Question 2: Have you named these two important roles on your license implementation team?
Whether you are a startup or an established company, we strongly recommend that you choose two people to lead your project before beginning any license implementation:
- Project Manager - This person is responsible for meeting with all of the stakeholders throughout your organization to gather business requirements. They will start to lay out the use-case documentation that maps all of the business requirements, defining user stories. The project manager will work with the team architect to verify enough specificity has been captured in the use-case documentation. Once development has begun, the project manager will also prepare the software testing team to verify that the software is able to execute all of the defined user-stories. Results of testing can then be provided to the stakeholders to demonstrate that the project is complete.
- Architect - This person will work with the project manager to refine the use-case documentation, and the architect will guide the development team on the tools and technologies to use for implementation. Ideally the architect has previous experience with license management and knows the importance of detailed user stories and use-case documentation before beginning any licensing implementation. They should also have the insight to know when it is appropriate to modify the user-stories so as to avoid long development efforts for one-off features that are not really necessary.
SoftwareKey works with a wide range of businesses, budgets, licensing requirements, and staff skill levels. Frequently, we find that customers underestimate the level of detail involved in successfully launching and maintaining a licensed application throughout its lifetime.
Can I outsource the Project Manager and Architect roles?
Without someone taking ownership of the technical implementation of the licensing system, it will be much more challenging for the project to be successful. Outsourced development teams often are unable or unwilling to take ownership of such a project, so we recommend using an internal resource for the project manager and architect, or partnering with someone who has the specific experience to help you get the job done right!
Choosing the best license implementation for your company is an investment that you should make. A good license implementation can significantly boost your revenue while mistakes can be costly. You will need unobstructed access to the people helping you with this process, and those people must have your best long-term interests in mind.
Outsourcing the actual development into your software can be fine, and, under the guidance of an experienced architect, the implementation will go much smoother.
Once you have identified these two important team members, it is time to ask Question 3: Do you understand the full scope of your licensing implementation and/or have a completed use-case document?