How to Efficiently Run Software Development During COVID-19 Outbreak

The COVID-19 outbreak has changed the way we run business, propelling everyone towards increasingly remote work and online collaboration. Isolation and social distancing is today’s reality and tomorrow’s promise. Thoughtful and extensive planning is a way out to stay afloat and benefit from an international crisis.

In this post, OpenGeeksLab is going to guide you through how to efficiently run your offshore software development during COVID-19 outbreak.

Challenges Businesses Face Today

Current tough circumstances force businesses around the globe to confront considerable and unique challenges. Business routine as we know it is being disrupted.

Audi, for example, has unbundled the rings on its logo by placing them at a “safe” distance in an act of coronavirus solidarity. McDonald’s in Ukraine has separated golden arches in a yellow letter “M”. Mercado Libre has replaced handshake with biceps demonstration. Coca-Cola has spread its logo letters apart on Time Square billboard. The brand’s social distancing message says “Staying apart is the best way to stay connected.” Nike has launched a new ad campaign that states “If you ever dreamed of playing for millions around the world, now is your chance. Play inside, play for the world.”

Going through rough times, you may be probably worried about:

• Which actions should my business take for staying relevant during quarantine?
• If I start remote development now, how can I successfully keep track on a team?
• Can I fully trust a remote team?
• How can I ensure effective collaboration?
• Will I get the desired outcomes with remote development?

The answer is yes. And that is how.

Develop and Implement Clear Remote Work Policies

First, identify and work on detailed policies to address remote team virtual work concerns and best practices. These policies should cover:

• project vision and key message
• clear roles, responsibilities, handovers
• deadline-driven tasks and priorities
• step-by-step workflow management
• interaction techniques
• project milestones
• regular feedback
• regular updates
• security issues.

Online Collaboration Tools

Remote project teams must have access to the right cloud-based services. Here are trusted online project management, performance monitoring, video conferencing, file sharing solutions that may save the day.

Project Management

Agile, Scrum or Kanban are principal methodologies to optimize human resources and ensure smooth development. Reporting and performance tracking systems allow tracing results on the go on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. You can select Jira, Trello, Asana, Wrike and other tools that facilitate activities to help remote software developers get projects completed from any device and any location.

Online Communication

Slack, Evernote, Microsoft Teams and other similar apps are essential for organizing effective communication during the pandemic.

GoToMeeting, Zoom Meetings, Cisco WebEx, ShareX, Skype, Google Hangouts are efficient video conferencing apps to help you conduct video chats, audio calls or organize conferences with multiple teams simultaneously.

File Sharing and Synchronization

Cloud-based file-sharing tools allow sharing/storing files, synchronizing them across multiple devices and collaborating seamlessly on them. You can pick one of these tools: Amazon Drive, Google’s G Suite, Google Drive, Box, Citrix ShareFile, Dropbox, Dropmark, OneDrive, NextCloud, Wimi, Samepage, Hightail. TechRadar is of great help if you share big files.

How Is OpenGeeksLab Handling the COVID-19 Crisis?

Like any other business, OpenGeeksLab has an in-house office, but currently, our team members are unable to be under one roof. But thanks to a remote workforce strategy during coronavirus, we managed to avoid temporary issues. There is no stop in development. We keep running our regular business routine successfully. We are committed to fulfil all the commitments to all our customers.

We are taking all the precautions to protect our project teams from the pandemic. To do this, we have provided our employees with outbreak instructions, implemented social distancing rules as well as hygiene safety measures.

Do Not Panic

Despite rough days, there is no sign of slowing your software development plans down. Contact us right away. We are here to help you maintain momentum in your business. The market will recover. The COVID-19 crisis will blow over and things will undoubtedly go back to normal.