Management & Best Practices

Isn’t it time to offer managers a new perspective on Project Management that would allow them to adequately monitor Projects in real time and, in addition, to properly evaluate the performance of the Development Team?

The fact is that the Manager has to take up more than one challenge in the Management of Development Projects, software or other; the task is arduous!

Indeed, IT Projects are almost always complex, involve many resources, and often take several months to complete. In addition, to obtain a clear vision, the Project Manager must almost always collect Project data from different systems.To obtain a clear picture, the Project Manager must almost always collect project data from different systems.

Thus, almost all software development teams use two systems daily:

1. DevOps or Jira
2. Time sheet entry application

And almost all Project Managers and Clients complain about the same things:

1. Lack of visibility on the degree of progress of the project(s)
2. Lack of metrics
3. Having to deal with cost and schedule overruns

What is a Projection?

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The Services company faces more than one challenge in Software Development Project Management. Unlike a product company, a Service company must constantly match its sales to its ability to deliver.  The goal is to serve customers well while avoiding “non-billable” time.  Project / Production managers in a company generally face 3 main challenges:

1. Capacity management
2. Timeline
3. Budget

Let’s analyze each of these challenges!

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Eliminating paper-based business processes from your company may be one of the best software development projects to undertake in times of pandemic!  Have you thought about it?

We have written in previous posts that Digital Transformation is taking place on two main poles or towards two main goals, if you prefer:

• Improvement of Customer Experience (in real time)
• Improved Product Development (in real-time)

From these two main poles a large number of Communication, Marketing & Sales and Development projects and activities are derived in organizations, but unfortunately, many of these projects and activities still rely on paper business process.

Paper-based Business Processes in Customer Experience

Being able to communicate in real time and at any time with Customers allows you to ensure Customer / Consumer Satisfaction and also, to benefit from invaluable Customer Intelligence.

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Not easy to identify non-performing processes with high performance gain potential because not all non-performing processes are created equal; some show higher earning potential than others.

In fact, the challenge for an IT manager is not only to identify non-performing processes, but also to identify the processes that will bring the most gain to the business when optimized. As an IT Director, you need to be able to recognize the performance improvement indicators that are important for your company.

Clues to identify non-performing processes with high earning potential

What are these revealing elements, indicating a major hassle that can lead to significant performance gains?

First of all, let’s mention a common plague in the workplace, a remnant of the last Millennium, which reflects a deficient way of doing things; that is Excel. Not that we condemn its use, far from it, because Excel is a formidable and powerful office automation tool. However, if you use a complex Excel spreadsheet for the management and/or calculation of critical data or processes in your company, which only a few insiders master; then you should strongly evaluate its performance!

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How do you identify your software development priority in times of pandemic as several companies are currently experiencing its repercussions.  As the Prime Minister said, some are “on pause” while others are unable to find the necessary employees to meet demands.

One thing remains though, what did not perform well before the pandemic, is still not performing well during the pandemic and will not perform well afterwards.  However, we will return to performance issues in a context of pandemic and economic downturn in a future post.

Of course, you could also embark on the Digital Transformation project, which we have already discussed at length in previous posts, or on an Agile Transformation project, i.e. the integration of Agility into the enterprise. These projects are certainly very worthwhile, but we have something else in mind for you.

Identifying software development priorities in times of pandemic?

For some companies, it will be a question of doing more with less, while for others, it will simply be a question of doing better?

Indeed, any IT manager will seek either a gain in productivity or a gain in performance.  However, there is a third path that is less obvious but certainly just as profitable, the path of Intelligence (not artificial, that is ?).

So, if your company is on idle, why not take advantage of this time to recover Business Intelligence? Such a Business Intelligence-oriented software development project, while requiring good thinking, will not sideline your critical applications. Moreover, whether it is Financial or related to your Customers, this Business Intelligence will prove to be an invaluable competitive advantage in the recovery.

Now, is Business Intelligence identified as a software development priority in your company? It should.

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Here are a few considerations for the automation of a process within Digital Transformation.

In general, a digital transformation plan will be a multi-stage process that will affect many aspects of the organization.  For example:

– Implementing or replacing a CRM

– Implementation or replacement of an ERP

– Implementation or replacement of a management system

– Automation of a particular process through custom development

– Creating a Data Warehouse

– Implementation of a platform or security layer

Your transformation plan may not consider all of these aspects, each organization has its own budget, priorities, capacities, etc.

In our last post about digital transformation, we identified 9 considerations in replacing your CRM and we ended by indicating that at Analystik, our role is often to automate business functions following the creation of an opportunity.

The true nature of process automation

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You are replacing your CRM, here are 9 considerations within Digital Transformation.

In general, a Digital Transformation IT plan will be a multi-stage process that will affect many aspects of the organization. For example:

• Implementing or replacing a CRM
• Implementation or replacement of an ERP
• Implementation or replacement of a management system
• Automation of a particular process through custom development
• Creating a Data Warehouse
• Implementation of a platform or security layer

Your digital transformation plan may not consider all of these aspects, as each organization has its own budget, priorities, capacities, schedules, etc.

Main considerations in replacing your CRM

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Why the Digital Transformation has been on everyone’s lips for some time.  Is it the Buzz Word of the hour?  Definitely!

Will it soon be replaced by another Buzz Word? Definitely!

For now, the Digital Transformation seems to be perceived as a panacea for productivity and profitability!  And governments have decided to offer different types of assistance to businesses in their quest for Digital Transformation.

The fact remains that if our governments have decided to invest in companies to help them perform better, it is certainly because they detect a malaise.  Unsurprisingly, our national productivity rate is a good indicator of this.*

What is Digital Transformation?

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Security and Enterprise Agility do not usually go hand in hand. Also, the impact of security and compliance on Agility in today’s technological environment, which requires many companies to take such measures to ensure the integrity of their operations and preserve data confidentiality, should not be underestimated.

Definitely, the constraints that certain security and compliance measures impose suggest that Security and Enterprise Agility can hardly go hand in hand.

But, no matter how many developers there are in your organization, it is possible to do software development in Agile mode. Hundreds of writings praise the merits of this development methodology, so here are some of the most important points:

1.       Better match between deliverables and needs;
2.       Minimize the risk of slippage by splitting the project into “sprints” and these into “tasks” of short duration;
3.       Better communication between the various project stakeholders;
4.       Emphasis is placed on identifying and categorizing the functionalities that will have the most added value for the organization;
5.       In the “cost, time, functionality” trilogy, the challenge is to develop as many of the most important features as possible in the time allocated, even if it means removing features, unlike the Waterfall mode, which emphasizes features, all features, even if it means exceeding them over time.

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There are countless companies that have started their Enterprise Agile Transformation in recent years. With good reason, because no one would question the benefits of the Agile Method today; this is an obvious fact that is unanimously accepted in all sectors of activity.

So, contrary to what one might think, Agile is not the one who wants!

Not all organizations are ready for Agility considering that this implies giving more autonomy to business units and work teams and creating cross functional teams as well. Moreover, not all business leaders will necessarily welcome Agility with open arms.

Thus, more than processes, the Agile method calls for a work philosophy that encompasses both the personnel and structure of the organization.

The Agile Enterprise therefore calls upon a profound transformation of the organization. This comprehensive transformation will affect all facets of the Organization including Personnel, Organizational Structure, Strategy and Technology. That’s the path to a successful Agile Transformation.

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