June 8, 2010
Business Leads Can Take the Funniest Routes
I had a funny thing happen with a new business lead the other day. We’ve been working with a number of great people at a big name design firm for many years. We’re good friends with these people, and each of us is always looking for ways to either send business to the other or…
May 9, 2010
What If the Rules for Team Communication Aren’t Enough?
Effective software development teams have defined communication paths that help guide how projects are run. One important path governs what to do when a customer finds a defect in the software. The bug gets reported, logged, prioritized. The priority of the bug determines when it will be evaluated and fixed. But what about when the…
April 2, 2010
Another Way to Handle the Fixed Bid Dilemma
In the beginning of each Project there is The Contract. The terms of that contract will have consequences, some anticipated, others unanticipated, for the project’s cost, for the project’s timelines, and, too often, for design decisions. Many companies enforce a fixed-bid contract when engaging with outsourced software design and development. But traditional fixed bid contracts…
March 13, 2010
What Location is Best for Offshore Software Outsourcing?
Let’s say you’ve decided that outsourcing some portion of your software development is right for your company. The next question you might be asking is, what locations should I be considering? We might first point out that your selection could easily be more about what partner to select. Many outsourcing vendors have development teams in…
February 5, 2010
Management by Flying Around
Remember “Management By Wandering Around,” the somewhat old-fashioned notion that no amount of reports and formal presentations can substitute for getting out of your office and walking around? Great idea, but it may seem impractical when your employees are spread all over the world. These days teleconferencing, email, texting and IM often substitute for face-to-face discussions. And…
