6 Challenges of Project Managing Your Own App Development

So you want to create an app. Congratulations! This is an exciting opportunity to develop a product that could impact people’s lives. The mobile app market is primed and ready for new developments. Are you looking to solve a problem that you experience or be at the forefront of a digital trend? 

With so many possibilities and groups to market to, it’s crucial to have a solid plan before starting. Developing an app isn’t as simple as just hiring a developer and giving them complete control. It’s a process that involves several moving parts and hiring the right people. 

You could hire:

• A business coach to conduct market research and validate your product idea
• Programmers to work on the app
• Graphic designers to complete your logo and product design
• Marketing support to boost your revenue
• UX/UI designers that work to make the app user friendly
• Usability testers
• And finally, a project manager, unless you plan to manage all of these people on your own

Or

You can hire an agency that will help guide you through the entire process with a project manager (like Clear Function!)

6 Challenges of App Development that Project Managers Help Fix

1. Staying on schedule

Your time is your most valuable resource. The project can get delayed and fall off track when you don’t have someone committed to staying on schedule. Project managers set the plan and are dedicated to sticking to it by emphasizing communications and task management.

2. Staying on budget

Nothing is more frustrating than committing to a budget only to have it increase significantly. We know that things change and features need to be added, but a project manager knows this going in. They can plan for increased costs and know how to keep a project on budget. 

3. Communicating with the coaching, development, and marketing teams

Setting up regular meetings and staying in constant communication with each team is essential. Project managers are responsible for being the go-between of what’s happening behind the scenes in development and how that interacts with all other parts of the project like marketing and user testing. 

4. Communicating with the client

A happy client is the key to a successful project. Clients give complete trust over to the agency they hire to develop their app. The project manager is in charge of keeping the client in the loop on how development progresses and any bumps in the road. 

5. Planning out different stages of development

Dividing the development stages into sprints and assigning different team members to accomplish the tasks helps keep a project on track. Project managers monitor how each sprint is progressing and help to resolve any development issues that may arise. 

6. Creating the highest quality product

While you are probably great at creating the highest quality solutions in your field of expertise, it’s difficult to know quality in every component of a project.  A good project manager will have the experience to not only know quality when they see it, but to make the quality of each deliverable more consistent and accessible. Which will make a huge difference for the long-term quality of your app.

Now that you know the benefits of hiring an agency that simplifies the project management process, you can begin the process of finding the right development agency for your app. Maybe that’s a local agency or one across the country. Research and compare different agencies to find the one that fits your needs best. 

Talk to the project manager and hear how they plan to manage your development. You won’t find a perfect project manager, but you will find an expert in their field that can expertly handle your project to save you time and money. 

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