Software project review meeting ñ items for the agenda

Deciding to employ a business to design a bespoke software solution should be an effective way of ensuring that your software will be able to meet your commercial objectives. Software solution company, Codify, is advising companies that if they want to reap optimum benefits from this process the project review meeting should form an integral part of the project.

According to Graeme Humphrey, Operations Manager at Codify, the review meetings help to ensure that the project is delivered on time, on budget and that the tailored solution will deliver everything expected of it.

ìHolding regular review meetings with the client is integral to the project. It provides a forum for delivering and receiving feedback and also for reviewing the project objectives and making sure the project is on track. In order to get the most out of review meetings the client should ensure they are fully prepared for the meeting and know what questions to ask so they can determine the current status of the project.î

Items that should be on the agenda at a software project review meeting include:

Current state of play
Graeme advises determining the current status of the project and suggests that this should be compared against the project plan.

ìReviewing progress against the project plan will enable you to determine which agreed milestones have been achieved. Should any have been missed you should then ascertain why they were missed and how this will impact on the work schedule moving forwards. It is not unreasonable to expect the software developers to provide suggestions as to how any lost time can be made up.î

Graeme continues. ìThroughout the course of the project there should be a clear critical path for moving the project forward; this should include the functionality priorities to getting the system live.î

Software testing
An important part of implementing any software system is testing. Graeme recommends agreeing a plan for users to test the software and report any bugs or inconsistencies.

ìTesting the software is a vital part of the development process, bugs should be reported as and when they are found. These should then be reviewed at the project review meeting.î

ìKeeping track of the rate at which issues with the software are being reported and also the rate at which they are being resolved, provides a good indication of the health of the project.î Graeme adds, ìYou donít want to see the number of outstanding issues increasing as this indicates that the project is not progressing as it should.î

ìWhen making the necessary arrangements for the next round of testing you should not only check the clientís availability to test against the next milestone in the project plan but also ensure that they are aware which aspects of the software will be focussed on - this will ensure they have the most appropriate people available to carry out the testing.î

Changes to specification
ìThroughout the development and testing process it is possible that the users will identify additional functionality requirements ñ change requests should be submitted to the software developers as and when they are identified. Holding regular project review meetings provides an opportunity for the software developers to deliver an update on any change requests.

ìDiscussing changes to the specification at a project review meeting also means that the software developers can advise whether the changes will impact on the cost of the project and also whether or not they will result in a delay in the software going live. Should a delay prove inevitable you can then decide whether it would be better to allow the originally specified system to go live on schedule and then develop and implement the additional functionality as Phase II.î

Going live
An important part of introducing a new software system is encouraging buy- in from the end users. A date should be arranged to demonstrate the software to end users and this should be followed by training sessions.

ìKeeping on top of the project plan by having regular review meetings will enable the business to ensure that the training is fully undertaken before the software is rolled out across the business.

ìThe timing of the release of the software should also be discussed at the project review meetings. Factors to consider include avoiding times when the database would have highest usage, these normally include billing or payroll. It is also advisable to consider running dual systems during an initial test period so that users are confident before the system goes live. Another option which could be discussed and considered is whether the system could be introduced gradually to users, i.e. global software should additional countries be phased in over time.î

Any other business
This is the time to raise any additional concerns or to check that everyone is up to speed with the actions they have been allocated. ìDonít wait until the meeting has broken up and then think of concerns that should have been raised. If you think of something in between meetings make a note of it so that you can be sure to raise it at the next review meeting,î says Graeme. ìThe project can only move forward if everyone involved with it knows what their role is and what is expected of them and by when.î

Notes
At any meeting, virtual or otherwise, note-taking is essential. Graeme explains, ìTaking minutes and circulating them to all attendees is a vital part of meeting etiquette. The minutes should include a list of attendees, the items that were discussed and a list of any actions and who they have been assigned to. These should be distributed as soon as is practicable after the end of the meeting.î

ìThe notes also form a useful audit trail and can prove to be a valuable resource, especially if there is a need to check why or when a specific decision was made.î

Graeme adds, ìImplementing a tailor made software solution should give a business the edge over their competitors precisely because it has been designed to fit with company specific requirements. Businesses taking this route should ensure they have regular review meetings with their software developers so that they can keep control of the project and encourage buy-in from across their organisation.î

Codify is a software solution company providing companies with custom software solutions. Codify also support and maintain software solutions on behalf of a wide range of clients.