App Accomplished: Strategies for App Development Success

App Accomplished: Strategies for App Development Success

by Carl Brown
Released July 2014
Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
ISBN: 9780133563757

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Book Description

Build Great Apps: End-to-End Processes, Tools, and Management Tips for Doing It Right!
Foreword by Kyle Richter, CEO, MartianCraft

Today, successful apps are complex software projects. You can’t just knock them off in a weekend--and, worse, many common programming habits don’t work well in mobile. You need skills, processes, tools, management techniques, and best practices that are honed for mobile platforms and realities. In App Accomplished, top mobile developer Carl Brown provides all that--so you can run your entire project effectively and get the answers you need right now.

Whether you’re writing your own code or contracting out, you’ll find hard-won guidance for your entire app development life cycle. Brown guides you step-by-step from planning and design through testing and updates. Through case studies drawn from his immense experience, he reveals why so many app projects fail--and how to avoid the mistakes that derailed them.

When it comes to apps, a great idea isn’t enough: You have to execute. This is the first book that shows you how.

  • Understand mobile-specific issues that lead even experienced developers astray

  • Find developers who can do a great job with your unique app at a fair price

  • Define the requirements you need to create accurate schedules and budgets

  • Work with developers to get the best possible results

  • Manage and communicate effectively to avoid cost overruns

  • Solve problems before they get out of control

  • Develop wireframes and prototypes that clarify the user’s core experience

  • Choose app components, from servers to data storage

  • Select tools for source control, testing, project tracking, and more

  • Identify and fill crucial skills gaps

  • Estimate the quality of the app you’re building

  • Efficiently test and debug your app

  • Recover from App Store rejection

  • Leverage user feedback to help plan your next release

  • Determine when an existing project is too far off course to fix

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    Table of Contents

    1. Contents
    2. 1. Common Source of App Project Failure [This content is currently in development.]
    3. 2. The App Development Lifecycle [This content is currently in development.]
    4. 3. Prototyping Your App [This content is currently in development.]
    5. 4. Determining Your App’s Components [This content is currently in development.]
    6. 5. Finding the right tools
      1. Source Control
      2. Bug Tracking
      3. Project and Schedule Tracking
      4. External Services
      5. Development Environment
      6. Continuous Integration
      7. Beta Testing Distribution
      8. Crash Reporting
      9. End-User Feedback
      10. Wrapping Up
    7. 6. Skill Gap Analysis
      1. Programming
      2. Server Support and Troubleshooting
      3. User Experience Design
      4. Graphic Design
      5. Sound Design and Music
      6. Copywriting
      7. Marketing
      8. About Games
      9. Wrapping Up
    8. 7. Finding a developer
      1. Template App Sites
      2. App Developer Matchmaker Sites
      3. Local Versus Remote Developers
      4. Creative Agencies
      5. App Development Companies
      6. Independent Developers
      7. Grow your own developer (maybe even you)
      8. Wrapping Up
    9. 8. Interviewing and Selecting a Developer
      1. Non-Disclosure Agreements
      2. Setting Up the Interview
      3. Previous Work
      4. Gap Analysis
      5. Contingency plans
      6. Estimating and planning
      7. Working Relationship
      8. Wrapping Up
    10. 9. Managing to Milestones
      1. Never Agree To “30% Down And I’ll Talk To You In 3 Months”
      2. Minimizing Risk With Frequent Milestones
      3. How I Stopped Grumbling And Learned To Love Milestones
      4. Milestones Are Not Sprints
      5. Organization, Sequencing and Focus
      6. Let Conway’s Law Be Your Guide
      7. Scheduling Software Strongly Suggested
      8. Remember That Estimates Are Only Estimates
      9. Renovation Versus New Construction
      10. Estimates And Entomology
      11. Plan Reevaluation And Project Feedback Loops
      12. Wrapping Up
    11. 10. Understanding What You’re Getting [This content is currently in development.]
    12. 11. Pulling the Plug Early [This content is currently in development.]
    13. 12. Managing to Bugs [This content is currently in development.]
    14. 13. Testing [This content is currently in development.]
    15. 14. Submission and Beyond [This content is currently in development.]

    Product Information

    • Title: App Accomplished: Strategies for App Development Success
    • Author(s): Carl Brown
    • Release date: July 2014
    • Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
    • ISBN: 9780133563757