When starting work on a new project at Trail, our developers follow a set process to make sure the feature meets the needs of Trail users and does so properly.

This is the most important step in the process as proper planning will mean the new feature solves the key problem we are trying to solve and avoids extra work fixing and adjusting the feature.

What problem are we trying to solve? - We need to decide if the feature is going to solve a pain point users are experiencing or improve an existing process.

What does the feature need to do? - What functionality will the feature bring to meet this need or solve this problem?

How will other parts of the software be affected? - This part can be very complicated as we need to make sure the rest of the software functions as expected and each area is still relevant after making any changes.

Describe the solution in an easy to understand manner - It needs to be clear exactly what is needed from the development team so that the feature can then be built.

Now our developers need to turn their planning into a visual design that can eventually be built.

It is important that the feature doesn't look out of place and can be understood easily by our users.

If the correct way to use the feature doesn't make sense then it may not even solve the issue it was built for.

Now that we know what the feature needs to do and how it will look it is time for our developers to do what they do best and code the feature to bring it to life.

Multiple developers will contribute to this step and review each other's work to ensure it is completed to a high standard.

Once the feature has been built and is almost ready to be used it is time for both our developers and other members of the team to test it out!

The purpose of this is to make sure the feature functions as expected in as many different situations as possible to ensure that the original problem is solved properly.

Once testing is done, feedback is given to the developers to review and make changes if appropriate, whether that be making the usability more friendly or fixing a bug that was picked up by testing.

This step is repeated multiple times with changes being made throughout.

Once the new feature is ready to go it is time for it to be published to the live version of the software you all use.

Any articles that relate to the need to be created and others need to be updated to keep the information accurate.

The benefit of having everyone use the new feature is that we are able to get much more feedback than our team can provide to improve the feature as much as possible.

If you have any other questions about our development process or about using the software please don't hesitate to get in touch!