Using the right tools for the development of your project is essential for success. Selecting the appropriate tools can optimize development time and reduce costs; moreover, it can significantly enhance the robustness and viability of your project.
In this article, we'll discuss five essential tools that can ensure the success of your software project. These tools make the development process smoother, reduce unnecessary complications, and create a professional work environment.
Number 1: Version Control System (VCS)
Picture this: As part of update 16.3.20 of your software project, your team modified the method “AdditionalPaymentCalculator” in order to use a new API call, as well as to calculate the payment in a different way.
Everything seems fine, until two months later, when it is decided that the old way of calculating the payment shouldn’t have been removed entirely, but rather used as a second resort, to accomodate for exceptional cases.
The problem is, that the team is not using a version control system, and thus does not have access to previous versions of the code.
Git is by far the most popular (and rightfully so) version control system and not only can it let you access past instances of your project, but it also allows multiple developers to work on the same project (by using a feature called branching).
Though other options such as Subversion or Mercurial do exist, Git has become the de-facto standard for most enterprise solutions, thanks to its ease of use, ample documentation and “lightning fast performance”.
Number 2: A Code Hosting Platform
Merely having a VCS in place is nowhere near enough for large scale applications. No, what’s needed here is a place to store your project files (or repositories) online.
In this way, not only will the entire team have easy access to the code, but a multitude of other features will be available.
For example, with Bitbucket, you can:
- Code Reviews: Create and review Pull Requests, ensuring that multiple team members have approved any changes before pushing them to the remote server.
- Repository management: Larger applications might require multiple repositories (blocks of the application that can be combined to form the final product). With Bitbucket, you can access them all in one place.
- And so much more…
Alternatives to Bitbucket include Github and Gitlab. It is important to note, that each of these platforms excel at very different things, but that none of them offer the high level of integration with other tools (more on this later) that Bitbucket does.
Naturally both Github and Gitlab, as well as Bitbucket as Git-based platforms.
Number 3: An Agile Project Management Tool
Scrum, anyone?
Traditional or even waterfall development approaches are a thing of the past. Agile development, meanwhile, is the future.
In Scrum (the most popular Agile methodology), the development cycle is broken down into 2-3 week sprints, that contain certain tasks that the team must accomplish. The team will meet each day to discuss the progress and at the end of the spring, will look back on the previous iteration, as well as plan for the next one.
In order to implement Scrum the right way into your project, you will need an agile project management tool. For this, I recommend Jira. Not only does it integrate perfectly with Bitbucket, but it is also highly intuitive, easy to use and efficient.
So, why do you need such a tool? Well, let’s look at an example of two different teams:
- Team A: Operates without an Agile framework or a structured task management tool. Although they could use physical boards or Excel for task tracking, the lack of a coordinated approach leads to inefficiencies. Team members choose tasks independently without informing others, resulting in duplicated efforts, communication gaps, and wasted time. This disorganized method hampers the team's ability to manage projects effectively and track progress accurately.
- Team B: Implements Agile practices using Jira, a comprehensive project management tool. Jira facilitates task clarity, assignment, and streamlined communication through features like visual boards, Burndown Charts, and sprint planning. While similar project management could be achieved with tools like Excel or physical boards, Jira significantly reduces the effort required for tracking, transparency, and planning, thereby enhancing overall efficiency and reducing development time.
Number 4: The Right Framework (And Language)
Let’s be honest for a minute. No tool really matters, unless you choose the right framework for your software solution.
Perhaps you have heard that Python is all the rage right now and decide that Django is the best approach for your web application. But you see, for websites speed is of the utmost importance, thus something like Java or C# would be a far better choice.
Or maybe you want to try a (relatively) low-level programming language such as C++ (compared to other languages such as C# at least). But again, other options may be better choices for the task at hand.
One thing can not be denied, and that is that each programming language, and each framework at that, has a few use cases in which it excels. This is a choice of paramount importance, so make sure to give it some thought.
Number 5: A Build Tool
When working on a software project, writing code is simply not enough. You also have to handle dependencies, compile the source code into binary code, package that binary code, run tests, install and deploy your solution.
That sounds like a lot. But it doesn't have to be.
To simplify your work, all you have to do is use a build tool, which will take care of all of these tasks for you.
This way, instead of downloading foreign JAR files and placing them in your local folder, you can simply add a new dependency with just a few lines of code.
There are many build tools to choose from. For Java projects you have Maven, Gradle and Ant; for C# you have NAnt and MsBuild.
It all depends on the language and framework you have chosen to work with. For Java, I would personally recommend Maven.
Conclusion
That being said, all the tools in the world will fall flat, unless you have the right team working on your project.
Building the right team begins with finding individuals with the necessary skills and expertise for the project. Each team member should come with their unique strengths and perspectives.
The team must also be dedicated and committed to the success of the project. Passion and enthusiasm drive innovation and problem-solving, helping the team overcome challenges and achieve success.
At BBHT Solutions, we prioritize building strong teams to ensure the success of every project.
