Software Development Outsourcing: Trends for PMs in 2019. From Gravum experts

There are good Project Managers in the software development outsourcing process. They are used to analyzing their teams’ challenges and approaches, meeting the client’s expectations, and using tools and methods they work with as much effect as possible. There are smart Project Managers. They foresee their teams’ challenges and approaches, exceed the client’s expectations, and look for new tools and methods that can be used more effectively than the ones they used to work with.

Project management trends in  software dev outsourcing

As you may guess smart PMs are more valued, and, thus, more paid. A key point here is that besides their routine work they are constantly searching for the solutions in order to apply the best.

PM: Powerful Mind in Software Development Outsourcing

For the last decade, a lot of companies (especially, start-ups) refuse using strict hierarchy in the organization. That’s why some employees often share some responsibilities with their colleagues or work on a few positions at the same time. In many IT companies, Project Managers additionally function as Business Analysts and QA Leads. This is the reason why strategic thinking becomes one of the most important skills for a PM.

Since they manage the creation of technology, service, product, or a just certain feature, they become responsible not only for the quality of the project, deadlines, and the financial results but also for an individual philosophy of the project.

As far as PMs’ influence growth they are used to developing design thinking which requires the knowledge of engineering practices combined with some ideas and solutions from design, business, and social fields.

Software Development Outsourcing: Trends for PMs in 2019 from Gravum experts, imageThis way they can resolve several tasks:

  • Define the essence of the project
  • Specify the requirements
  • Find the solutions for the non-standard issues

Software Development Outsourcing: A Bottle Of Scrum!

Long ago one wise PM came to a conclusion: “A project is completed much faster when you follow some certain steps and use some certain methods”. Nowadays it is hard to find an IT company that is not familiar with Agile methodology. In 2019 this tendency will definitely continue to rise. One of the most valuable advantages of Agile is that it can easily adapt to the scope requirements depending on a flexible business environment.

Scrum and Kanban boards are the most popular platforms for project management so far. Scrum provides a quite lightweight and straightforward process framework featuring iterative and incremental practices. It is based on sprints in order to launch releases or deliver full projects faster and more frequently.

If you want to avoid multitasking Kanban boards may be another good solution. It not only allows to manage and assign tasks but also helps to apply a certain workflow to the specific situation. What is more interesting – is the integration of Project Management software with tools for data analytics and presentations as well as with other services used in software development. As a result, communication between clients, PMs, and developers becomes simpler and more convenient.

Develop And Encourage

The evolving market and a growing number of competitors make PMs focus not only on customer needs but also on the team’s professional growth. Although each project brings new challenges, and, thus, opportunities to improve skills, Mr. Market demands new experience.

There is still a lack of experts in blockchain technology, AI, Machine Learning, and other trends in the IT industry which means you may succeed if you have such kinds of experts in your team. And the task for the Project Manager here is to encourage professional self-development, take part in conferences, arrange courses, classes, and training. It is important to convince top-management that knowledge is a priceless value and in the end, the one who owns the information owns the world.

Keep Calm And Work

Emotional intelligence becomes a key factor for the recruiters when considering a Project Manager to hire. In comparison to the methodology knowledge, it often comes as a more important requirement. Combining confidence, empathy, self-motivation, self-regulation, and other social skills this quality enables Project Managers to discover potential, inspire the team, and overcome customer expectations.

Latest researches show that it is more about social when it comes to PM’s functioning as a leader, supervisor, and mentor.

Remote Control

According to the statistics, by 2020, almost half the labor force in the world will consist of millennials or Generation Y (people born between 1985 and 2000). This information, actually, means nothing important, except the fact that most Gen Y representatives prefer remote work and most employers just have to accept this. Young developers who are looking for comfort in work-life balance, love traveling, and appreciate freedom quite often form a team a Project Manager has to work with.

The term “Remote Project Management” in software development outsourcing becomes more and more popular nowadays and means new challenges for a PM like organizing communications and supervising. Fortunately, it is possible to apply collaborative PM tools even to remote workers. Functioning as a medium between employer and remote team Project Manager can always benefit from one thing – remote-working developers are normally more experienced and, as a result, work on projects faster and more effectively.

Conclusion

To keep up with the rapidly evolving IT industry and Project Management environment can be quite a serious task. However, following trends and foreseeing movements in the field makes PMs prepared for any challenges. When it comes to software development outsourcing it is important to count not only on developers but also on Project Manager.

You can always count on Gravum Project Managers whose rule №1 is “to be in the know” in software development outsourcing.