Last updated on Jul 7, 2024

You're juggling stakeholder demands for new features and performance. How do you strike the right balance?

Managing stakeholder expectations while developing web applications is a tightrope walk between enhancing functionality and ensuring optimal performance. You must carefully navigate the pressure to roll out new features while maintaining the speed and reliability that users expect. This delicate balance requires a strategic approach, prioritizing tasks, and clear communication with all parties involved to ensure that the final product meets everyone's needs without compromising quality or user experience.

1 Prioritize Needs

When you're inundated with requests for new features and calls for improved performance, the first step is to prioritize. Consider the impact of each request on your user base and business goals. High-value features that align with your strategic objectives should take precedence. However, never underestimate the importance of performance; even the most innovative features won't be appreciated if they slow down your application or make it unstable.

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Muhammad Ilyas

COO | Guardian | Mentor | Process Manager | Change Management
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I would be prioritising the performance thing first before moving to new features. Once performance gets fixed then new features can be shipped to Live without slowing down the application or making it unstable.

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2 Agile Approach

Embrace an agile development methodology to manage stakeholder demands effectively. Agile allows you to work in sprints, breaking down large projects into manageable chunks and delivering incremental improvements. This way, you can introduce new features while continuously monitoring performance. Regular feedback loops with stakeholders ensure that the development aligns with their expectations and that any concerns about performance are addressed promptly.

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Muhammad Ilyas

COO | Guardian | Mentor | Process Manager | Change Management
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Yep, I will follow agile approach as its easy to manage chunks of work getting delivered in sprints. Regular feedback loops are the key to change the direction of the deliverables.

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3 Tech Debt Awareness

Be vigilant about technical debt—the compromises made for quick delivery that may hinder future development. It's tempting to push new features at the expense of code quality, but this can lead to performance issues down the line. Allocate time within your development cycles to refactor code and address technical debt. This proactive approach ensures a solid foundation for both current features and future enhancements.

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Muhammad Ilyas

COO | Guardian | Mentor | Process Manager | Change Management
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Although its a continuous process to improve things in sprints but I would go with allocating separate time like 1 week sprint to handle tech debt as a independent chunk of work, so things do not get missed along with new features.

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4 User-Centric Focus

Always keep the end-user in mind. Performance improvements should not only satisfy stakeholder demands but also enhance the user experience. Conduct user testing to gather feedback on both new features and application performance. This data will guide your development efforts, ensuring that you're building a web application that meets user needs and performs reliably under various conditions.

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5 Communication is Key

Clear communication with stakeholders is crucial. Set realistic expectations about what can be achieved within time and resource constraints. Explain the trade-offs between implementing new features and maintaining performance. By keeping stakeholders informed and involved in the decision-making process, you can manage their demands more effectively and ensure that the final product aligns with their vision.

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6 Monitor & Optimize

Finally, continuously monitor your web application's performance. Use analytics tools to track how new features affect load times, responsiveness, and overall stability. Regularly review this data and optimize your application accordingly. By staying on top of performance metrics, you can make informed decisions about when to introduce new features and when to focus on optimization efforts.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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You're juggling stakeholder demands for new features and performance. How do you strike the right balance?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Prioritize Needs

2 Agile Approach

3 Tech Debt Awareness

4 User-Centric Focus

5 Communication is Key

6 Monitor & Optimize

7 Here’s what else to consider

Web Applications

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You're juggling stakeholder demands for new features and performance. How do you strike the right balance?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Prioritize Needs

2 Agile Approach

3 Tech Debt Awareness

4 User-Centric Focus

5 Communication is Key

6 Monitor & Optimize

7 Here’s what else to consider

Web Applications

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

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