How does your idea turn into a real product? Have you ever wondered how the project management process looks? If so, this post is for you! There are many project management methodologies but here, at INVO, we like to use the agile methodology. It enables us to deliver a quality product that suits your needs while maintaining flexibility and the ability to adjust to any unexpected situations. So, how does the process look? It can be divided into 5 basic stages:

  • Initiation
  • Planning
  • Execution
  • Monitoring progress
  • Closing the project

As you can see, it is not that complicated! What happens at each stage of the process? Let’s break it down!

1. Initiation

This is the very first stage. All projects start with an initial contact. During this phase of the project your idea will be carefully examined, because the software development team you’ve chosen needs to understand your vision, needs and expectations. They will do their best to realistically judge if and how can your project be completed.

2. Planning

After you’ve presented your vision to the development team, they can start planning your project. It will involve estimating the time and cost of your project as well as determining what resources will be needed to complete it. During this phase of the project management process your idea will become more structured and organized. There will be tasks and schedules created and you will be introduced to your team’s communication channels and tools. At INVO, we like to use Slack as well as e-mails and phone calls.

3. Execution

Your project is now ready to be executed. The tasks will be distributed to the team members and they can start working out your vision. When it comes to software development, executing your project usually starts with designing your product. After you accept the design the team moves on to coding. How long this phase will take depends on your project – which kind of a software product you want and how complicated it will be. This stage is also mostly in sync with the next one, because execution has to be monitored and adjusted to any changes or problems that come up along the way.

4. Monitoring progress

This stage is crucial for the whole project management process. After your project has launched and tasks are being completed there is a chance that errors or problems will occur. Actually, it is almost inevitable. That’s why the project manager needs to evaluate each completed tasks and compare the effect with the initial plan. You will also be strongly involved in this process, because the product needs to fulfill your needs and meet your expectations. Usually, after a task is completed, it is sent to the client to see and evaluate and give suggestions. Then the team makes changes accordingly (back to execution), the task is approved and they move on to the next one!

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5. Closing the project

After all the tasks are completed and approved and the final product is derived, the project can be closed. It usually requires some paperwork and documentation to be done. The project manager will also compare the outcome of the project with initial plans and schedules to evaluate the project’s success. This evaluation enables the team to learn form any mistakes that might have been made or ensure them that their methodology is good.

These are the 5 basic stages of a project management process. All projects include them, but depending on the project they may differ. There are also many different project management methods. As previously stated, we prefer to use the agile one. To understand the process better you should also be familiar with the concept of agile software development.

Agile Project Management

Agile Methodology’s main goal is to plan your project in way that allows the development team to make quick adjustments and changes along the way in order to provide a perfectly working product which fulfills all your needs and requirements, even if they change at some point of the process.

Agile Development Process focuses on revising goals along the way and planning on multiple levels in order to provide flexibility. Because of this, all the problems that come along can be solved quickly and easily and you can be sure that your needs will be satisfied! You can read more about Agile Software Development here.

Hopefully, after reading this post the process doesn’t seem like it’s “black magic”. Remember that your team is always there for you and will guide you through your project and provide you with any help you need!