Struggling to balance quality and time in software design?

Para quem está iniciando um projeto pessoal ou um projeto de freelance, é comum sentir um leve desespero e se perder entre as ideias, resultando muitas vezes em projetos inacabados. Para evitar isso, é essencial estabelecer métricas realistas e objetivos claros para as entregas. Também é importante incluir uma margem de seguran?a no cronograma, já que imprevistos podem ocorrer e causar atrasos. Ao adotar essas práticas, aumenta-se a chance de concluir os projetos com sucesso e dentro do prazo. Em meu projetos pessoais, costumo utilizar Scrum ou Kanban, n?o é bala de prata porém grande parte resolveu meus problemas.

In my experience, the best way to define goals and achieve stakeholder agreement is by establishing measurable goals that translate into clear success criteria. Consider the difference between an unclear and SMART goal. [Unclear Goal] Develop a user-friendly calculator interface. [SMART Goal] Create a calculator app capable of performing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division operations accurately for two-digit numbers. Goal should be SMART i.e S - Specific M - Measurable A - Achievable R - Relevant T - Time bound

Define the boundaries of the project, including what will and will not be included. This helps to avoid scope creep, where additional features are added without corresponding adjustments to time and resources.Quality Standards Establish what constitutes acceptable quality for your project. This includes coding standards, user interface design, and performance metrics. Set realistic deadlines for different phases of the project. Breaking down the project into smaller milestones helps in tracking progress and making adjustments as needed. Creating a Roadmap Develop a detailed project plan outlining each phase of the development process, from initial research and design through to testing and deployment. Milestones and Deliverables

Tener objetivos claros aumenta significativamente el éxito del producto, ya que da una mayor claridad de lo que se pretende y como se va a lograr. Además, disminuye la dificultad de un desarrollo, es mucho mejor enfocarse en peque?os objetivos que en su conjunto llevan a un gran objetivo que tener grandes objetivos y no saber por donde empezar. Tener está claridad de objetivos ayuda también a despejar dudas incluso ir dos pasos adelante del desarrollo y evitar que algo nos tome por sorpresa

One of the first steps to balance software design quality and time-to-market is to define clear and realistic requirements for your software design & flow. Requirements are the specifications of what the software design and CX should look like, how it should behave, and what constraints it should follow.

Adopting an Agile approach to software design helps in effectively managing the quality-time balance by emphasizing iterative development, collaboration, and flexibility. These methodologies ensure that the project can adapt to changes, maintain high standards of quality, and meet deadlines more efficiently. By focusing on incremental progress and continuous improvement, Agile enables teams to deliver high-quality software that meets user needs and business objectives.

Agile approach helps us to deliver the quality products in a short time span. As it's focused on iterations, early customer feedback for improvement of the product. We are opportunities to improve the quality with different ceremonies of Scrum which can reduce the uncertainty.

Si bien estoy de acuerdo con el modelo iterativo de desarrollo de Scrum, no estoy de acuerdo con la filosofia de Daily, Weekly y demás que lo tienen. Una daily debe durar a lo sumo 5 min + 1 min por miembro que haya (y mucho me parece), pero últimamente en el ámbito empresarial se ha decidido hacer daily con el cliente, daily entre departamentos técnicos de ambas empresas, daily interna. Si bien Scrum ayuda al desarrollo, las empresas se han tomado demasiado en serio el tema de las reuniones y pasas a estar más tiempo reunido que trabajando (y esto se acentua más si trabajas en más de 1 proyecto al mismo tiempo).

Take baby steps in development, deliver value sooner, and analyze feedback. This should ensure that you are working in valuable areas and that time is not wasted on features that have never been used.

I do agree with the agile ways of working as they cater for all the changes of projects and products late in the development. safe is the better framework for delivering financial services as they don’t deal with just a project or product but cater for all the features required by the end customers

For new projects it is crucial to always start with the MVP and once the application has been accepted by the users, they will start to request more features, this is the perfect momment to start to worry about scaling, performance, code quality, etc. Over engineering an application at first is not recommendable unless you have unlimitted resources.

Building Complex Systems: Start Simple Gall's Law states, "All complex systems that work evolved from simpler systems that worked. If you want to build a complex system that works, build a simpler system first, and then improve it over time." This principle underscores the importance of starting with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). An MVP allows for quick release, user feedback, and efficient refinement. When building complex systems, starting simple and iterating often leads to better results. I prefer a modular monolith over microservices for a start because it provides a solid foundation, reduces initial complexity, and enables faster development and easier testing.

Cela permet de tester rapidement le produit sur le marché et de recueillir des retours pertinents. En réduisant le temps et les ressources nécessaires pour lancer le produit, on peut itérer plus rapidement. Cette approche réduit les risques et les co?ts liés au développement, tout en permettant d’adapter le produit aux attentes réelles des utilisateurs.

Please select one feature you'd like to bring to the market. You can use the fastest way to deliver it. Technology does not matter at this stage - but the value you bring. Everything can be rewritten once you are bringing value. Ensure that you can get an analysis of your MVP. Get your first clients and collaborate with them to grow together.

It is quite important to define the mvp goals before project initiation as the requirements list might get too bigger during the work shops which cannot be denied by other stakeholders or product owners. It is always advisable to aim for small chunks of productive features which can help in monetisation.

Priorizar o trabalho no desenvolvimento de software é crucial para assegurar qualidade e pontualidade na entrega. Focar nos recursos e funcionalidades mais críticos primeiro garante que os esfor?os se concentrem no que realmente importa, evitando distra??es que podem comprometer os prazos. Uma boa prioriza??o exige estar preparado para tomar decis?es difíceis, como adiar ou descartar elementos menos essenciais para a funcionalidade principal do software.

Rational Task Prioritization in Development All developers who love their work know the situation when we see a potentially interesting task and want to invest the maximum amount of time and resources into this solution. However, resources are always limited. That's why it's important to be rational when prioritizing tasks, and the whole team should be involved in this process. Always remember YAGNI and the reasons behind the importance of this principle.

La priorización es un tema muy difícil de explicar ya que depende de cada cliente, hay clientes que valoran tener una peque?a parte de la aplicación full implementada, mientras que otros valoran tener un conjunto de ventanas vacías sin funcionalidad, pero generalmente lo que se considera más importante es lo primero que entra en el backlog.

Risks and dependencies analysis makes it possible to build a critical path the product delivery. Focus on the team and ensure they find this work fascinating. This will allow you to follow business priorities without sacrificing quality.

You need to record tech depth and describe the impact on the business. If you have a problem/bug/incident, map it to the tech dept, which could prevent this from happening. In the end, you will find how easy it could be to manage your tech dept backlog

La dette technique doit être surveillée de près car elle peut ralentir le développement futur en rendant le code plus difficile à maintenir et à évoluer. Ignorer cette dette peut conduire à des co?ts de maintenance élevés et à des bugs imprévus. Une dette technique importante peut également affecter la performance et la stabilité du logiciel. En gérant la dette technique, on assure la qualité et la durabilité du projet à long terme.

Leading tech debt management is essential for balancing quality and time in software design. I incorporate tech debt tasks into our regular sprint planning to ensure we address issues without affecting ongoing projects. We prioritize tech debt based on its impact on performance and future development. Regular reviews and documentation help us stay proactive, preventing debt from accumulating. By being transparent and prioritizing tech debt, we maintain a high-quality codebase while keeping our timelines on track.

Es muy frecuente caer en la deuda técnica al decir "haremos esto así para salir del apuro y luego lo corregimos". El verdadero problema está en que si no hay una buena gestión del tiempo la deuda sólo seguirá aumentando y llegará un punto donde el código es difícil de comprender o bien hay repetición de código al no usar buenas prácticas desde un inicio. Sabemos que no siempre se cuenta con el tiempo para realizar lo mejor posible desde un inicio, pero es importante sacar al menos un día a la semana a reducir la deuda técnica.

Accumulating technical debt is an issue that can be addressed from the very beginning of a project, setting a development strategy before writing code will help you to save time refactoring code. Here are some advice I can give if you want to take the control of a project. 1.- Assign real technical knolewdgable people to review each commit 2.- Use a proven structure to organize files and folders of your application. 3.- Take advantage of static code analyzers like Sonarqube to verify you are on the good path 4.- Make small commits, ensuring that only the necessary files are touched for the feature that is being added 5.- Altough writing test for any application is painful, you must include the tests on every piece of code added.

Refactor regularly, as this will ensure that the system has better code quality and will also improve the maintainability over time.

Refatorar regularmente o código é crucial para manter a qualidade e a adaptabilidade do software ao longo do tempo. Essa prática permite melhorar o design e o desempenho da base de código existente sem modificar seu comportamento externo. Ao integrar a refatora??o como parte do processo de desenvolvimento, você assegura que o software permane?a robusto e fácil de manter, mesmo sob restri??es de tempo.

Realizar refactorización de código con regularidad asegura una mejor versión del código, sin cambiar de vista al cliente su funcionamiento, pero aumentando rendimiento, aplicar mejores prácticas, reestructurar un código que si bien funciona, puede hacerlo mucho mejor, importante mencionar el uso de comentarios en acciones complejas para que cualquier desarrollador pueda dar un mantenimiento del mismo en caso de ser necesario.

Refactoring is always recommended since this will help to improve the maintainability of your application along the time. Of course there are sometimes that you will have to prioritize other tasks, but if you are aware that you have lost the control of your application, then refactoring is a must, you can know that the control is lost if your application gives an output different to the one you were expecting and it requires you to modify mutiple modules of your code to do a simple fix

Importance of Constant Refactoring I advocate for regular, small-scale refactoring to maintain code quality, enhance readability, and reduce technical debt. Continuous refactoring helps keep the codebase clean, making it easier to implement new features and fix bugs. This practice supports sustainable development, ensuring the system can evolve smoothly over time without becoming overly complex to maintain. However, I would be careful with The Boy Scout Rule from Clean Code methodology, because any kind of improvements or refactoring should be carefully evaluated, understanding the risks and timing involved.

Balancing quality and time in software design is always a challenge. I start by setting realistic deadlines and ensuring the team understands the importance of both aspects. We prioritize tasks that impact quality the most and use Agile sprints to manage time effectively. Regular check-ins and code reviews help catch issues early, and I make sure to keep an open line of communication with the team. If needed, we adjust timelines to avoid compromising quality. This approach ensures we deliver a solid product without burning out the team.

There are 2 cstegories you must never accept poor qualities. Anything hinders security and user experience must have been fixed before go-live. It will haunt you back if things go bad. Such as data breach, firm's reputation being in a press. You should be crystal clear what to choose over quality and speed.

Complete an LOE and determine your ROI. While there are enhancements that are highly desired the LOE could determine that the cost greatly outweighs the benefit, therefore the quality of the enhancement. Quality enhancements should, in majority of cases, provide a longterm benefit that justifies ROI and makes the LOE worth the investment.

insights and stories highlight the importance of user-centric design, managing technical debt, leveraging cross-functional teams, and committing to continuous learning. Each experience has contributed to my growth as a professional and underscored the value of adaptability, collaboration, and a user-first approach in driving successful project outcomes.

Un ejemplo sencillo. últimos 2 proyectos en los que he trabajado. 1o - Reunión diaria con cliente (que suele durar 1h), reunión diaria interna (10min), reunión por cada tarea backlog (entre 10 min y 1h) reunión cada 3 semanas fin e inicio de sprint 4h. Situación: Producto justo pero de calidad regular. 2o - Reunión diaria interna (5min) y reunión semanal fin e inicio sprint (1h). Situación: Producto bueno y de calidad excelente. Conclusión: Sobran el 95% de las reuniones