For many IoT projects, it is a race against time. The challenge is to come up with the best solution in the shortest possible time. In other words, you have to be as productive as possible. Do you recognize yourself
For many IoT projects, it is a race against time. The challenge is to come up with the best solution in the shortest possible time. In other words, you have to be as productive as possible. Do you recognize yourself
For many IoT projects, it is a race against time. The challenge is to come up with the best solution in the shortest possible time. In other words, you have to be as productive as possible.
Do you recognize yourself in this situation?
This notion of performance or “time to deliver” is present in many projects at Rtone. We have chosen 5 main tips and 5 best practices that can help you save time on your project. Whether it is an IoT project, the design of a connected object, or another tech project.
This may sound obvious. But it is important to remember. It is important to remember it.
A technical team, before being a sum of skills, is above all human beings. People you can trust.
Herein, the question of productivity arises as soon as your tech team is put together. As soon as you recruit your tech team.
To be more precise, let’s take the example of our recruitment process. In concrete terms, what do we do to recruit a productive tech team?
In addition to the technical interviews, we put the human aspect at the centre of our concerns. That is to say, we try to understand the profile and personality of our future Rtoner. For example, we discuss his/her values, how he/she organises his/her work, how he/she feels about teleworking… and the whole Rtone team gets involved during the meetings (formal or informal).
Our goal is to recruit people who are happy in their work and who will bring the company to the top. In short, to make it a two-way match!
This is what will make each member of the team perform individually, but also (and above all) that the collective, the project team, will be solid, united and successful.
Don’t you think?
It may sound like a strong word, but it’s really what we think. What we stand for!
Why do we do this?
For us, the specifications are “deceptive”. In other words, the specifications are not a sure way to remove all misunderstandings, the teams are rarely aligned and the costing is simply wrong.
And that’s a real problem… when you know what’s at stake in an IoT project and the importance of calculating the return on investment.
> Learn more about the ROI of a connected object with this article.
So to make a coherent and thoughtful costing on a mature and clear need, we have another approach.
What we do at Rtone: we carry out physical workshops before the project starts.
What does a workshop consist of?
For half a day with the client, we dissect, refine and cut out; we align ourselves by repeating and reformulating; we focus on what has the most value and which is achievable with little effort (maximum ROI).
The advantage of this approach is that you make sure you understand the need and the expected functionalities. You align the tech teams and you frame the budget. This way, there are no unpleasant surprises in terms of time & budget overruns during the development of the project. Everyone wins!
Let’s be realistic. By definition, the development of an innovative project cannot be planned perfectly, the scope can and will change. However, the budget and timing must be protected.
How can this be done?
One way is to adopt Agile methods.
In our IoT project management approach, we take the client’s budget and timing as fixed data. The rest is flexible. Without affecting the timing and budget, we adapt the scope of the development.
> We go into detail about Agile methods and contracting in this article.
We enable this change by conducting short sprints, we iterate by delivering the tangible while maintaining the long-term vision and continuously improving the team’s processes.
Here we are talking about training and being open to other subjects. To make each member of the team evolve.
Why is this important for productivity?
To be continuously stimulated and in a dynamic of evolution.
In our case, Malika, our HR manager, regularly follows us with personalised coaching. These coaching sessions allow us to take into account the objectives of each Rtoner and to help him or her progress.
The idea is also to get our heads out of the sand! Simply put. In other words, taking regular time out from current projects. This allows us to take a step back.
Some examples of the actions we carry out:
Principle of agility: optimising locally means losing globally!
So to achieve a long-term goal, you have to make concessions in the short term.
What does this mean in practice?
You always have to keep a long-term vision and focus on what is feasible in the short term.
Consequently, we take time to understand the client’s vision (through the workshop for example). But we don’t stop there. If necessary, we take time to go back to the vision, to organise ourselves as well as possible, taking into account the constraints of each team member.
We also take time for other actions, not directly linked to the current projects (disseminating knowledge, seminars, conferences, etc.).
This may seem like wasted time because it is not directly linked to the production and development of the project. However, these actions are essential for maintaining the dynamics and curiosity of the tech team, as well as limiting errors and wasted time on the project as a whole.
This is an investment in a clear mind, entirely dedicated to its work… and ultimately, a productive team.
Un peu de lecture
Des articles, des podcasts, des webinars… et surtout des conseils pratiques ! En bref, une collection de ressources pour mener à bien votre projet.
