How do you ensure your development efforts align with your internal or external customers?

The first part of the software development lifecycle is to assess the customer needs, so the team clearly understands the project objectives and desired outcomes. It is then the responsibility of the software development manager to ensure that the team's development efforts stay aligned with the desired outcomes and deliver the product as specified. You should have a defined process to accomplish this objective and be able to describe it to the interviewer.

"The key to ensuring that the software development team's efforts remain aligned with the customer's desired outcomes is clear and consistent communication. And it begins with a clear understanding of the needs during the assessment phase of the software development lifecycle. It continues with periodic assessments of the team's progress, communicating these to the customer, and getting feedback. If the project is out of alignment or proceeding in a different direction at any point, I take measures to bring the team back into alignment. This is accomplished by reiterating the project's goals and discussing the steps needed to get back on track."