Has your SaaS project lost its way?

A guide to getting software projects back on track

There are a number of reasons that web-based software projects fail or lose their way. Team members can be moved onto other business-critical projects, stakeholders can change their objectives, customer priorities can shift. But this doesn’t mean that a project can’t be saved – there are a host of strategies you can employ to get an SaaS project back on track.

Assign a team

Projects often kick off with a group of people involved – but either this can mean too many interested parties or else roles aren’t specifically assigned within the group. Both are equally damaging and can result in a project which lacks direction. Without dedicated people in charge of different tasks, progress can be slow, or even come to standstill. As the saying goes, when it’s everyone’s job, it’s no one’s job. So give people roles and make them accountable for the part they play.

Evaluate your project status

So you know your SaaS project isn’t where it needs to be. But taking the time to understand why it’s reached this point is key to getting it back on track. Re-trace your steps to work out when things started going wrong. Was there a pivotal moment when things fell apart or has it simply lost its way? Were people taken off this project and redeployed elsewhere? Did someone new come on board and take it in a different direction? It pays to be meticulous and analytical in your evaluation, in order to ensure the same problems don’t strike twice.

Research, research, research

Is your software project not being well received by its end users? Or are your own team struggling to manage it? Find out stakeholders think – get an honest appraisal – and use their feedback constructively. Talk to customers. Is your service hard to use? Does it not offer them the functionality they need? And talk to employees. Did adequate testing happen? Are there issues that are creating barriers? If you can pin point ‘why’ it’s not achieving its goal, you can go back and address these points. Detailed research will ensure that your project meets the needs of all involved, and ultimately, succeeds.

Set clear objectives

If you don’t know what the goal of your SaaS project is, you’ll never be able to design and develop the right solution. What do you want the product to achieve? What does you need to do before it’s complete? Of course, objectives should be SMART, but they should also be clear, meaningful, easy to understand and believable. Alongside your strategic objectives, you’ll need a realistic timeline and allocation of resources. Ensure that accountabilities are clear too, so the personnel involved know what’s expected of them. If your current project has failed in a particular area, had it met its objectives? Did it even have any?

Understand the vision

It’s all well and good knowing what you want the product to look like when it’s finished but what about its future? Where do you see it in a year? Or in five years’ time? By setting clear and defined targets for your product, you can measure its success or progress against a timeline. And once customers are actually using it – you may find you have to re-evaluate your vision and evolve your product. But that’s fine - flexibility allows you to future-proof success.

Create a plan of action

At the outset, it’s vitally important to have a well-thought-through plan in place. But who will oversee it and keep a close eye on its progress? Who has the authority to stop work and get it back on track. Can you allocate a current team member to take on this role? Are you looking to hire someone to manage the development of your product? Or do you need external support from a consultant? Putting time in upfront to plan and assigning a project leader can be the difference between success and failure.

Draw up a roadmap

Creating an overview of the project before you’ve started development is admittedly a time consuming and tricky task. But don’t underestimate how essential this stage is. Putting the extra work in at the outset can mitigate a whole host of issues along the way. Draw up a roadmap that presents high-level goals and deliverables on a timeline. This is an exceptionally useful tool to manage stakeholder expectations, communicate objectives clearly and schedule a project.

Save your project with the help of an expert

It may feel like a project has completely failed but utilising one or more of the above steps could enable you to turn it around. So whether your SaaS project got started and never finished, or whether your final product hasn’t been the success you hoped, it’s never too late to get it back on track. A Chief Technology Officer is the perfect person to take this on. But if your team lacks the skillset or time to work on recovering a project, or if you don’t have the budget for a full-time CTO, you may find that a consultative approach would be the best fit for your business.

Scryla specialise in placing Fractional CTO’s with businesses. With the expertise to focus on project-based work, they bring with them the specialist knowledge and management skills to turn your project around. Get in touch today – we’d love to talk through your requirements and see how one of our expert FCTOs could help your business.