How can you use IT project management frameworks to improve communication with outsourced teams?
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If you work with outsourced IT teams, you know how challenging it can be to communicate effectively and keep everyone on the same page. Different time zones, cultural norms, and expectations can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and conflicts. That's why you need to use IT project management frameworks to improve communication with outsourced teams. In this article, we'll show you how to choose and apply the right framework for your project, and how to use tools and techniques to enhance collaboration and transparency.
IT project management frameworks are sets of principles, processes, and practices that guide the planning, execution, and control of IT projects. They help you define the scope, schedule, budget, quality, and risks of your project, and provide a common language and structure for your team and stakeholders. There are many IT project management frameworks, such as waterfall, agile, scrum, kanban, and hybrid. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the nature, complexity, and requirements of your project.
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Michael Joubert - EDIS, (BSc. Mech. Eng, MBA)
Director @ COBWEB (IS) LIMITED | Designing and Implementing systems and processes for new ways of working.
I suggest that all IT project management framework have many components and formats. The core component to all frameworks is the project operating model, i.e. 'the process for getting things done, measuring progress through the process and validating when things are done'.
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Luis Soares de Mello
Outsourced teams require strict distribution of scope of work and governance. When included in projects, those requirements are guaranteed: - Project planning with resource and task assignment makes it very clear what's every person's role; - Project governance enforces strict ways of control to outsourced resources. Moreover, in a project everyone is part of a team with a common goal. The distinction between insourced and outsourced resources is diluted, everyone is just part of the project.
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Before you decide on a framework, it's important to understand the characteristics and goals of your project, as well as the capabilities and preferences of your team and client. To do this, consider questions such as how well-defined and stable the project requirements are, how much flexibility and change you expect during the project, and how quickly you need to deliver value and feedback to the client. Additionally, assess the experience level and skills of your team members and outsourced partners, as well as how much autonomy and collaboration they need and want. Based on your answers, you can choose a framework that best suits your project. For instance, if you have a clear and fixed scope, a tight deadline, and a low tolerance for risk, a waterfall framework might be the best option. On the other hand, if you have a vague and dynamic scope, a flexible timeline, and a high appetite for innovation, an agile framework may be more suitable.
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J. Phillip Camp
AVP, Customer Digital Experience Delivery Lead at Empower
The best PM framework is one that the organization will uniformly support and use. It needs to fit culturally and ideologically because if areas of the business don't buy-in, it won't work.
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Brian Christer Baerentsen
Transforming the eCommerce and Software experience at Atea
From a PM perspective you need to understand and establish your key stakeholders and senior management, which parameters are most important: time/schedule, scope/quality, cost or innovation level. That will also guide you towards the most suitable framework. And in case of waterfall or hybrid frameworks strong change control is instrumental.
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To ensure the success of your project, it's necessary to apply a chosen framework consistently and effectively. This requires defining roles and responsibilities for team members and outsourced partners, as well as setting the scope, schedule, budget, quality, and risk criteria. Additionally, you must follow the processes and practices of the framework, such as phases, iterations, sprints, tasks, milestones, deliverables, reviews, and approvals. To support the framework, use charts, diagrams, documents, reports, dashboards and software. Lastly, monitor and measure the progress of your project while reporting and resolving any issues or deviations.
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J. Phillip Camp
AVP, Customer Digital Experience Delivery Lead at Empower
It's important to align people with roles that have responsibilities to uphold the practices and standards of the framework from each area of the outsourced team.
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Ramiz Javed
IT Project Manager | Digital Transformation & Delivery Manager | Implementation Manager | Data Migrations
Tailor the chosen framework to your project's specific needs, defining roles, tasks, and processes. Ensure alignment with your outsourced team's capabilities.
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Communication is a fundamental element of any IT project, especially when working with outsourced teams. To ensure successful collaboration, it is imperative to communicate frequently, clearly, and respectfully with all team members and outsourced partners. To improve communication, you can use online platforms and apps such as Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, Trello, and Jira. Additionally, setting up regular meetings and check-ins with agendas, minutes, and action items can help keep track of topics and outcomes. Visual aids such as wireframes, mockups, prototypes, and screenshots can be used to explain and illustrate requirements, expectations, and feedback. It is also important to use a common language and terminology to avoid confusion and ambiguity. Finally, feedback loops and surveys can provide constructive feedback in a timely manner while praise and recognition can motivate and appreciate team members and outsourced partners.
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Madhu Ganapathy
Information Technology Project Manager at TIU Consulting
We need to use the communication methods in such a way that everyone who is involved in the project need to be on same page. While having a meeting we have to understand 2 things 1. Listening, 2. Considering everyone's involvement. Also, to motivate, we have to have appreciation. If they're any misunderstandings or any gaps, we need to address this in an informative way, rather than pointing names
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Samir Sinha
Co-founder & CEO @ GlobalMedics.Ai Virtual Hospital | Humanising Healthcare with Generative AI
While all these tools are effective "channels", what would have the greatest impact on the results is building a relationship of trust and an alignment to a common set of goals.
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Communication is not a one-time activity; it's an ongoing process that requires constant evaluation and improvement. To assess the effectiveness and efficiency of your communication, you should use metrics and indicators to measure the quality and quantity of your communication, such as response time, satisfaction rate, error rate, and completion rate. Audits and reviews can help you analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your communication. Additionally, feedback and suggestions from your team members and outsourced partners should be taken into account. By using best practices and lessons learned to refine and optimize your communication, you can enhance collaboration, transparency, and trust among project stakeholders, resulting in better results and value for your client.
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Marcos Paraiso
Vice President of Business Development
In my experience there should be clarity in commnication of objectives and goals, constant sharing around project status, problems and risks and very clear roles, responsibilities and expected delivery timelines.
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Madhu Ganapathy
Information Technology Project Manager at TIU Consulting
The MOMs need to be there after the meeting. Need to go through this and analysing this has equal importance. As an individual or as a team we have to analyse the current communication methods and take new suggestions from team and stakeholders, we can improve this.
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Robert (Bob) Bruce
Technical Project Leadership and Implementation for over 30 Years
In my experience successfully closing a project depends highly on clear communication. It is an important aspect of a project. In my experience nothing is worse than working on difficult and long project and having it just fade away into the past without a clear closure. Closing can take be done successfull in serveral ways from a simple Email to formal Lesson Learned Meeting.
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Ramiz Javed
IT Project Manager | Digital Transformation & Delivery Manager | Implementation Manager | Data Migrations
Factors such as cultural differences, time zone disparities, and language barriers may impact communication. Be mindful of these aspects and adapt your approach as needed.
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