There are tons of talented IT specialists — managers, designers, coders etc. They invent different solutions that make the IT sphere bigger and even more prosperous.

I'm Maxim Pavlov, CEO of KTS. Let's find out which of these methods can be used in other working fields.

IT-companies have to optimize their work

In many sectors, production costs often include raw materials and expensive equipment. When it comes to IT, coders are the main tool and main expense. They must have the necessary qualifications and training to perform effectively. On average, computer programmers in the US earn an annual salary of $64,801 or $31.15 per hour.

Finding the right specialist can be tough: managers report that it takes them from six months to hire a competent coder. Additionally, it can cost company five figures or more.

IT companies are forced to optimize their work to reduce overall expenses. Otherwise, the client will find another partner who can do the same amount of work for less money. Insights and techniques employed in IT for streamlining work can be utilized in all spheres.

Set the task accurately

Every manager should delegate tasks, so employees would comprehend precisely what they are expected to do. There are some primary principles to reach this goal:

1. Divide large tasks into smaller ones

Decomposing tasks can be advantageous for employees to comprehend how and when the work should be accomplished. It can prevent an employee from performing an excessive amount of work. Managers should break down tasks into smaller ones until all are feasible to do in a parallel and independent manner. If a worker is managing multiple tasks, consider all assignments at once.

1. Name tasks accurately

A clear title will help a worker to do the task correctly. Make sure that there are all the details and versions provided in it.

1. Dive deeply into details

Sometimes managers feel as though a task is self-evident and there is no need to explain it. However, that is not true. Employees did not partake in creating the work plan or constructing tasks.

They must understand why they are doing their tasks and what the restrictions are. The description of the tasks should be thorough enough for the employee to complete the task accurately without any extra queries. It is essential to demonstrate the criteria of evaluation for the work.

Minimizing the system downtime

It costs a lot for a company when employees can not continue the work because they are waiting for others to finish their part of a project.

Try to do preliminary analytics and planning to prevent those downtimes. The main goal of a manager — to make such a plan that every part of a project goes smoothly and without any mistakes.

It is important to build priorities: firstly goes a task which can slow down the work.

Visualization

According to a study conducted at MIT, the human brain can process visual images in 13 milliseconds, which is 15 times faster than processing textual information.

“Visual information is much easier to grasp”

Managers can effectively visualize connections between different stages of a project in schemes, which helps in tasks prioritizing.

You can visualize:

1. requirements

2. stages of development

3. solutions

4. processes

There are lots of visualization models for each type of task. Take a look at some of them:

1. BPMN is a graphical representation for specifying business processes in a business process model. It can help both analytics and coders.

   However, BPMN is also used in sales and project management.

1. UML — is a general-purpose, developmental modeling language in the field of software engineering that is intended to provide a standard way to visualize the design of a system.

   UML is easy to use because of its standardized structure — anyone who is familiar with this language can grasp it.

Attracting employees to the company through training

Competent employees who are passionate about their work can significantly affect the success of the project. Companies have to spend a lot of resources to find motivated and knowledgeable employees. If candidates for high positions often already fit all parameters, managers will have to spend tons of resources to assess the performance of Junior specialists.

Creating own courses is useful for companies for two reasons:

1. It is easier to increase business revenues with the help of a well-designed and elaborate training program

2. You immediately see potential employees in the workfield. If the student responsibly approaches the tasks and quickly grasps the material, then he will also be executive in the work.

Systematization of employee grades and development trajectories

Grade is a level of professional knowledge, skills and areas of responsibility.

Usually there are three levels of competence:

1. junior

2. middle

3. senior

This system helps employers to look for employees, and employees to assess themselves and understand their career prospects.

In our company, grades differ from each other in dozens of parameters, here are some of them:

Check-list for implementing IT methods in your sphere

1. Analyze the implementation of the project in advance. Build work so that the tasks are performed in order of priority, there is no downtime on the project

2. Divide big tasks into small ones.

3. Name the task clearly — mention its version, the part of the project for which it needs to be performed

4. Describe the task, mentioning all the details that may affect its execution

5. Use schemes for visualizing work on tasks and business processes. For example, BPMN and UML system, Gantt chart

6. Create your own training programs that will help to attract competent employees

7. Create a system of grades in the company, a clear distribution of skills and responsibilities for them