Spotlight is a cloud based application that improves productivity and decreases time to market for projects driven by remote teams. Improve communication and collaboration with your remote project team to improve the chances of project success.

1. How
to
Effectively
Manage
a
Virtual
Team
of
Software
Developers
using
Spotlight
Are
you
planning
on
managing
a
team
of
virtual
software
developers,
or
are
you
already
managing
a
team
of
virtual
developers?
I
ask
because
if
you
are
already
managing
a
virtual
workforce,
then
you’ve
honed
in
on
a
key
competitive
advantage.
In
my
15+
years
of
creating
software
in
various
roles
from
developer
to
VP
to
business
owner,
I
have
always
sought
better,
faster
and
more
efficient
ways
to
develop
quality
applications.
Today,
you
have
a
whopping
competitive
advantage
right
in
front
of
your
face:
the
ability
to
find
and
hire
talent
from
around
the
world,
and
with
incredible
ease.
There
are
two
key
advantages
to
working
with
a
virtual
workforce.
First
and
foremost,
you
remove
the
shackles
of
geo-­‐location
restraints.
Instead
of
confining
your
search
for
that
perfect
PHP
or
.NET
developer
within
50
radius
miles
of
your
office,
you
open
your
search
to
an
entire
planet.
Software
development
is
a
discipline
of
many,
many
specialties.
Often,
your
project
requires
a
good
half-­‐dozen
specialized
skills,
like
database,
user
design,
SaaS,
etc.
Opening
your
search
to
the
whole
world
increases
your
odds
of
finding
the
right
talent,
and
very
often
talent
with
multiple
skills
that
match
your
needs
perfectly.
That
brings
us
to
the
second
advantage
of
working
with
a
virtual
workforce:
cost.
Chances
are
very
good
that
the
talent
you
source
will
be
located
in
a
country
whose
cost
of
living
is
less
than
the
United
States;
hence
you
pay
less
for
equivalent
talent.
But
there‘s
more
to
this
story.
As
you
open
the
geo-­‐boundaries
of
your
search,
you
increase
the
odds
of
finding
developers
adept
in
multiple
disciplines.
That
means
you
may
find
a
database
guru
who’s
also
great
at
UI
design…
two
for
the
price
of
one!
Sounds
great,
huh?
So
here’s
comes
the
dark
cloud.
According
to
a
study
by
the
Aberdeen
Group,
about
50%
-­‐
90%
of
all
software
development
projects
executed
by
virtual
teams
fail.
That’s
staggering.
That
means
only
10%
-­‐
50%
of
software
development
projects
executed
by
virtual
teams
succeed.
Learning
and
improving
from
very
early
failures,
my
career
success
rate
of
starting
and
delivering
software
projects
utilizing
virtual
teams
is
95%;
way
above
the
mean
success
rate.
It’s
the
primary
reason
why
my
software
development
services
company
has
grown
so
rapidly.
How
do
I
do
it?
How
do
I
consistently
beat
the
odds?
I
beat
the
odds
with
a
methodical
process.
That’s
what
the
rest
of
this
paper
discusses.
And
the
good
news
is,
the
process
can
be
taught
and
followed
with
precision
using
Spotlight.
Planning
your
Project
Would
you
build
a
house
without
a
blueprint?
Would
you
drive
around
in
a
new
town
without
a
map?
I
certainly
hope
you
answered
‘no’
to
both.
Yet,
so
many
entrepreneurs
and
developers
code
without
a
plan.
“We
wing
it”,
“We’re
lean”,
“It
just
writes
itself”,
and
the
list
of
excuses
go
on
and
on.
Budget
overrun,
buggy
code
and
worst
of
all,
an
app
that
does
not
meet
business
goals,
are
the
usual
consequences
for
not
planning.
But
in
my
15+
years
of
doing
this,
I
can
tell
you
that
a
good
plan
is
essential.
(Quick
tangent:
You’re
plan
will
change.
Your
plan
will
probably
change
a
lot
from
the
first
revision.
This
is
called
a
“pivot”
in
software
development
terms.
It’s
a
perfectly
natural
course
of
development
that
leads
to
ultimate
success.
But
you
cannot
pivot
to
success
if
you
do
not
already
have
a
clear
idea
of
where
you
are
going.)

2. Planning
starts
with
you,
and
then
passes
to
the
the
developers.
The
first
step
is
to
visually
and
textually
describe
your
app
in
detail.
The
best
way
to
visually
describe
your
app
is
to
create
“wire-­‐frames”.
Wire-­‐
frames
are
a
sketched
version
of
each
screen
in
your
app
and
how
each
screen
connects
to
other
screens.
It
is
the
user
experience
(UX)
and
workflow
of
your
app.
For
example,
a
wire-­‐frame
for
a
login
screen
may
show
the
text
fields
where
a
user
enters
their
username
and
password,
as
well
as
a
login
button.
There
are
many
great
tools
to
create
wire-­‐frames.
Two
really
good
ones
are
http://www.balsamiq.com/
and
https://moqups.com/#!/.
The
best
way
to
textually
describe
your
product
is
with
“use
cases”.
Use
cases
are
plain
text
that
accompanies
wire-­‐frames.
They
describe
what
each
control,
button,
link,
combo-­‐box,
etc.
do
on
a
screen.
Use
cases
describe
the
permutations
a
user
can
experience
when
interacting
with
a
screen.
For
example,
referring
to
the
login
wireframe,
a
use
case
may
describe
what
happens
when
a
user
presses
‘login’.
For
instance,
what
screen
is
the
user
taken
to
next
when
he
presses
‘login’?
Or
what
happens
when
a
user
enters
an
invalid
username
or
password.
The
various
user
experiences
are
described
in
use
cases.
Figure
1:
An
example
of
a
wire-­‐frame.
(On
a
side
note,
it’s
a
good
idea
to
run
your
wire-­‐frames
and
use
cases
by
a
few
third
party
eyes.
If
it
makes
sense
to
them,
you’re
on
the
right
track.
If
they
have
constructive
feedback,
that’s
even
better!)
Now
that
the
wire-­‐frames
and
use
cases
are
ready,
it’s
time
to
plan
the
project.
This
is
typically
performed
by
a
minimum
of
a
senior
level
developer,
and
optimally
with
a
project
manager
to
help
with
scoping.
Project
planning
is
a
process
of
slicing
the
project
in
segments,
or
“sprints”
as
they
are
sometimes
referred
to
in
software
development.
A
project
is
comprised
of
several
sprints,
and
each
sprint
is
comprised
of
granular
tasks
assigned
to
various
members
of
the
team.
For
example,
Sprint
One

3. may
be
the
Database
Sprint,
which
has
10
tasks
assigned
to
several
developers
that
will
build
the
database.
Figure
2:
Using
Sprints
to
manage
projects
in
Spotlight
Figure
3:
Sprints
consists
of
tasks
assigned
to
developers
A
typical
sprint
will
run
anywhere
from
1-­‐3
weeks.
Properly
planning
the
correct
number
of
sprints
in
a
project
and
in
the
correct
order
will
lay
the
entire
foundation
of
the
project’s
execution
and
delivery.
It’s
vital
that
you
ensure
that
the
necessary
time
is
spent
on
this
phase,
which
usually
runs
about
1-­‐2
weeks,
depending
on
the
size
of
your
project.
It
is
time
very
well
spent,
and
I
personally
would
never
do
a
project
without
this
phase.
With
the
sprints
in
place,
you
now
have
a
timeline
for
your
project.
The
tasks
assigned
ensure
everyone
knows
their
marching
order.
This
creates
a
sense
of
accountability
within
the
team
to
perform
to
the
mandate
laid
out
in
the
sprints.
Now
it’s
time
to
execute.
Building
your
Dream
Managing
a
virtual
team
of
developers
is
an
art
built
upon
a
process.
The
art
form
is
something
you
will
enhance
and
perfect
over
time
based
on
your
own
management
style
and
flair.
Naturally,
I
cannot
teach
the
art
of
management,
that’s
your
own
unique
approach,
but
I
can
teach
a
proven
process
to
manage
virtual
developers.
This
is
a
process
that
I
have
perfected
over
many
years
of
successfully
managing
virtual
employees
from
the
United
States,
Latin
America,
India,
the
Middle
East
and
the
Ukraine.
It’s
a

4. process
that,
if
followed
with
strict
adherence,
will
greatly
improved
your
chances
of
success
when
managing
a
team
of
virtual
employees,
whether
they
are
developers,
testers,
or
any
other
discipline.
First,
start
each
day
with
a
15-­‐minute
meeting.
In
the
software
development
world,
these
meetings
are
called
“daily
scrums”
or
“stand-­‐ups”.
The
purpose
of
these
meetings
is
communication
and
accountability.
Each
person
in
the
scrum
quickly
states
what
they
accomplished
yesterday,
what
their
goals
are
for
the
day,
and
cite
any
impediments
to
their
goals.
These
daily
scrums
should
run
15
minutes.
It
is
an
overview
meeting
to
get
the
entire
team
synched
for
the
day.
Any
sideline
conversations
should
be
conducted
after
the
daily
scrum
with
the
interested
parties.
Keep
the
daily
scrum
short
and
focused.
Who
should
attend
the
daily
scrum?
Most
development
teams
confine
the
daily
scrums
to
key
developers.
I,
on
the
other
hand,
involve
the
entire
team.
I
involve
developers
as
well
as
testers,
designers
and
project
managers.
My
rationale
is
that
if
everyone
in
the
team
knows
what
everyone
else
is
working
on,
then
a
true
synergetic
atmosphere
is
built.
If
QA
knows
what’s
coming
down
the
pike
from
a
developer,
they
can
be
better
prepared.
If
a
designer
listens
in
on
a
new
feature
discussion,
they
may
lend
valuable
UX
insight
early
on
in
the
development
process.
In
my
experience,
the
quality
of
a
product
is
directly
related
to
the
more
involved
and
intertwined
the
various
members
of
a
team
are.
Now
that
the
team
is
synched
and
producing,
it’s
important
that
the
team
continues
communicating
throughout
the
day.
If
the
team
were
all
sitting
together
in
a
brick
and
mortar
office,
this
would
naturally
happen
as
the
project
manager
makes
his
or
her
rounds,
or
the
developers
chat
by
the
water
cooler,
at
lunch
or
elsewhere.
But
this
is
less
natural
for
a
virtual
team
so
a
process
is
needed.
I
have
found
that
regular
status
updates
facilitate
communication
thought
out
the
day.
A
status
update
is
an
email
sent
to
the
entire
team
that
states
a
few
key
attributes
to
the
team:
1. What
are
you
working
on
now?
2. What
is
your
progress?
3. Are
there
any
issues?
These
status
update
emails
should
be
sent
3-­‐5
times
per
day,
or
as
tasks,
progress
or
statuses
change.
They
should
also
include
availability.
In
other
words,
team
members
must
inform
other
team
members
what
time
they
will
be
online
until,
or
what
time
they
will
be
returning
back
to
work.
©
Spotlight
facilitates
the
status
updates
by
assigning
Status
Cards
to
each
of
your
team’s
members
and
organizing
your
entire
team
in
a
complete
overview.
Status
updates
are
displayed
on
the
Status
Cards.
This
eliminates
the
need
for
emails,
which
are
often
lost
and
disorganized,
and
provides
a
bird’s-­‐eye
snapshot
of
what
your
entire
team
is
working
on
in
a
single
glance.

5.
Figure
4:
Status
Cards
keep
you
on
top
of
your
developers.
Figure
5:
Flip
Status
cards
over
to
dive
deep
into
a
developer's
work
day

6.
Figure
6:
Status
cards
are
simple
to
update
and
take
far
less
time
than
creating
and
sending
an
email
A
steady
stream
of
status
updates
keeps
the
team
talking
in
a
manner
that
simulates
the
office
experience.
It
takes
a
bit
of
getting
used
to,
but
once
employed
as
a
habit,
communication
and
collaboration
skyrocket
as
the
team
members
become
accountable
to
each
other.
Now
to
wrap
the
work
day
up.
A
daily
reflection
on
the
day’s
activities
and
a
mental
preparedness
for
the
next
day
is
a
practice
I
personally
employ
to
stay
sharp.
Once
again,
this
happens
almost
automatically
in
the
office
as
developers
wrap
up
their
day
and
cite
to
their
manager
and
each
other
what
they’ll
be
working
on
the
next
day.
It’s
not
so
natural
in
the
world
of
virtual
employees
so
once
again
a
process
is
employed.
A
daily
progress
report
sent
from
each
team
member
to
their
immediate
supervisor
sets
the
stage
for
a
productive
next
day.
The
daily
progress
report
should
be
a
simple
form
which
answers
3
questions:
1. What
did
I
accomplish
today?
2. What
I
will
accomplish
tomorrow.
3. Any
impediments
to
my
goals.
Similar
to
the
morning
scrum,
this
daily
progress
report
is
a
tight
and
efficient
way
to
wrap
up
a
day’s
work.
Team
members
can
mentally
prepare
their
next
day’s
activities,
as
well
as
team
leads,
superiors
and
managers.
The
daily
progress
report
may
be
the
single
most
important
way
to
create
a
synergy
of
communication
and
accountability.
Spotlight
embraces
the
daily
progress
report
by
designating
reports
from
team
members,
team
leads
and
even
from
project
managers
to
clients.
Reports
can
even
be
automatically
emailed
to
any
recipient,
regardless
if
they
are
a
Spotlight
member.
It
is
such
an
import
and
integral
part
of
managing
virtual
developers,
that
Spotlight
lets
you
optionally
require
daily
progress
reports
from
team
members
in
order
to
let
them
continue
using
the
system
on
a
daily
basis.

7.
Figure
7:
Daily
progress
reports
are
an
integral
way
to
manage
virtual
developers
The
trinity
of
(1)
the
daily
morning
scrums,
(2)
3-­‐5x
status
updates
throughout
the
day,
and
(3)
the
daily
progress
reports
at
the
end
of
a
work
day
forms
the
foundation
for
a
process
of
communication
that
will
yield
amazing
results.
As
you
can
see,
it
forms
a
sense
of
group
accountability,
where
the
team
is
all
working
together
synergistically.
Your
own
personal
flair
will
shape
the
process,
but
the
basics
should
remain
intact.
The
benefits
of
employing
a
virtual
team
provide
a
necessary
competitive
advantage
in
today’s
world
of
software
development.
It
enables
you
to
find
the
perfect
talent
at
the
perfect
price.
But
managing
a
virtual
team
is
a
process
different
than
managing
an
onsite
team.
Managed
properly
with
a
proven
process
that
produces
positive
results
will
reap
the
rewards
of
a
virtual
team.
Take
the
care
to
find
and
hire
the
right
talent.
Expend
the
time
and
effort
to
plan
your
project.
Exercise
the
diligence
to
see
the
trinity
of
processes
of
virtual
team
management
is
followed
each
day.
These
are
your
keys
to
successfully
manage
a
virtual
team
and
unlock
their
potential.
Try
Spotlight
free
for
30
days
and
see
how
you
can
improve
your
project
success
rate!
Sign
up
at
http://www.spotlightppm.com/pricing.html.
Questions
or
comments?
Visit
http://www.spotlightppm.com
and
contact
us.