Coda Global: Brainstorming Plays a Key Role in AppDev Success

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As pressure mounts for today's software developers to deliver applications with ever-increasing speed, AppDev experts have turned to the cloud to fundamentally change the way they work. Technologically, the cloud – using microservices architectures and providing virtually limitless capacity – is the answer to the demand for "better" and "faster" application development. However, according to the experts at Coda Global, (www.coda.global), a cloud-native consultancy and application developer, while the cloud can provide a pathway to success, there is one important ingredient many development teams overlook – the importance of effective communication throughout the software development lifecycle. Troy Vetter, COO at Coda Global, was recently asked to explain the importance of effective communication in an educational video – "Brainstorm Before Jumpstarting AppDev Projects" – for business and technology professionals produced by Cognistar as part of its extensive SmartPros WatchIT educational video library. To help businesses visualize what this process looks like, Vetter has outlined the four steps to Coda Global's RightStart application development methodology – a process that not only speeds development efforts but also aligns those efforts with the project's goal and expected outcome for better application results.

"Technology has made a lot of things easier, but developers still have to talk to people, brainstorming with them to ensure the team has a common vision for the application that everyone buys into from the start," Vetter says. "Without that vision, the project won't go where you want it to go. In application development, if the program doesn't meet the customer's or user's needs, it won't matter if your application is the most elegant or that your code is the best and the cleanest. The most important goal is to deliver something of value to the end user – and that starts with effective communication."

Four Steps to Effective Communication in AppDev Projects
Giving application projects the "RightStart" begins with a brainstorming session involving all of the project's key stakeholders – including the development team and line-of-business users. The goal is to use that brainstorming session to kick off a phased project that results in a minimum viable product (MVP), proof of concept (POC) or pilot application that matches the intended objective. But what does that kind of communication look like in practice? How do you begin the process? To help, the experts at Coda Global shared four steps to effective communication in AppDev projects, all part of the company's proven RightStart methodology.

1. Ideate and Gather: To deliver a top-notch application, start by sitting down with all of the key stakeholders from different areas of the business and asking what they are trying to accomplish. Who is the user going to be? Is the end goal a revenue-producing opportunity or simply functionality or usability for the business? Ask them, if they could have anything – if they could dream big – what would that one thing that is most important to them be? Doing this kind of brainstorming and having these right-brain conversations up front will help the team create a framework that ultimately forms the foundation for the project's design.
2. Design and Align: Now that a framework for the project has been outlined, it's time to assemble a development team that fully understands and embraces the vision.  People love working on something real, something they can share with their friends, family and children. Explain to the team what the purpose of the project is in a way that makes it relatable.  If the project is to create an accounting app, for example, explain to the team that the new software will make accountants' jobs easier and give them more time with their families during tax season.
3. Build and Test: Once the vision is set and the team is on board, it's time to build and test the application.  And test it again.  The build and test phases must always be tightly aligned, and it's important to involve all the key stakeholders again at this stage to be certain the application is performing as intended.
4. Measure and Deploy: The testing and measurement phases must also be closely linked and stakeholders from the development team and the line-of-business customer or end-user side must be working hand-in-hand here – communicating very clearly about what works and what doesn't work so that, in the end, everyone involved is certain the app meets the objective.  But don't stop there – most applications today are living, breathing, continuously innovative platforms that can have new functionality added to them to serve the evolving needs of the business.

Want to Learn More?

• Hear Coda Global COO Troy Vetter discuss the importance of communication to the success of an AppDev project in an educational video – "Brainstorm Before Jumpstarting AppDev Projects" – for business and technology professionals produced by Cognistar as part of its extensive SmartPros WatchIT educational video library.
• Read a blog from Coda Global CEO Sam Fatigato that examines the role of tech-focused brainstorming in shorter AppDev timelines: http://ow.ly/A67k30lYp03.
• Explore Coda Global's RightStart methodology and how it helps businesses launch new applications in just a few weeks, then download an infographic that illustrates the process that turns an application dream into a dream application.

About Coda Global
Coda Global is a cloud-native consultancy and application developer that helps companies accelerate their journey to the cloud. Using its unique DevOptimized™ approach, Coda works with customers worldwide during every stage of solution development and cloud transformation. From cloud native custom application development to modernizing existing applications or migrating legacy apps to the cloud, Coda Global turns each client's application dream into its dream application. Coda's ability to work at an accelerated pace allows it to deliver the right technology solutions to meet each customer's current business needs while future-proofing application projects to scale and innovate as the client's business grows, giving customers of all sizes – from startups and midmarket firms to enterprise-level Fortune 500 organizations – the RightStart they need to bring their best ideas to market. To learn more, visit Coda Global's website at www.coda.global.

Coda Global Media Contacts
Brittany Hedges
Coda Global, LLC                                 
(512) 775-8210
[email protected]

Karen Franse
Communication Strategy Group for Coda Global
(631) 239-6335 x222
[email protected]

SOURCE Coda Global

Related Links

http://www.coda.global