Creating a project from scratch is a real challenge for all the process’s participants. The bigger the idea, the more unclear it is where to start working. What questions should you answer yourself, is it possible to create a project without resorting to the specialists’ help, and how not to turn grey, putting everything together? We’d better start from the beginning and go all the way till the end with a clear plan.
What is the project from scratch
Starting a project from scratch is like building a house, starting from the foundation, from the very beginning. There are no templates, no project framework, reference, or anything similar. A project is a blank slate, and you are the creator. It sounds very inspiring; there is the possibility of flexible planning and organization of small sprints with a significant level of control.
Is it that simple? Both yes and no: it will be difficult as much as you make the process difficult. If you plan the whole process, give the specialists specific tasks, explain your vision of the idea, and control all the stages, everything will be lit. Project creating or software development from scratch always allows you to go back and undo mistakes. The team works at its own pace and makes a good product — a fairy tale!
But don’t forget that the number of tasks, specialists, idea specifics, the duration of the process leave their mark. After all, creating software from scratch isn’t the same as correcting the colon in the code. How to set up this process so that most tasks go smoothly — follow the development stages. Let’s talk about them in more detail.
Stages of creating a project from scratch
There are six vital stages of it. No matter if you need custom software development or creating new projects, this is suitable for everything. Also, it’s flexible according to the team’s needs — it’s possible to move back and think, redo one more time.
1. Think about it
I’m sure you already have an idea in your head; now you need to specify it. What the product will be about what problems it solves, who needs it, how it will look, what functionality you would like to implement. Act like a film director — draw rough sketches of the screens, for example. You need to come to the team with something specific.
2. Brief it
No one likes to answer brief questions, but it’s necessary. If you just needed to think about implementing the idea, it’s required to create a massive database with answers to all possible questions.
What should be there?
project description;
target audience;
expectations, and goals;
budget;
desired project completion time.
It’s like a house’s foundation — this document will need to be referenced at the end of the work. With the help of it, the team will outline the development vector, and at the end, the results will be summed up with an analysis of the work done.
3. Plan it
Continuing the construction theme, it’s needed to ensure the right direction of work and its sequence. The lack of a detailed plan will put all the work in the initial stages at a dead end.
Another advantage of planning is its flexibility. First, you need to outline all the main work (back-end, design, front-end, etc.) and schedule smaller tasks. With the help of detailed planning, you will transfer all the processes to the appropriate specialists, and it will be possible to advance steadily to completion. Also, in case of problems, it’s possible to go back one stage back, fix everything and move on.
4. Design it
This is where the serious work on the project begins. You need to create a framework, regardless of web app development or mobile app development. At this stage, the minimum functionality is added. The minimum, in this case, isn’t a small change, but the most critical functions, the key ones that users need.
Also, at this stage of development, the user experience and its path through the product are considered. How should the user interact with it? Will it be apparent to the user what they should do inside? Here the team can add explanations or change the elements of the framework to more understandable and intuitive ones.
If everything turns out fabulous, the framework is sent for approval to the customer and the developers for work.
5. Implement it
We have reached a phase where it is time to introduce flexible sprints for the development team. The entire web app development process is broken down into several small sprints. Thus, each completed stage brings the project closer to the final step.
6. Aftercare (if needed)
If the customer feels they need technical support after the development is completed, the team will continue to support the project. For example, technical problems arise in the course of work or the wish for custom software development.
Recommendations for creating a project from scratch
Perhaps I say this too often, but a flexible approach should be present in tasks of this scale. Some recommendations before you start:
organize everything so that it is possible to rewind the process a little bit, correct the shortcomings, and not make the product one big and clumsy block;
small amounts of sprint tasks will help you adjust to the situation;
if you doubt your abilities so much that you can’t start a project, trust the professionals — the consultation will help you see the whole idea. A turnkey project will allow you to sleep peacefully and not worry about every line of code or software design.
Always keep in mind the ultimate goal — a good product that is convenient and useful to use. And all the work before is the opportunity to create software that meets your requirements; it is a creation from your head. So let people see it as soon as possible, and they will like it!
Summarizing: a project from scratch
Creating a project from scratch can face unexpected problems and difficulties, so it is worth planning and setting up the process to the maximum. It means that with custom software development, you need to use a clear plan, which means:
create the right direction for work;
schedule responsibilities and work for each team member;
create process flexibility;
monitor development in real-time in the form of sprints;
save time and effort.
This meticulous construction of the project work allows creating a critical vision of the situation. And it will be an intelligent decision to entrust this process to professionals. Technorely is ready to help with creating a project of any complexity. In the end, we analyze the work, which will contain positive aspects and those that the team should improve in the future. This approach to creating new software is one of the most reasonable and productive.