{"id":4374540,"date":"2021-05-28T21:26:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T19:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/insight\/the-most-common-problems-in-software-development\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T13:42:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T11:42:35","slug":"the-most-common-problems-in-software-development","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/en-in\/insight\/the-most-common-problems-in-software-development\/","title":{"rendered":"The most common problems in software development"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\n\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tBack to all articles\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n<\/button>\n\t\tThe most common problems in software development\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\n\t<\/div>
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\n\t\tMatt Merrill\t\t
\n\t\tDirector of Engineering \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tDate\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t28 May 2021\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n\t\t\tWe’ve worked on 100s of software projects. These are the top problems we see.\t<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\n\n

If you\u2019ve worked on a digital product, whether as a product manager, engineering manager, or business leader, you know that the most common problems in software development are rarely as straightforward as \u201cbugs.\u201d

While the surface-level problem might be something like a bug, the root of the problem is closer to the story told in the quotes.

The\u00a0software development team\u00a0at DEPT\u00ae has worked on hundreds of digital products, and we\u2019ve seen all the common (and not so common) problems that plague software teams. To save your project from a similar fate, we\u2019ve decided to share them with you so you can avoid common pitfalls and have a great product with less time, money, and headaches.

The good news is that because these issues are so common, they also have solutions that are relatively simple to implement. The bad news is that simple does not equal easy. Many of these solutions are difficult to implement when considering budget and resource constraints. Regardless, we\u2019ll lay it out.

Here are the most common surface-level problems in software development, and typically why they happen.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n\t\t\tYour application didn\u2019t go down because of a bug. It went down because\u00a0a junior developer<\/strong>\u00a0checked in code\u00a0without going through code review<\/strong>\u00a0in an area of the codebase that\u00a0wasn\u2019t covered by unit tests<\/strong>\u00a0because the project was\u00a0running late<\/strong>\u00a0because it was\u00a0under-scoped<\/strong>.\t<\/h2>\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n\t\t\n\t\tProblem: bugs, broken code, & technical debt\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\tWhy It Happens<\/strong>: Under-Scoping

Under-scoping is most often the cause of bugs during software development.
If the project wasn\u2019t properly scoped from the outset, with an appropriate amount of time allotted for each stage, then your developers may start to cut corners and work in a rush to keep from falling behind schedule.

This is when semicolons start to go missing from the code or code gets checked in without undergoing the required code review, leading to application crashes and bugs galore.\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tThe solution: plan realistically, not optimistically \t<\/h4><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tA lean development approach is typically helpful. Set short, achievable milestones, and validate that you’re going in the right direction. Then iterate. This approach makes it harder to put together a complete plan, but you can be more confident in the accuracy of your estimates in the short term.

Another way is identifying upfront which features are only “nice to have” and can be cut if you’re running up against a deadline.
Keep in mind that the \u201cslow\u201d way is often the fastest and most efficient way since hastiness invariably leads to a technical debt that will have to be made up later on.

Treating a problem at the source is much more effective than addressing a symptom. Take the time to consider what the root of the problem is\u2014whether it\u2019s a lack of time, skill, or oversight.

This will yield huge savings in time and effort over simply hiring more developers.\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t