With the beginning of a successful transition in mind, here are a few ideas on using Agile in a legacy development environment.

Slowly Begin a Cultural Shift

Agile brings with it new terminology, principles and practices. Consider introducing the methodology with a smaller project, like a relatively minor enhancement to a legacy system or a new application of limited scope. This helps your team get used to the concepts and procedures of Agile without much risk to your daily operations.

Hiring someone experienced with Agile to serve as project manager or Scrum Master is a smart strategy for a pilot project, as their familiarity can help ensure everyone understands the methodology. This can be on either a temporary or permanent basis.

Project Manager Training Is Vital

Your project managers are key as Agile is introduced to other systems and departments at your organization. You either need to hire additional PM talent experienced in Agile and Scrum or give your current management staff the training to become successful proponents and practitioners of the methodology. Having your current project managers observe any pilot projects also helps introduce them to these newer concepts.

Although some traditional PM skills also apply to Agile, there are enough differences to warrant a training initiative or a succession of smaller, low-risk pilot projects to expose your managers and development team to this new way of building applications.

Analyze What Existing Systems Would Benefit from Agile

An analysis of your existing systems and overall environment is another necessary step in transitioning your shop to Agile or Scrum. Remember, Agile is a management process – not a technology – so even maintenance or enhancements on legacy COBOL systems would benefit from an upgrade in methodology.

In an increasingly fast-paced modern business world, improved efficiency and productivity play a huge role in the ultimate success of any organization. “Going Agile” helps make sure your company stays in the game!

Work with a Leader in Software Solutions

When you need additional insights on modern application development, talk to the experts at SDE USA. As one of the leading co-sourcing organizations in the business world, we can help your software project be a success. Schedule some time with us at your earliest convenience.

How does your organization best market the successes you’ve achieved through co-sourcing? Keeping your sales team in the loop as far as the new possibilities of your project team helps keeps new opportunities flowing through the pipeline. Let’s take a closer look on how to turn one successful project into many.

Access to the Experts in the Industry

Co-sourcing gives your firm access to technology experts in many different areas, without making the expenditure on permanent hires. In short, the team gains the additional flexibility to better handle a myriad of different project types. This needs to be a major point used by your sales staff when out in the field.

This expertise goes beyond the technology side of the shop. Co-sourcing gives you access to talented professionals in other areas, including marketing and specific business domains – all relevant information for your sales team.

Interest in Agile Continues to Grow in the Business World

Agile continues to grow in relevance in software development as companies leverage the methodology as an operational advantage in an increasingly competitive business world. In fact, you are now seeing departments outside of IT in many businesses use Agile techniques to make those areas more efficient. As news of these transformations gets around, potential clients are more likely to listen to the Agile success stories presented by your marketing staff.

This provides a great opportunity for additional project work around helping businesses transform their operations to take advantage of Agile techniques. Access to experts in the methodology – either through co-sourcing or your internal talent – needs to be a key item in your organization’s marketing message.

Co-Sourcing Lets You Work With the Best

Ultimately, following a co-sourcing model for your company’s staffing needs offers an opportunity to your organization beyond just one successful project. As you gain experience building different types of innovative solutions, you are able to show your current clients what you’ve learned. Use these “wins” as part your sales staff’s expanded marketing efforts, bringing the company’s message to potential new customers.

Work With a Leading Software Solutions Company

If you have additional questions on the advantages of co-sourcing, meet with the experts at SDE USA. We also know the latest methodologies and technologies to ensure your projects end up as successes. Schedule some time with us at your earliest convenience.

Here are a few insights on Agile and Scrum with the hopes of making an informed decision on changing your team’s methodology of choice. You’ll gain a better understanding of the entire process along with knowing how the executive team can help ensure a successful project outcome.

Initial Considerations of Agile

Ultimately the final choice of Agile as a methodology lies with the CIO or another executive serving in a similar role. The CIO needs to place a project manager experienced with Agile or a Scrum Master in charge of the initiative. Both persons then work together to figure out the scope of the project along with the resource planning to ensure enough technical talent is available for the work.

Following this plan is a great way to begin the project on the right foot.

Assuring Buy-In From the Project Team and Business Stakeholders

The CIO needs to get everyone associated with the project – other executives, business stakeholders, the project team, etc. – together so all are on the same page regarding the timeline, scope of work, deliverables and quality metrics. While the PM generally handles the communication flow throughout the project lifecycle, having the executives involved at a project’s initiation is smart.

Managing the Budget

Budgetary concerns of an Agile project require close management by either the Scrum Master/PM or possibly the person working with the CFO or other C-Level executive. This guarantees the availability of resources – personnel, equipment, Cloud server space, etc. – throughout the project. Don’t let budget issues adversely impact the delivery date of your software product!

Keeping the Project Running Smoothly

Once again, even though the project manager or Scrum Master is the key person as far as managing the daily routine of a project, the C-Level executive serving as the project owner needs to keep their finger on the pulse of the overall effort. If there are any scope changes or other issues requiring a decision “from above,” it is important to be available so no delays happen.

Work With a Leading Software Development Company in the USA

When you need additional advice on leveraging Agile to bring your project to fruition, talk to the knowledgeable team at SDE USA. One of the foremost software development organizations specializing in co-sourcing, we can help assure a successful result. Connect us today to work with a leading software solutions company.  

What follows is a quick analysis of this important issue facing high-tech companies in the country. Consider these insights before formulating your IT staffing plan for 2017 and beyond.

The Status of the H-1B Program Under the Trump Administration

Attorney General nominee, Jeff Sessions, has long been a critic of the H-1B program. He introduced legislation last year to cut the amount of visas available to large outsourcing companies, noting the amount of American jobs allegedly being replaced by foreign labor. His boss, on the other hand, has criticized the program while also calling it a valuable way to retain valuable technology talent.

With 65,000 IT workers and 20,000 students able to work and study in the United States due to this program, any reduction in the amount of visas will affect companies across the IT world. This is one of the main reasons the technology industry continues to lobby for an expansion of the program.

Possible Changes to the H-1B Program

The IEEE and other tech industry groups want the lottery system currently used to award visas to be replaced by a policy offering them to companies with open positions paying the highest salaries. Sessions included a similar clause in his 2015 legislation. This would limit outsourcing firms from taking advantage of the program only for cheap labor.

Another group, backed by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, wants the program to award visas to companies who sponsor foreign workers for green cards allowing them to work in the country on a permanent basis. Tech firms need to expect changes to the H-1B program, but what exact form those changes may take is anyone’s guess at this date.

Companies currently suffering from a technology skills gap or struggling to find talented IT workers should consider following a co-sourcing model. This lets your current team work with offshore tech professionals leveraging Cloud-based technology to facilitate communication and collaboration. It allows for cost-savings without using the visa program.

Work With a Leader in IT Co-Sourcing

When searching for a top-notch company as a co-sourcing partner, look no further than SDE USA. Well versed in the latest development technologies as well as state of the art methodologies like Agile and DevOps, SDE can help bring your project to a successful conclusion. Schedule a meeting with us at your earliest convenience to work with a leading software development company.

With a successful software project in mind, here are a few ideas on selecting the correct programming language to build your application. Good luck in your efforts!

Follow Industry Best Practices

When it comes to building a piece of software, there’s little reason to reinvent the wheel, so following the industry’s best practices makes the most sense. Choosing from widely used languages means finding development talent becomes an easier process. This is also a relevant point when considering the maintenance of your application – enhancements and bug fixes – over the long haul. Thinking long term must be part of your decision-making process.

Knowing the platform for your application helps narrow down your choice in programming languages. If you are building an iOS app, Objective-C or Swift are your most logical choices. Front-end development for a web application usually means JavaScript.

For some projects, more than one language is a likely requirement – front-end, back-end and database. Cross-platform targeting is another language feature worth considering.

If the application uses a non-web GUI, choose a language and IDE known for easy-to-use interface design tools. Fast prototyping of visual interfaces helps when building demos for business stakeholders, especially in an Agile project. This same rule applies for web applications.

Get Buy-In From All Project Stakeholders

It is important all stakeholders agree on the language choice for a project. Compatibility with other internal systems as well as the skill set of the in-house development talent also factor into a final decision. HR personnel also need to offer input on the ease of finding new programming talent experienced in the chosen language.

Working With an Experienced Development Co-sourcing Team is Smart

Ultimately, consulting with an experienced co-sourcing development firm is a wise strategy when determining the right programming language for your application. They fully understand the best choices for each platform, and typically employ development talent well versed in the chosen language. A strategy for future maintenance after the project is completed is another specialty of the best co-sourcing firms.

When looking at the right development team for your software project, be sure to consider the talented staff at SDE, Inc. USA. As a co-sourcing firm experienced in Agile and the latest in software engineering technologies, we are able to successfully complete the work at a competitive rate. Schedule a consultation with us at your earliest convenience.

Let’s look at a few ideas a small business needs to consider for enticing software development talent to come on board. Perhaps these insights can help mitigate your emerging company’s hiring problems?

A Competitive Compensation and Benefits Package

The competition for the top development talent remains fierce. A smaller company needs to offer at least an industry-standard salary, or potentially make up any difference with stock options or an employee ownership plan. Additionally, a generous benefits package, including a large amount of vacation time and PTO, plays an important role in attracting great developers.

Foster a Positive Company Culture

A welcoming office culture also contributes to attracting – and retaining – software engineers. This includes scheduling a variety of activities – fun and charitable – to build camaraderie among your staff. A flexible work schedule to ensure employees maintain a healthy work-life balance also helps when developing a great company culture.

Work With a Staffing Agency

A partnership with a technology staffing agency makes sense when trying to find software developer talent. Many of the best firms maintain a list of previously vetted candidates, so your organization’s time spent going through résumés and conducting initial interviews is lessened. This is a boon for a smaller business without a large HR team.

You are also able to focus on technical interviews to ultimately choose someone with the skills and personality to fit in with your team.

Considering Outsourcing Your Development Needs

Depending on the nature of your programming needs, outsourcing some or all of your development role to another company is a smart call. Smaller businesses benefit from focusing on their internal growth, while outsourcing also provides significant cost savings when compared to running an in-house development team. The best outsourcing firms are skilled in the latest technologies as well as modern methodologies, like Agile.

Agile also gives your senior team control over requirements in addition to the final sign-off on any work.

When searching for a top-notch software development firm for your co-sourcing needs, look no further than SDE, Inc. USA. Our talented professionals understand Agile and the latest trends in the industry. Schedule some time with us as soon as possible.