Application roadmap: the first essential step

Starting a software project without an application roadmap will be as fruitful as starting a journey without a map. An application roadmap establishes how your product will be used, and outlines the steps and technologies that will bring it to life.

This essential document lists objectives, key workflows, high-level features, and the application selected architecture. By defining each step and component of the development process, an Application Roadmap helps keep your software project on track.

An application roadmap = a project blueprint

An application roadmap lays the foundation for the project’s success and establishes a timeline that leads to a unique, cost-efficient, and high-quality solution. The roadmap can also be revised during each project phase, so it can accommodate any project change needed during development.

Think of an application roadmap as a project blueprint that:

• Defines the scope of work by analyzing the size of the company, their existing infrastructure, and their future plans.
• Gathers technical requirements to decide on the proper development technology.
• Defines each project phase objective.

An application roadmap helps clients avoid:

• Technical oversights. Because the roadmap begins by studying the clients’ objectives and business environment, it helps avoid the danger that the wrong technologies will be chosen for the project.
• Lack of resources. If clients don’t have upfront information on the resources, cost, or technology required for a project, this can become a big hurdle during the development process, and sometimes even cause the project to fail.
• Cost overruns. Planning an application roadmap helps avoid scope creep, thus avoiding having small, costly adjustments added to the project cost during the developmental phase.
• Development delays. A roadmap establishes a clear development timeline.
• A lackluster end product. Because of the roadmap details exactly what is needed to reach a long-term, high-quality software solution, the final product produces satisfied customers.

An Application Roadmap from AllianceTek will include:

• An Application Architecture Outline:
  The processes and structure necessary to build and maintain your product are clearly outlined. By establishing the intended project direction and its potential future state, future scalability is also considered.
• A Requirements Document:
  This document is built from the list of client supplied needs. These requirements are incorporated into the project outline, along with the resulting cost and timeline to implement each step.
• A sample Wireframe:
  To demonstrate your product, so you can see – and decide – exactly what it will look like, AllianceTek will present a functional wireframe that will appear very similar to the final product. The wireframe will not tie into any data sources, but it will display sample screens as if it did, making it easy to envision and demonstrate how the final product will work.

AllianceTek’s Application Roadmap

Once your vision has been clearly outlined, AllianceTek will determine the minimum amount of effort and cost it will take to create a working product. We take you past the all-or-nothing mentality of development, following a project methodology that delivers proven results.

AllianceTek’s approach defines the core functionality necessary to make your product work, identifying all the bells and whistles that can be left for a future phase. These future phase items become part of the overall application roadmap, providing an outline for how the product will evolve, along with costs and timelines. This ensures the foundation is built from the onset to be fully scalable and provides the information necessary to make informed decisions for the expansion of the application.

Following the roadmap: Working with AllianceTek

AllianceTek encourages close and ongoing communications to help clarify information needed to provide your roadmap deliverables. We are flexible -- this can be done through email, phone calls or through the project portal we will set up for you. The Application Roadmap Deliverables will be rolled out in the order that they’ve been defined. We’ll give you the permissions to view your project as it evolves via a portal that will allow you to:

• View the detailed status of every requirement and deliverable, including who is working on it, the progress, delivery date, and a complete history of all steps taken.
• Receive alerts on any item updates, as well as reminders for items you need to deliver.
• Share documents.
• View details of servers and URLs applicable to your project.
• View announcements.
• Review QA status.
• Manage and monitor every aspect of your project.

Beginning any project with an application roadmap can:

• Greatly reduce the project risks associated with timeline, budget, and cost.
• Speed up the decision cycle; expedite decision making.

AllianceTek uses an application roadmap as a standard part of any software development project. Call us today to discuss how we can help you with your next software project.

Call us at 484-892-5713 or Contact Us today to know more important of building application roadmap before the plan to develop a successful project.