There was a time when the subject of openness in business was off-limits. The more enterprises concealed their work operations, the more they succeeded.
But today, transparency is becoming companies’ trump card and brand advertising. It has allowed such platforms as Netflix, OTIS, Slack, and Airbnb to become industry leaders. What does the transparency of processes mean when it comes to outsourcing software development companies? How can you find a suitable contractor?
Why transparency of processes is important
In the business context, transparency means openness, trust, and cooperation. Transparency is one of the defining characteristics of ІТ outsourcing. Project management service providers are often located offshore, and customers are at risk of signing a contract with an underqualified team that will miss deadlines, exceed their budgets, or create poor-quality products. To avoid this, partner with an outsourcing company whose policy is transparent.
Transparency criteria in IT
The following defining factors show how transparent an organization’s processes are.
Meetings with management. If a firm is willing to provide a customer with an opportunity to communicate with its management, including the C-suite, this indicates the openness of its business processes.
Agile methodologies. If a company operates in accordance with Agile methodologies, this also proves that its processes are highly transparent. Agile implies prioritization, planning, and transparency, which mitigate risks associated with product quality, terms of development, and cost. The work of the team is tracked more often, and a Project Manager constantly communicates with the customer.
Reporting. Well-developed documentation presents a complete vision of the project, allowing the team to avoid misunderstandings and an incorrect interpretation of requirements.
Monitoring tools. The tools that the team uses to control the product quality – solutions for Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery, process automation, and so on – indicate its excellence.
Project portal. By virtue of this tool, customers track KPIs, communicate their requests to the team, and get immediate access to project artifacts.
Audit. The audit procedure during the course of software development helps to find out whether the documentation was developed correctly, whether the project has the required reports and meets the standards, and so on.
Security. Complying with security rules and standards specified in the non-disclosure agreement is a crucial part of the transparency policy that ensures the confidentiality of customer data.
Quality. If project management service providers confirm the quality of created products by real numbers and cases, the policy of their processes is transparent.
Transparency of processes in a business
Transparency of business processes helps companies to be more efficient in reaching the goal – to create high-quality software. Transparency establishes trust between the customer and the IT team.
A company with transparent processes:
– explains why it takes x months to finish the project,
– give a reason for choosing a particular stack for the development,
– files reports on a regular basis about how it spends the project budget,
– guarantees that the customer will receive the product within the agreed terms, scope, and budget.
If the processes are not transparent, there is a chance that the outsourcing company and the customer won’t understand each other, which will result in extra costs and extended project terms.
The role of a PM in ensuring the transparency of processes
A PM communicates the idea of their IT company’s transparency and are among its main representatives. They are the ones who transfer the customer’s requests to the team, establish connections between all the project’s stakeholders, and solve problems arising in the course of project implementation. As a result, the customer receives a high-quality product on time and within budget.
The PM ensures project transparency by doing the following:
– understanding business objectives of the product and creating a transparent environment for the project participants’ communication,
– planning the work of the team and prioritizing tasks, taking into consideration the qualification of specialists and possible risks that can affect meeting deadlines, and presenting these plans to the customer for approval,
– reporting to the customer on how the project budget is spent,
– demonstrating prototypes, demo versions, and existing solutions to the customer.
The more transparent the processes on the project are, the lower the risks are. Transparent processes guarantee that developers will create the required product within the specified criteria.
Read more:
How to Choose the Right Outsourcing Software Development Company