Running and managing software projects is a collaborative effort. Whether you’re working for a startup or an established company, working with full-time or freelance developers, there are often multiple stakeholders involved. The initial project idea is often finalized by a few key decision makers. Then, either the PM and engineering team or freelancers will then take over to turn the idea into a product. In the ideal situation, all stakeholders will work together to deliver the project. More often than not, something will go wrong in the over-simplified process we just described. Below are seven key factors for implementing a successful software project: Clearly Define Success As previously mentioned, there are many way to define project and product success. A successful project may not necessarily be a successful product, and not all projects generate new products. It is important to have specific ways of measuring the success and failure of a project. Have Clear Objectives And Requirements When you’re working on a project, you should have detailed project specifications and established project management methodologies (i.e. Agile, Waterfall etc.). The project should be properly scoped and broken down. This way, a more realistic estimation can be made. We would recommend involving developers to help determine the project timeline. Involve End Users Whether you’re implementing a software for internal users or external users, it is important to understand what the users need. Often, the development team is so far removed from the users and so concentrated on hitting their targets that they fail to communicate with their users. To ensure that end users’ needs are prioritized, make sure to begin the project with a strong user requirements specification and ask for user’s feedback along the way. Encourage project team members to communicate directly with end users. Hire Skilled Developers A developer’s programming skill directly influences the success of his/her projects. Skilled developers are often more experienced, can create higher quality software, and be more efficient. Use Effective Project Management Methodologies Make sure you have reliable project managers and project management methodologies. For example, Agile methodologies stress the importance of developing software in iteration — each software version is tested and reviewed by stakeholders. Furthermore, make sure you always give yourself some leeway in terms of time. If a certain part of the project is set to be completed within 10 days, give developers 7 to 8 days to complete the task. Break Your Project Up Depending on what you’re aiming to achieve, your projects’ sizes will vary. It is important to break larger projects into smaller, more manageable chunks. When projects are broken down into smaller chunks, the communication is tighter and problems are more easily dealt with. Therefore, having shorter project milestones will help projects succeed. Review Finished (& Failed) Projects An often overlooked part of project development is project review. Whether you implemented an ideal project, imperfect project, or a failed project, it is important to review what went well and what went wrong with the project. In order to implement a successful project — regardless of what “success” means to you — you must first realize that project implementation is a holistic process. Every step of the process and every stakeholder can directly influence the project’s success and failure. The list above is by no means comprehensive; however, it does capture some of the most important factors that lead to project success

Hybrid Mobile app development makes work quite easy for the web developers as it’s easy to build a single app which performs efficiently on numerous platforms such as iOS, Android & windows with no extra effort. Also, there are so many advantages of the Hybrid app which includes cost-effective development, access to a wide range of numerous hardware/software capabilities & probability. So, it becomes a profitable venture for the people. The most crucial matter of this whole process is you need high-quality & advanced mobile app framework to build hybrid applications. So, you have to pick mobile framework wisely. So, now let’s have a look at the best hybrid Mobile app Frameworks in 2019 on the basis of functionalities, features and user experience.  1. Flutter Google’s Flutter is mobile app SDK used for developing high-quality native interfaces on Android and iOS. This framework was launched in the year 2018 and works well with existing code. It is an open-source mobile application development platform and using this will help one with the benefits like foundation libraries, widgets, and more. Flutter is fast and also helps one with the development of cross-platform applications.   Features : It is an open-source platform Flutter is dart based. You will also be benefited with a wide range of widgets which can be customized as per the specific needs. It gives good competition to React Native platform in terms of performance and responsiveness. It is perfect for MVP Easy to use Interfaces   2. React Native Developed in the year of 2015, React Native has become the best substitute for building captive solutions. It was Facebook, who brought in this amazing platform for building applications like never before. There is no need for separate iOS and Android teams while using React Native framework. This framework makes coding easier for developers allowing them to build interactive mobile applications for both iOS and Android platforms, with a single JavaScript codebase. Applications developed with React Native framework are second to none as you get easy and attractive user interface to native modules in the bank. Applications like Uber Eats, Instagram, and even Bloomberg, are good examples of it. Features : It covers both iOS and Android Platforms Hybrid Application renders natively because of the reusable components.One can use React Native UI components to another application’s code without having to rewrite it again. Native Application development is way more efficient. You get the compatibility of a wide range of third-party plugins.Less usage of memory.Excellent responsive time Act as a time saver for developers Supports Node.Js 3. Ionic Ionic is the most popular & favorite framework on the list for the hybrid app development.It is an HTML5 mobile app development framework which is designed with native-styled UI elements. It is used to build hybrid mobile apps.The cool thing about it is that Iconic has a rich set of advanced features such as mobile components, interactive paradigms, typography, and an extensible base theme that makes the job easier. Features : Expertise in the advanced technologies such as CSS, HTML AngularJS or Javascript components. Support for Angular material design. Wrapping Angular Framework. The Ionic framework is easily maintainable. Scalable.Easy to read. Open source & free.

One of the main concerns you should have when starting a new business is creating a budget. In order to create a comprehensive budget, you need to know what type of expenses to expect. The following are some of the most important costs you will need to add to your startup business budget. Purchasing The Right Equipment Regardless of what type of business you are starting, having the right equipment in place is essential for success. Equipment costs can vary wildly based on the products or services your business provides. Failing to put the right equipment in place will lead to your new venture struggling to stay afloat. If you want to save a few dollars on equipment costs, think about buying used. Trying to buy a piece of equipment without getting a firsthand look at it is a horrible idea. With a thorough inspection, you can get a feel for whether or not the equipment in question is worth the money. Don’t Forget About Monthly Energy Costs Whether you are running a business out of your home or from an actual office space, monthly energy bills are something you have to pay. If you are using a commercial building as your base of operation, then searching for the best energy rates is vital. Using a website like energybot.com can help you find the best rate on the energy you need to power your business. Newcomers to the world of business owners fail to realize just how many power companies are available to them. These power companies work hard to undercut each other, which can work to your benefit. While finding the best energy rate will be time-consuming, it is worth the effort invested.  Some Businesses Need Inventory Does your new business supply goods to the general public? If you are running an online store or a brick and mortar retail establishment, getting the right amount of inventory is a must. The last thing you want is for people to order things from your online store that you don’t have. Often time, inventory costs can be up to 25 percent of a company’s budget. Not only will have to worry about inventory costs, you will also have to factor in the cost of shipping these items to consumers. If you have already established a demand for the products you are selling, taking out a loan to increase your inventory levels is a good idea. By doing this, you can avoid worrying about running out of popular items.  Online Marketing Costs If you are starting a business in a highly competitive industry, finding a way to attract attention from consumers can be difficult. One of the best ways to accomplish this task is by using the power of online marketing. Creating an informative website and optimizing it for search engine success is a hard job. This is why you need to allocate money in your budget to hire professionals to help with this marketing. Attempting to handle this work on your own is a bad idea due to your lack of experience. With the assistance of an experienced marketing company, rising to the top of Google will be much easier. Growing Your Team While you may be able to handle all of the work involved in running your business at first, as it grows this will become difficult. Instead of losing money due to a lack of help, you need to hire a few employees. Budgeting for salaries and taxes for these employees is crucial. If you are confused about how to do payroll and taxes for your team, hiring an accountant is your best course of action. It Takes Money to Make Money Being frugal can be beneficial for a new business owner. However, cutting corners on essential expenses can hurt you. Creating a comprehensive budget can keep you on the straight and narrow financially speaking.

There’s no doubt that small businesses will be the hardest hit from the current COVID-19 pandemic. The bigger businesses have a better chance of surviving; however, small businesses tend to live only with a few months of cash flow (at most), so when something as significant as this hits, it can be devastating not only for the small business owner, but also for the employees they support. So, how can small businesses survive the turbulent times coming ahead in 2020? There’s no easy answer; however, here are a few points to start implementing and planning at least for the next three months. 1. Don’t panic, take care of yourself, and keep calm This can be difficult especially when cash is running out, but remember to take care of yourself in a way that works for you- for instance, eat well, and try to get some exercise in. Taking care of yourself will help you to keep calm, which in turn will also mean keeping your staff calm, and ultimately, a healthier mindset for everyone to come up with innovative ideas to move forward. If faced with some difficult decisions, take time to balance yourself and your mind before taking any drastic decisions. In what is a very dynamic and rapidly changing situation, sometimes taking a step back to reassess, asking for trusted opinions, and also keeping perspective will help. Things will get better, and you aren’t in this alone. Ask for emotional support where you can, and when you need it. 2. Tap into resources provided by government and financial institutions Governments around the world are already putting together initiatives to support small business owners, and this is something that is evolving on a daily basis. Be up to date with how your governments can help cut costs, as well as other important institutions, such as banks who also have a social responsibility. If you’re registered in more than one market, explore support options in both markets. For example, you can find out more about the UK government support for small businesses there, and we are also waiting to hear from the Dubai government about a stimulus package to support SMEs in Dubai, which should be announced shortly. 3. Make a three-month financial plan Every small business usually has the same key expenses, which include employee salaries, office rent, and utility bills. Further expenses range from industry to industry. Speak to who you need to pay in the next three months (landlord and suppliers), and find out what options you have to spread out the costs. Chances are they may already have options in place, or will be understanding, as it’s in their interest to keep your business. Always be careful when you come up with payment plans with other small businesses, as they also need to keep afloat too, so this should be fair for both of you. Look at your personal finances, and speak to people you may support to have a realistic discussion on how to control your personal spending for the next three months. What costs are necessary, what can be put on hold? If you have a partner supporting you as you grow your business as the breadwinner, have an open and honest discussion with them about your immediate and long-term plans for the business. Also, look at ways you can cut costs. But use this as a last measure after we have seen at least two months of damage from the COVID-19 pandemic. Your biggest costs would usually be your staff and your office rent. You could perhaps freeze hiring any more full-time employees, and instead work on a project basis with freelancers. You could also consider downsizing your office, and using a co-working space to have more affordable and flexible payment terms. 4. Find the opportunities It’s never nice to capitalize on events such as this, but they can also be a wake-up call to reconsider how you have been doing business. In this case, is your business model able to survive the changes that will come from the COVID-19 pandemic? How do you expect your customers to behave moving forward? What will and won’t matter to them, and how can you accommodate who will likely be a new type of customer? Can you digitize any of your products or services, and start offering them online? Can you implement technology to balance any loss of earnings by offering new ways to connect with your customers? 5. Upskill your staff Wherever possible, try your best to keep your staff– they rely on you, and if you have managed a good team, they should be supporting you. You could train your existing staff on additional skills, which could make them more productive and efficient, rather than hiring more staff. There’s plenty of online courses that are very affordable, and these will allow them to focus on other areas of the business when their department is down- for instance, your sales team could perhaps also help out the marketing team. We at The Co- Dubai have launched an e-course on digital marketing for small businesses that is a great way to learn how to create digital marketing strategies and implement them, and it can be done from home while you or your team is self-isolating. Look for courses and resources similar to this that most match your needs and also your budget during this time. This article first appeared on Entrepreneur.com