It is true that working with a technology partner can be the best thing that can happen to your company to develop its projects with agility and maximum quality, but problems can also arise that can turn everything into a nightmare.
Don’t panic, here we will explain several situations that may arise with your technology partner and what to do in each case.
At the beginning of the working relationship between a company and a partner, it is normal to ignore the roles and responsibilities of each of the members of each team. Of course, they are just going to start the development of the project. At this stage, it may happen that the resources do not know how to raise the doubts they have or to whom, creating confusion and delays in the execution of tasks.
In this case, we consider that the creation of a communications and procedures manual is essential to guide the technological partner on the operation of the company and who can be contacted when having a query or request. For example, the operations manager of your company can offer training to the partner's team explaining the structure of the company, making clear the communication channels available and which ones to use depending on the urgency of the matter.
Faced with tasks of great technical complexity or business dependency, it is normal for some doubts to arise. If the resource is not communicated effectively or assertively, it can cause delays in the project by not being clear about the task, or executing it improperly, affecting the scope of the project.
In our team, we place a lot of emphasis on the importance of asking, of speaking when having a doubt, no matter how basic and silly it may seem. It is better to ask a question than to correct a mistake that could be avoided later. In addition, by clarifying doubts, the entire team is aware of what needs to be done to achieve the general goals of the project.
Working with an external resource, outside the company offices, can lead to some communication problems. For example, trying to contact a resource and not responding by chat, email or call.
From the first day of work, the company must make it clear to the partner which internal communication channels will be used to manage all the requirements. Also, the working hours must be established and it must be made clear that in that period of time the partner must be available on said channels.
When the partner delivers the reports of the tasks carried out at the end of the sprint and does not receive feedback from the company, it can generate delays in the tasks of the next sprint if there is any dependency between them.
There must be a commitment between the company and the partner to fulfill the project planning. This means that the partner must comply with the deliverables of each sprint and the company must commit to reviewing each of them in time to give the corresponding feedback. Committing to planning contributes to the achievement of the project's objectives.