The Set it and Forget it Approach to Project Management Doesn’t Work
This article is part of a series on the problems we’ve identified with the traditional outsourcing model, and the ways Zibtek has set out to solve them. For more information on our unique approach to achieving high-quality, innovative software solutions that come in on-time and under budget, please contact us today.
Many of the major problems with traditional outsourcing can be boiled down to one central issue: communication.
With a lot of outsourcing or contract work—whether it’s offshore or simply offsite—this lack of effective communication is most dramatically apparent when it comes to project management. You have an initial meeting that seems to go well, setting your timetable and your deliverables schedule, fleshing out your user stories, coming to what you think are clear agreements on expectations, and then you sit back and wait.
And wait some more.
You don’t hear anything until the date you’ve set for your first deliverable—and sometimes not even then. You might be weeks into your project when you first discover things have gone off the rails. Getting them back on track can be a Herculean effort, and not all of us have the strength (or the patience) of a demigod. Wouldn’t it be better if your outsourced project management processes actually managed your project?
Hands-On Offshore Management
Having a US-based lead tech in charge of every Zibtek project gives our clients an advantage, but that’s just the beginning of our nontraditional approach to outsourcing. Our team members in India are also highly proficient in English and regularly communicate with clients on weekly calls. We won’t be bugging you ten times a day, but we also aren’t shy about asking questions when your project’s success depends on the answer.
Weekly standups or “scrum” calls make sure everyone is on the same page as your development progresses, and we keep a variety of communication channels always open. If you need to contact us or simply want to check in and see how things are going, your team—not just one of the Zibtek crew, but your Zibtek crew—will be available by email, Slack, phone, Skype, and just about any other modern communication tool you can name (we are sad to report that our carrier pigeons have all gone on to other careers, and we wish them luck in their future endeavors).
The end result? Outsourced projects that keep you in control. Development solutions that pair a lower price tag with quality results, rather than a cheaper backend that costs you more in the long run. Real projects with real hands-on management and transparent communication. Results you’ll remember for all the right reasons instead of a process that stands out for the wrong ones.
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