positive impacts on customers, employees, management and other key stakeholders.

Have these defined and agreed upon by critical project sponsors.

3: UX

Don’t be fooled into thinking that your employees will regularly use the app simply because they work for you and seem to be a captive audience. Without putting the effort into making the app a top-notch user experience, the audience will find a way to rebel. When the user community is unhappy it can often lead to employee conflict and abandonment rates that are too high. Ultimately this will result in a poor ROI and potentially even a total flop.

In most cases the lack of success of a mobile app tracks directly back to underestimating design importance. Exceptional design begins with prototyping. Therefore, when you develop prototypes, you’ll help ensure that you start on the right path to developing a solution users actually use and enjoy.

If you’re looking to get the highest value for the smallest investment possible, consider using and MVP approach. The key is early engagement with stakeholders that will help you manage expectations more efficiently.

Remember that genuine feedback will be the best reward. Giving the audience a working model is the best way to discover what’s working and what’s not. If you don’t understand these key steps in the project or choose to ignore them, the project may end up being a disaster.

In Conclusion

Managing an enterprise app development project within budget and on time can happen when expert resources meet best practices. These tips should greatly assist in ensuing a successful app development lifecycle.

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OTS Marketing Team