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App Development
7 minutes read

12 Signs You Need to Find a Rescue Team for Your App Development Project

By Jonathan Tarud
By Jonathan Tarud
App Development
7 minutes read

Expect the Unexpected During App Development Projects

Every founder or business owner will end up working with vendors at some point.

While some of the development teams you’ll partner with to build your app will deliver work that meets or exceeds your expectations, from time to time someone isn’t going to live up to what has been promised.

In fact, statistics show that most software projects actually end up going WRONG, and taking more time than originally anticipated.

According to the Standish Group’s annual report on the state of software development, on average:

  • 29% of projects “succeed” in delivering the desired functionality, on time and on budget.
  • 48% of projects are “challenged” and do not meet scope, time, or budget expectations.
  • 23% of projects “fail” and are cancelled.

Throughout my years of experience, I have collaborated with dozens of vendors, from terrible to top-notch. Needless to say, I’ve figured out a couple of things about working with teams that don’t quite live up to their expectations.

First, you go through the process of finding an app developer. The relationship may start out well, but somewhere along the way communication breaks down, progress comes to a standstill, or perhaps the situation even becomes combative. Worst of all, if any of these issues occur you’ll have lost valuable time and money.

Initially, the price of partnering with an app development team was right. In fact, it seemed reasonable. It wasn’t cheap, but it was definitely reasonable.

In this article, you’ll learn how to keep your eyes peeled for 12 signs that your app development project is in trouble, and how to choose a rescue team to get you back on track.

12 Signs Your App Development Project is in Trouble

It’s important to keep a close eye on the status of your software or app development project.

Stay alert, and be aware of the following signs that your project is at risk:

  1. The foundational code might be there, but it results in an awful UI/UX design, so your users don’t enjoy using your product.
  2. Demos are built, and show off some rough functionality, but you are no longer seeing progress or the completion of various features and functionality.
  3. The development team doesn’t seem to understand your requests, and you are experiencing communication issues.
  4. Excessive delays are stretching your time to market, and your launch date keeps getting pushed back.
  5. Performance is questionable, and the existing code quality is not up to standards.
  6. Despite your best efforts, you are receiving subpar reviews and ratings. Your app is not delivering the value or engagement your users expect.
  7. You’re exceeding your budget due to unforeseen expenses.
  8. The leaders of the project have left, so you are experiencing a knowledge gap.
  9. The software is not fit for the desired purpose.
  10. You have little to no access to progress reports or timelines.
  11. Your web application is built, but the agency isn’t capable of mobile (or vice versa). This means that you have to find somewhere else to bring your mobile version to life and worry about your web and mobile product design matching.
  12. You’ve made it past the initial planning phase, and now realize there’s no established process. No one is clear on how the end product will look and operate.

If you are experiencing any (or all) of these signs, it’s time to consider moving on by finding a rescue team to help save your digital solution from disaster.

Koombea specializes in rescue projects and has the expertise necessary to get your app back on track. Contact us today to start discussing where your project stands, and how to move forward.

Choosing a Rescue Development Partner

Before choosing a new app development partner, pinpoint the reasons why you’ve had so many problems with development up until this point.

Whether you are at a startup developing an entirely new service, part of a corporate team, or you simply hired a software company to develop an app, your project is not immune to failure.

Your problems could have arisen from the fact that you chose the wrong development partner altogether. Or maybe your goals for development were unrealistic and/or too risky. Maybe your developer established inaccurate expectations, and to top it all off, you could have misunderstood how software development actually works in the first place. 

Consider this as you search for your rescue team…

The quality of your dialogue while discussing your project is indicative of the development team’s interest in your success, the degree to which they understand your business goals, and their suggestions to help you achieve these goals.

A qualified app development partner that is able to rescue your project will carry out the following steps:

1. They’ll perform a Code Quality Review.

Many app development partners claim to be rescue teams, but in reality they simply inherit your existing code and get to work building the next version.

A true rescue partner will perform a Code Quality Review.

A Code Quality Review consists of taking an in depth look at any and all existing code in order to determine any strengths, and more importantly, any flawed or buggy code.

Basically, your rescue team should do the due diligence for you and then suggest the best route forward.

2. They’ll calculate and communicate ADRs — Assumptions, Dependencies, and Risks.

The Code Quality Review enables your rescue partner to perform an extensive quality analysis that should then enable them to calculate all of the assumptions, dependencies, and risks associated with your project.

Your rescue partner should clearly document these factors so that you can mutually discuss what your next move is.

3. They’ll select the approach.

An Agile approach is preferable when compared to other more traditional development methods.

Agile processes imply dividing your project into sprints, which increases engagement and the focus on delivering software that meets expectations. This allows both you and the development team to review the work weekly so that you are kept in the loop with where your project stands at all times.

Agile embraces you — the product owner —  and places you in a critical role on the project management team.

Agile proficiency is listed as an important factor to the success of rescue projects, and Agile methods provide the structure to fundamentally change how software is developed.

However, there is a large difference between following a process and engaging in a different way of working.

Good Communication is Essential for Any Successful Project  

If you feel like you need to begin working with a rescue development team, look for a team that will utilize their own professionals — including developers and designers — along with a capable project manager to ensure the app/website gets completed.

At Koombea, we prioritize the most important issues. Intermediate product releases are scheduled so we can ensure your solution reaches the market in the shortest time possible.

In addition to all the complexities that come with software development, there are typically investors and stakeholders to take into account. This inevitably takes a whole lot of patience. In order to truly comprehend the depth of the project takeover, the manager often needs ample time to settle in and construct a game plan moving forward.

It can be daunting to own up to the need for a software project rescue, but there is reassurance that you can get back on track and achieve your original objectives. The key is getting the right software development partner to help you.

Koombea has the knowledge, experience, and resources necessary to get your project back on the right track. We know that troubled software projects are not pretty, nor fun to be a part of.

Contact us today if you need a quick turnaround to correct a software project that’s gone awry!

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