OUTSOURCING TYPO3 PROJECTS
TYPO3 EXPERTISE
Atlantum has been engaged in
writing Extensions and building
websites on TYPO3 since
mid-2006.
OUTSOURCING TO ATLANTUM
Atlantum has successfully
delivered projects outsourced
from agencies and end-customers
alike, in Europe and USA since
2002, in various technologies
and frameworks. Over this time
Atlantum has evolved its
engagement model with customers
and addressed successfully the
challenges that an outsourced
environment throws up. There is
a general perception that small
projects such as the ones for TYPO3 cannot be outsourced. While small projects of 200 hours or less do pose their own challenges, Atlantum has designed practices to deliver such projects successfully and in-time. Some key things adopted are:
i. Use of project collaboration tool for maintaining all project communication
ii. Well documented estimation practices, for even small TYPO3 projects
iii. Dedicated Account/Project Managers to provide one-point-of-contact for customer accounts and projects
iv. Extensive and regular use of Skype Voice conversations to ensure smooth communication
v. Internal practices of Resource Management and Resource Allocation
PARTNERING WITH ATLANTUM
For TYPO3 agencies in Europe or
North America, an engagement
with Atlantum as a partner,
could potentially increase their
capacity in taking up more
projects. There is a scarcity of
TYPO3 people in Europe
currently. In North America, the
TYPO3 community is not big
enough as yet.
Atlantum currently has over 15 people highly trained in TYPO3 development or implementation, in an overall company size of just under 80 people. While there are some qualified people available in India, Atlantum mostly hires and trains people on TYPO3, through peer-training programmes, and well-documented knowledge.
ENGAGEMENT MODEL WITH ATLANTUM
The engagement model can differ significantly between small & large projects. While for small
projects the best practices adopted as above can suit project needs, larger projects may require on-site consulting. For such requirements Atlantum can arrange for its Project Managers to travel to customer sites in Europe or North America.
It would be imperative for the agency to have an Account/Project Manager with through understanding of TYPO3, or atleast in designing web-applications in general, and must be able to dedicate time on Project communication, management and co-ordination with the counterpart at Atlantum, throughout the lifecycle of the project.
TIME ZONE CONSTRAINTS
Time zone differences between Bangalore and, say, France, are in the range of 3-4 hours depending upon the time of the year. This offers a perfect combination of, 3-4 overlap hours each working day, and the undisturbed time to both parties to focus on work during the rest of the hours.
For North America, India offers early morning or late night overlaps with counterparts in the Eastern Time Zone (EST). Calls are normally prescheduled 1-2 times each week thus allowing.
LANGUAGE CONCERNS
All of Atlantum's developers have formal school and college education in spoken and written English. English is the default business language in India.