Estonian software developer Programeter,  offering programmer performance measuring software, a while ago launched a free product for all IT outsourcers – Programeter Outsourcing Edition. 
 
CEO of Programeter, Mark Kofman says that the outsourcing tool enables service provider and buyers of software development services to freely share analytics about outsourced projects and teams, so it helps to add visibility into outsourced software development projects of all kind.  The best part of it is that it is totally free for the service providers.

“Today, there are service providers from Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, China, India and Russia who are already using or evaluating our technology. On the opposite, we started to get requests from companies looking to hire the reputable and accountable service provider for their software development needs. They approach us to help them with that,” Kofman says optimisticly. He expects  more and more  service providers to join in coming months.

Transparency!

How an IT outsourcing project usually evolves – the buyer announces a procurement. He sets the price. The winner starts the job. But the buyer doesn’t really care how much work is actually done and how’s it all going.

If the service provider would use the Programeter’s tool, his reputation would improve significantly. He would become transparent. The buyer could then have a bird-eye view over progress of the project. The only question is how to motivate the buyer to seek for that kind of transparency if the he is a state official using public finances?! He’d say: “It’s not my money, why should I care?”

Swedbank likes Programeter

Kofman believes that the transparency is an important basis for healthy
relationships between service provider and buyer of the services.
Customers typically do not have daily conversations with development
team due to separate locations, lack of common language or other
organizational issues. Metrics, indicators and analytics are crucial
in giving both sides opportunity to feel as full-fledged members of
the development team.

Programeter’s tools are currently being tested in Swedbank, the biggest bank in The Baltics. Estonian Statistical Office also uses Programeter.