Trust technologies. How InterLink makes software outsourcing transparent with the hourly based work.

Software development is an iterative process. You invent some ideas implement them and then you have a chance to rethink the initial idea and turn it into something more valuable without extra orbital costs. One of the best sides of software is the agility for changes wherever they are in business or in concept. Good software architecture must be changes - ready, strong software development organization must be changes-oriented and surely such flexibility and agility of software nature must be supported with the contract type.

In 2000 when Kent Beck (one of the leaders of agile development movement) had started his Agile Manifesto where he provided valuable arguments against fixed scope and budget contracts and recommended transparent collaborative environment for project participants.

The main problem with the implementation of this scheme is a problem of customer's trust to development team. How could the customer be sure that the developers do their best for his project and really spend all reported hours effectively working? It's hard to verify, it's hard to calculate and hence it's hard to make trustworthy partner relationships.

Keeping in mind all the problems above are building the InterLink Project Management portal. This is project management tool first of all is aimed to provide customer with the transparent access to the development process .

So all the InterLink developers feel themselves open to our partners and agree to share their working progress by making regular notices about the issues they work on. The Project Management Portal has the tracker tool which takes developer's desktop screenshots at regular basis (at 10 min intervals). Developers review their screenshots at to identify timeframes with non effective time and remove them regularly (so our partners invest for only effective time spent on the project). At the end of the week there is a summary report for all developers assigned to a project in the portal.

Using this information and project management portal customers see the whole picture of development (project plan, iterations, tasks and defects), daily progress of team and particular developer, QA engineer or designer and see their current activity. And such approach brings the openness and trustiness to our business relationships.