There are many questions surrounding the issue of project management, and ironically, many North American IT professionals still don’t get its importance. They consider project management tools as just another waste of valuable financial resources.

Iteratia understands why your company should invest in custom project management software. Here are some salient points of project management that can help your business run smoothly and efficiently.

Cost Control and Budget Management

When it comes to having a foolproof system that can account for your company’s costs and profits, a project management is necessary. It can also take care of the payroll and the budget of your company. The best part is that it can prevent any hidden funds from being corrupted or laundered.

Documentation

We in Iteratia believe in the importance of documentation in the IT industry. We can likewise provide you with a tool that can faithfully document all your projects.

Collaboration

An expert in content management, Iteratia can provide you with a credible and foolproof system for collaborating with clients and employees.

This is especially needed by IT companies who essentially work on projects that require real time collaboration. Your company will need a platform that represents your company’s vision and is easy to use.

Resource Allocation

Allocating resources in an IT company can be difficult, especially if such resources are virtual. Without question, you’re going to need a tool that can allocate properly your needs and resources so they can be used efficiently in every project.

Scheduling

A simple screw up in the schedule can cost your company thousands. That’s where a universal project manager comes in. It can remind not just one, but all of the concerned employees if and when a deadline needs to be met.

In buying a project management tool, buying a pre-made project management software, one that you can readily buy and use, may be disadvantageous. For one, it is not custom-fit to your company’s needs, therefore compromising the 5 functions we just mentioned. Also, securing your company’s private information can be a problem. Many project management tools require you to log in to their website, basically making them the holder of your company’s information. You are basically handing over information about your company that can be accessed by a third party anytime. These are two things you simply can’t sacrifice, right?

That’s precisely why you have to invest in an outsourced project management software. Not only will your company’s privacy be secured, but also your company’s unique project management needs. After all, every business is unique and therefore requires a unique project management software that works exclusively for them. Iteratia will walk you through the process of making the exact project management software you want, web-based or installed in your desktop. If you have already purchased project management software, we can customize this software to more specifically and adequately fulfill your needs.

At surface level, Dr. Cockburn seems to be against the idea of offshore software development, what with the expressed absence of physical proximity between the client and the software developers, as well as the assumption that face-to-face communication is not possible.

This may be true for a lot of IT offshore companies, who are not responsive to the importance of integration and active communication. The problem is also pronounced in cultures where employees are discouraged from asking questions or suggesting improvements. The problems of offshore software development are also amplified in companies where a software development model is literally non-existent. These companies directly contradict the Manifesto for Agile Software Development.

But what’s in the Manifesto anyway?

“We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer Collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.”

A close examination of this manifesto will reveal an unsurprising dovetail with the work principles of Iteratia IT Outsourcing. In fact, this is exactly what the Full Cycle Software Development, or the Iterative Development Model is all about.

Individuals and interactions are deeply rooted in Iteratia’s concept of client satisfaction. The privacy of individuals is a top concern, and satisfactory interactions are never second rate.

With the Intelligent Performance feature of the model, a premium is put in a working software that has improved usability, clean and efficient coding, and simplified architecture. At the same time, streamline research and documentation is not compromised but at the same time does not fall to the folly of bureaucratic processes.

Customer collaboration is guaranteed with the multilevel communications of Iteratia. Inquiries will be responded to within 24 hours. The preferred schedule of the customer is also taken into account. Scheduled conference calls and regular status reports will ensure that the lines of interaction are regularized.

Lastly, the issue of responding to change is addressed by the Iterative Development Model itself. During the process of offshore software development, areas of improvement and reduction of costs will be continually identified in order to apply the best and most innovative solutions.

With Iteratia’s unique processes, there truly is every reason to believe that it’s not just any IT offshore company; it also adheres to the principles of agile development perfectly well.

Among the companies in the tech industry, start-ups are the least likely to outsource their software. That’s because of certain reservations they have—from the security of their intellectual property to the difficulty of developing software by outsourcing.

Most of these perceived issues are actually unfounded, especially since they are addressed and even used to the advantage of top offshore software development firms like Iteratia.

One issue is the lack of an offshore software development firm’s understanding of the customer needs and the length of the interaction between the business and the user. This is a harsh generalization that simply does not apply to all outsourcing services provider.

This situation usually results in a haplessly made software that does not take into account the business model of the product owner. However, some offshore software developers do understand the value of working closely with the product owner and the team. With this seamless fit, the resulting software will address the customer’s needs and the product owner’s wants without compromising innovation. Remember, startups usually start their software from scratch, so the vision of having a software that meets the product owner’s vision is necessary. This vision can only be met by experts in the job—an offshore software development firm that is both innovative and customer-centered.

Communication is therefore no longer a problem. With advanced technologies in communication, offshore software developers don’t even have to worry about establishing clear lines of communication with their clients. In fact, it even introduces startups to the endless possibilities of telecommunicating that even they can use with their customers and clients.

Another perceived issue is the difficulty of managing teams in an offshore company. This kind of problem is usually the springs from a misunderstanding of how an offshore software development firm works. While there are some whose developers do not work in an office setting, most of them do have developers working in a workplace, where strategizing and close interaction takes place. For companies whose developers work in different places, however, managers usually find this as a way of centralizing coordination by taking in what each developer has to offer and building a centralized software model. All this is made easier by open-source projects that allow real-time editing and software-building.

Lastly, the protection of intellectual property is a delicate issue among start-ups. These companies have just started their ventures, and leaking their trade secrets can virtually bring them down. This can be addressed by finding an offshore software development firm that can earn your trust with a confidentiality agreement and encompassing contract.

Growth of the Offshore Software Development Sector

With more US-based companies using a new business model and turning to outsourcing for cheaper quality software products, the sector of outsourced software development is slowly growing. IT offshore companies are realizing the importance of software development and are leveraging this advantage to offer their services to US-based companies.

In effect, several Fortune 100 companies such as Adobe Systems, IBM, and even Microsoft are turning to offshore software outsourcing not only to bring down the costs but also to use the IT expertise of these offshore companies to their advantage.

The Future of Software Offshoring

Skepticism about the future of software offshoring can easily be answered by recent reports pointing to the growth of the tech industry. As a matter of fact, a research by Forrester Research shows that more companies are willing to spend on information technology, with a growth of about 8.4 percent—that’s about $550 billion.

Obviously, this means that US-based companies are realizing the importance of information technology and using the expertise of offshore companies. If, for instance, you own a company that has yet to develop a software for important sales operations and marketing processes, then you should consider outsourcing software developers that can deliver exactly what you need.

The Best Company for Outsource Software Development

In looking for a company, specialization in offshore software development is important more than anything else. Companies like Iteratia, for example, are all about quality custom software development. The goal of such is to bring down the costs of the software development and at the same time create a software product that is delivered fast and meets client expectations to a perfect fit.

Another quality you should look for is the speed of the service. Since offshore transactions are often done by telecommuting, you must ensure that the offshore company is able to commit to the deadline you both agree on.

Click to enlarge Project Management Software Comparison 3

Now it is time to explain what we expect from an on-demand project management and collaboration tool that will support our software development process in addition to low price tag.

The ideal solution must support and integrate multiple aspects of software projects management and collaborative team work, including:

- Scheduling and task tracking

- Issue/bug tracking

- Wiki

- File storage & version control system

- Project portfolio management

- Resource management

Also we assume secure access, backups and email integration are a must for any on-demand solution.

The scope of this second iteration was to identify presence of critical features using documentation and demos available on solution web site before we go into solution trial for hands-on experience. Columns we used to filter solutions for further review are marked with red color. The solution is excluded if any critical feature is not mentioned, that is missing.

As you can see, there are 8 finalists, but some of them still have critical features in question. Thus we will do third and final iteration in two steps – first is to check all critical features, and second, for qualified leaders, is to get the feeling how good they are at work.

Yes – the feature is documented or there is a demo.

No – there is a complete list of features, and this one is not there.

Unknown – no clear information if the feature is available.

Limited – according to information available feature implementation is not as powerful as we expect.

Subst(itute, Wiki column) – there is an alternative to full featured wiki.

*Note: This time we spent more time studying information available on original web sites. Still the errors are possible. Please feel free to contact our software development team with your comments, suggestions or corrections.

Click to enlarge Project Management Software Comparison 2

We started with a published list comparing project management software. We incorporated this list with some other solutions we came across while performing our initial search. That made up a list of 50 solutions total. It was not our goal to run comprehensive research of all found solutions, so we applied some obvious filtering as a first iteration without going into deep investigation. Basically, the solution is permitted to stay on our list for further study if:

1. It is web-based and has SaaS delivery option (hosting included).

2. The cost will not exceed 100$/month for the team of 10 people running at least a few projects at a time.

If it is clear the solution is not suitable for our software development process, or feature set is too poor then that solution marked as “Critical features missing” and at that point it is excluded from further analysis. Also a solution is excluded if its web site is not clear about SaaS delivery option, pricing or high-level features.

This left us with 23 solutions to evaluate in the next iteration. We will offer this exact list of features explained in the next post so stay tuned.

Click to enlarge Project Management Software comparison 1

*Note: if some of our information appears incorrect that means only that we could not find correct information after our quick initial look. Please feel free to contact our software development team with your comments, suggestions or corrections.

To answer the question “what do we look for next?” we suggest you turn towards the concept of output value.

What is Output Value?

Output Value is about the personal abilities and synergy that affects the internal culture within an IT Outsourcing organization. It is the corporate spirit that energizes every step in every project, making every individual software developer work in the best possible interest of the software development team, with the team focusing solely on the success of the client. The most remarkable result of this single minded determination is a smarter working environment with reduced waste work. In other words, a high output value equals exceptional productivity and maximum satisfaction for you, the client.

There are multiple ways to evaluate the probability of high output value. In fact, if you know how to look for the signs, the energy, efficiency and determination of a software development firm will begin to reveal itself from the first initial communication. With that said, just because you may get a warm and fuzzy feeling from the get go with a particular IT outsourcing firm does not mean you should go full speed ahead, however. The most effective way to test an IT Outsourcing firm is to initiate a small test project. Once the test project is initiated, here is what to look for:

- You feel that every member of the IT outsourcing firm you have communicated with is interested and passionate about your project.

- Your software development team tries to dig to the core of an issue instead of reacting after seeing only the surface of a problem. They are curious, intelligent and not afraid to ask questions if they have any.

- The software developers will propose alternatives if they see a more intelligent solution. In words, you get the feeling that their goal is providing smart and cost effective output for you, their client, instead of just making maximum profit for themselves.

Once the test project is complete, if you have determined that a high output value has been evidenced throughout the entire process, you are then ready to utilize the IT outsourcing company to their highest potential and of course your maximum benefit. This test project should be the beginning of a long term, positive professional relationship with your chosen IT outsourcing services company.