{"id":1952,"date":"2010-09-03T12:28:24","date_gmt":"2010-09-03T06:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bridge-global.com\/blog\/\/?p=1952"},"modified":"2020-07-10T05:36:57","modified_gmt":"2020-07-10T05:36:57","slug":"offshore-project-management-manage-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bridge-global.com\/blog\/offshore-project-management-manage-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"Offshore project management: how to manage your projectsOffshore project management: hoe uw projecten te managenOffshore project management: how to manage your projectsOffshore project management: how to manage your projects"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For years I have been trying to find the crucial aspects in offshore project management. Both in managing our own projects (during the period we also did fixed price projects for our customers) and in observing how our customers are handling it. My simple conclusion is: it’s not easy for people who are new to it and it takes time and patience. Maybe patience is the key characteristic of the project manager that eventually makes offshoring work smooth.<\/p>\n

The first ‘how to’ revolves around\u00a0People<\/strong>. To manage your team effectively, you have to get the right people in your team. This may sound obvious, but in most offshoring cooperations, the project manager on the customer-side has no influence on this.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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Jarenlang probeer ik al de cruciale aspecten in offshore project management te vinden. Zowel in onze eigen projecten (in de periode dat we ook vaste prijs projecten deden voor onze klanten) en in het observeren van onze klanten die ermee te maken hebben. Mijn simpele conclusie is: het is niet makkelijk voor mensen die er niet bekend mee zijn en het vergt tijd en geduld. Misschien is geduld wel de belangrijkste karaktereigenschap die een project manager moet hebben zodat offshoring vlot verloopt.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For years I have been trying to find the crucial aspects in offshore project management. Both in managing our own projects (during the period we also did fixed price projects for our customers) and in observing how our customers are handling it. My simple conclusion is: it’s not easy for people who are new to it and it takes time and patience. Maybe patience is the key characteristic of the project manager that eventually makes offshoring work smooth.<\/p>\n

The first ‘how to’ revolves around\u00a0People<\/strong>. To manage your team effectively, you have to get the right people in your team. This may sound obvious, but in most offshoring cooperations, the project manager on the customer-side has no influence on this.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For years I have been trying to find the crucial aspects in offshore project management. Both in managing our own projects (during the period we also did fixed price projects for our customers) and in observing how our customers are handling it. My simple conclusion is: it’s not easy for people who are new to it and it takes time and patience. Maybe patience is the key characteristic of the project manager that eventually makes offshoring work smooth.<\/p>\n

The first ‘how to’ revolves around\u00a0People<\/strong>. To manage your team effectively, you have to get the right people in your team. This may sound obvious, but in most offshoring cooperations, the project manager on the customer-side has no influence on this.He gets the contact details of an account manager and a project manager on the supplier side, but programmers are kept ‘secret’ and are often even rotated based on the requirements of other projects (who on earth would do that you ask?…well, it happens more often than you’d even dream). Make sure your programming team members match your requirements in terms of skills in communication, coding quality, team work, analysis and personal skills.<\/p>\n

De eerste \u2018hoe\u2019 gaat om Mensen. Om uw team effectief te managen moet u de juiste mensen in uw team hebben. Dit lijkt misschien vanzelfsprekend, maar in offshore samenwerking heeft de projectmanager aan de kant van de klant hier geen invloed op. Hij krijgt de details van een account manager en een projectmanager aan de kant van de aanbieder maar programmeurs worden \u2018geheim gehouden\u2019 en roteren vaak op basis van de vereisten van andere projecten. Zorg ervoor dat uw programmerende teamleden uw vereisten kunnen verwezenlijken met betrekking tot vaardigheden in communicatie, codering kwaliteit, teamwork, analyse en persoonlijke vaardigheden.<\/p>\n

In een ideale wereld waar er veel tijd is om voor te bereiden zou ik zeggen dat het tweede belangrijke punt is het realiseren van een duidelijk en effectief Proces. Maar ik weet dat u wil beginnen omdat u een urgent project heeft en een deadline die u moet halen. Dus de tweede \u2018hoe\u2019 is mijns inziens: focus niet op een deadline en beloften van tijd en bezorgen, maar op technische problemen. Als een programmeur zorgt voor vertraging in uw project is uw natuurlijke reactie te concluderen dat offshoring te complex is en dat de programmeur niet goed genoeg is. U vraagt de programmeur en misschien ook de projectmanager \u2018wanneer is het klaar?!\u2019 Ze zullen u zeggen dat u zich geen zorgen moet maken en dat het \u2018morgen klaar is\u2019, maar natuurlijk is dat niet zo. Het geheim is: Ik heb niet veel projectmanager ontmoet die ander gedrag vertoonden, ze worden allemaal gefrustreerd en geven de programmeur de schuld. Heel normaal gedrag. Mijn ervaring leert dat als een programmeur voor vertraging zorgt betekent het dat hij ergens anders vast zit. Programmeurs zijn trots op hun werk: ze denken altijd dat ze het probleem binnen een uur op kunnen lossen terwijl het ze eigenlijk meer dan een dag kost. Als projectmanager moet u de exacte (technische) details uitvinden van waar de programmeur vast kwam te zitten. Blijf net zo lang zoeken tot u een compleet beeld van het probleem heeft en haal er dan iemand bij die hem kan helpen. Zorg niet voor meer stress bij hem door hem te pushen voor de deadline, dit heeft het tegenovergestelde effect (meer bugs door tijdsdruk, en dus nog meer frustratie voor u). Manage de programmeur door hem te helpen zijn problemen op te lossen, manage niet alleen tijd en deadlines (natuurlijk wilt u de deadline halen, maar dat wil de programmeur ook \u2026 er leiden meer wegen naar Rome).<\/p>\n

Deze tweede \u2018hoe\u2019 heeft te maken met een andere belangrijke vraag: moet de projectmanager aan de kant van de klant een technisch vaardige persoon zijn (misschien zelfs een programmeur) of niet, en moet hij goed zijn in het managen van tijd en deadlines? Mijn ervaring leert dat de beste projectmanager technologie begrijpt. Als hij ook codes kan schrijven is dat helemaal ideaal, maar hij moet wel enig idee hebben van wat de programmeur doet. Hij moet elk detail van een functioneel en technisch ontwerp weten en de details van het project managen, niet de ruwe tijdsspan. Een niet-technische projectmanager kan de programmeurs niet helpen en kan dus serieuze problemen niet oplossen.<\/p>\n

Als derde: Proces. Ik heb hierover geschreven in voorgaande artikelen en zal dit ook blijven doen omdat ik denk dat het over het algemeen de meest belangrijke succesfactor in offshoring is. En vooral in het geval van een projectmanager. Als u geen gedocumenteerd stappenplan van de manier van werken heeft, hoe weet u en uw team dan wat er gedaan moet worden? Als er een probleem is, naar wie gaan we dan toe en hoe communiceren we erover? Schrijf alle aspecten van de samenwerking op en blijf dit document aanpassen totdat u het perfecte proces voor uw situatie heeft.<\/p>\n

Bridge heeft veel ervaring met het succesvol maken van een offshore samenwerking. We proberen onze kennis te gebruiken om onze klanten te helpen meer groei en winst te realiseren. Als u meer wilt weten over hoe uw offshore project te managen, neem dan contact op met \u00e9\u00e9n van onze kantoren bij u in de buurt.<\/p>\n

He gets the contact details of an account manager and a project manager on the supplier side, but programmers are kept ‘secret’ and are often even rotated based on the requirements of other projects (who on earth would do that you ask?…well, it happens more often than you’d even dream). Make sure your programming team members match your requirements in terms of skills in communication, coding quality, team work, analysis and personal skills.He gets the contact details of an account manager and a project manager on the supplier side, but programmers are kept ‘secret’ and are often even rotated based on the requirements of other projects (who on earth would do that you ask?…well, it happens more often than you’d even dream). Make sure your programming team members match your requirements in terms of skills in communication, coding quality, team work, analysis and personal skills.<\/p>\n

Now in the ideal world with loads of time to prepare for cooperation, I would say the second most important is to establish a clear, effective Process. But I know that you want to get going, because you have an urgent project and you have to make a deadline. So the second how to in my opinion is: <\/strong>don’t focus on deadline and promises in terms of time and delivery, but focus on the technical problems.<\/strong> If a programmer creates a delay in your project, your natural inclination is to conclude that offshoring is too complex and the programmer is not good enough. You start asking the programmer and maybe also the project manager ‘when will you deliver?!’ > They will tell you ‘don’t worry, tomorrow it’s ready’ and of course tomorrow it’s not ready. The secret is: I have not met many project managers who showed different behavior, they all get frustrated and start blaming the programmer. Perfectly normal behavior. In my experience, when a programmer creates delay, it means he got stuck somewhere. And programmers have a pride in their work: they always think that they can solve the issue in the next hour, even in reality it might take them a few days. As a project manager, you have to find out the exact (technical) details of where the programmer got stuck. Drill down just as long as you have a complete understanding of the problem and then involve someone to help him out. Don’t stress him out with pushing for the deadline, it will have a reverse impact (more bugs because of time pressure, leading to even more frustration on your side). Manage on helping the programmer solve his problems, don’t manage on time and deadline only (of course you want to make that deadline, so does the programmer… there are more roads leading to finishing your project).<\/p>\n

This second how to relates to another important question:\u00a0should the project manager on customer side be a technically skilled person (maybe even a programmer) or a non-technical manager<\/strong>, who is apt at managing time and deadlines? My experience is that the best project manager understands technology. Ideally he can make code too, but at the minimum he should understand what the programmer is doing, he should know every detail of a functional and technical design and manage on the details of the project, not on the rough timelines. A non-technical project manager can’t help the programmers and won’t be able to solve serious problems.<\/p>\n

As third:\u00a0Process<\/strong>. I have written about this in previous articles and will continue to do so, because I believe in general it’s the second most critical success factor in an offshoring context. And especially in the project management context. If you don’t have a step by step description of ‘how we work’, how will you and your team know what to do next? What to do if we face a problem, whom to consult, how to communicate about it? Write down any aspect of the cooperation and keep on adjusting your process descriptions until you have the perfect process for your situation.<\/p>\n

Bridge has extensive experience in making offshore cooperations successful. We try to use our knowledge to help our customers achieve more growth and more profit. If you want to know more about how to manage your offshore project, feel free to contact one of our offices near to you.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n

Now in the ideal world with loads of time to prepare for cooperation, I would say the second most important is to establish a clear, effective Process. But I know that you want to get going, because you have an urgent project and you have to make a deadline. So the second how to in my opinion is: <\/strong>don’t focus on deadline and promises in terms of time and delivery, but focus on the technical problems.<\/strong> If a programmer creates a delay in your project, your natural inclination is to conclude that offshoring is too complex and the programmer is not good enough. You start asking the programmer and maybe also the project manager ‘when will you deliver?!’ > They will tell you ‘don’t worry, tomorrow it’s ready’ and of course tomorrow it’s not ready. The secret is: I have not met many project managers who showed different behavior, they all get frustrated and start blaming the programmer. Perfectly normal behavior. In my experience, when a programmer creates delay, it means he got stuck somewhere. And programmers have a pride in their work: they always think that they can solve the issue in the next hour, even in reality it might take them a few days. As a project manager, you have to find out the exact (technical) details of where the programmer got stuck. Drill down just as long as you have a complete understanding of the problem and then involve someone to help him out. Don’t stress him out with pushing for the deadline, it will have a reverse impact (more bugs because of time pressure, leading to even more frustration on your side). Manage on helping the programmer solve his problems, don’t manage on time and deadline only (of course you want to make that deadline, so does the programmer… there are more roads leading to finishing your project).<\/p>\n

This second how to relates to another important question:\u00a0should the project manager on customer side be a technically skilled person (maybe even a programmer) or a non-technical manager<\/strong>, who is apt at managing time and deadlines? My experience is that the best project manager understands technology. Ideally he can make code too, but at the minimum he should understand what the programmer is doing, he should know every detail of a functional and technical design and manage on the details of the project, not on the rough timelines. A non-technical project manager can’t help the programmers and won’t be able to solve serious problems.<\/p>\n

As third:\u00a0Process<\/strong>. I have written about this in previous articles and will continue to do so, because I believe in general it’s the second most critical success factor in an offshoring context. And especially in the project management context. If you don’t have a step by step description of ‘how we work’, how will you and your team know what to do next? What to do if we face a problem, whom to consult, how to communicate about it? Write down any aspect of the cooperation and keep on adjusting your process descriptions until you have the perfect process for your situation.<\/p>\n

Bridge has extensive experience in making offshore cooperations successful. We try to use our knowledge to help our customers achieve more growth and more profit. If you want to know more about how to manage your offshore project, feel free to contact one of our offices near to you.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Now in the ideal world with loads of time to prepare for cooperation, I would say the second most important is to establish a clear, effective Process. But I know that you want to get going, because you have an urgent project and you have to make a deadline. So the second how to in my opinion is: <\/strong>don’t focus on deadline and promises in terms of time and delivery, but focus on the technical problems.<\/strong> If a programmer creates a delay in your project, your natural inclination is to conclude that offshoring is too complex and the programmer is not good enough. You start asking the programmer and maybe also the project manager ‘when will you deliver?!’ > They will tell you ‘don’t worry, tomorrow it’s ready’ and of course tomorrow it’s not ready. The secret is: I have not met many project managers who showed different behavior, they all get frustrated and start blaming the programmer. Perfectly normal behavior. In my experience, when a programmer creates delay, it means he got stuck somewhere. And programmers have a pride in their work: they always think that they can solve the issue in the next hour, even in reality it might take them a few days. As a project manager, you have to find out the exact (technical) details of where the programmer got stuck. Drill down just as long as you have a complete understanding of the problem and then involve someone to help him out. Don’t stress him out with pushing for the deadline, it will have a reverse impact (more bugs because of time pressure, leading to even more frustration on your side). Manage on helping the programmer solve his problems, don’t manage on time and deadline only (of course you want to make that deadline, so does the programmer… there are more roads leading to finishing your project).<\/p>\n

This second how to relates to another important question:\u00a0should the project manager on customer side be a technically skilled person (maybe even a programmer) or a non-technical manager<\/strong>, who is apt at managing time and deadlines? My experience is that the best project manager understands technology. Ideally he can make code too, but at the minimum he should understand what the programmer is doing, he should know every detail of a functional and technical design and manage on the details of the project, not on the rough timelines. A non-technical project manager can’t help the programmers and won’t be able to solve serious problems.<\/p>\n

As third:\u00a0Process<\/strong>. I have written about this in previous articles and will continue to do so, because I believe in general it’s the second most critical success factor in an offshoring context. And especially in the project management context. If you don’t have a step by step description of ‘how we work’, how will you and your team know what to do next? What to do if we face a problem, whom to consult, how to communicate about it? Write down any aspect of the cooperation and keep on adjusting your process descriptions until you have the perfect process for your situation.<\/p>\n

Bridge has extensive experience in making offshore cooperations successful. We try to use our knowledge to help our customers achieve more growth and more profit. If you want to know more about how to manage your offshore project, feel free to contact one of our offices near to you.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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