As a Ukrainian outsourcing company, Trembit made the difficult decision to transition to remote work in 2022-2023. This decision affected the entire team, but for today, let’s specifically focus on the Project Management Office (PMO) and the tools we use for our day-to-day functions.
The Project Manager typically performs the following tasks:
- Communication: Interacting with the team and customers.
- Task Management: Managing both the team’s tasks and their own.
- Meeting Coordination: Organizing and overseeing internal and external meetings.
- Documentation Management: Handling project documents, reports, and other related materials.
At Trembit, we strive to perform our job to the best of our abilities. To facilitate the aforementioned tasks, the PMO utilizes email, video conferencing, and communication apps. Maintaining constant communication and collaboration is crucial to us, and we have selected the following top solutions:
Slack
- Used for direct and general notifications, Trembit utilizes it company-wide, as well as joining customers’ spaces.
- A special configuration with Google Calendar reminds us to log working hours
and notifies us of upcoming events, such as work anniversaries (yes, team members have been with us for many years 😅) and birthdays.
- Project and group channels enable communication between the PMO and project teams, whether in protected or open channels.
Jira
- Our main task management and tracking system. Each project has its own board and configurable flow that can be tailored to reflect the specific needs of the project. As an outsourcing company, we primarily work with Agile methodologies, specifically the Scrum and Kanban frameworks. Scrum is widely used for long-lasting projects (for more information, click here), while Kanban flows and boards are employed for Proof of Concept (PoC) or Research and Development (R&D) tasks.
- Jira is used for reporting, and release management:
- For reporting and release management, we use Jira. Upon request from the customer, we prepare weekly or biweekly, as well as monthly, working hour reports. The “User Timesheet” option is frequently utilized, and the reports are compiled using the “Excel” option and later transferred to Google Sheets for further analysis and sharing.
- Release activities are also managed through Jira, where version history and release notes are automatically generated. As a teaser, we use the automatic configuration of release notes to demonstrate the importance of using correct and precise wording when creating tasks. It’s worth noting that this document is shared with the customer to ensure transparency and effective communication.
Gmail & Google Calendar
- Emailing and planning are significant aspects of a Project Manager’s daily responsibilities. At Trembit, we utilize customized Gmail with our own domain, which allows for a personalized and professional email experience. Google Calendar plays a crucial role in creating and managing meetings, making Google Meet a common tool for everyday activities.
- The Calendar feature is regularly used to schedule vacations, national and company holidays, as well as various events such as daily meetings, kick-off meetings, and more. This ensures efficient time management and coordination within the team.
Video conferencing solution, the ‘Vatra’
- Trembit specializes in implementing the video streaming solutions. As part of our expertise, we have developed our own video conferencing solution called “Vatra.” This web-based application allows for the creation of immediate call rooms for two or more users, accommodating up to 30 participants. It is available on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices, providing a seamless experience across different resolutions. We proudly utilize “Vatra” in our daily meetings and general company gatherings to discuss news and make announcements. The application offers several important features:
- Chat (used for sharing text messages, links, and files)
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- Screen share and multi screen share
- Mute own and other participants’ microphone; mute own camera
- Invite new user directly to the call
- Recording (recorded files are shared in the chat after recording completion)
- Share Zwift (a program for bicycle trainings, since most of the team likes and practices bike riding)
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- Additionally, for the web-based app, we have a “Vatra” plugin designed for Google Calendar. This plugin enables the direct addition of a video call room link to scheduled events. This convenient feature is utilized for introduction calls with both new and existing customers.
- We constantly work on improving our product, and gladly welcome the feedback from the internal team and Customers through our Feedback form.
- It is worth noting that the ‘Vatra’ is a customizable WebRTC-based platform, which can be used for a variety of businesses – healthcare, sports, e-learning, dating, events and entertainment management, and other. If you are interested, we invite you to learn more about “Vatra” and its capabilities here.
Google Docs
- Documentation is an essential component of the PMO office job at Trembit. We utilize Google Docs for handling various types of documents due to their security, ease of management, and collaborative features.
- As an example of using Google Docs, we work on:
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- Blog posts and Articles
- Proposals for our Customers
- Project documentation, including architecture visions and diagrams, software requirements specifications, test plans, infrastructure data, and related information.
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By leveraging Google Docs, we ensure efficient collaboration and organization of these important documents.
Google Sheets
Google Sheets is widely used at Trembit to cover various cases. These include:
- Reporting: Working hours reports are typically prepared in Google Sheets. The platform offers convenience in working with tables and data, facilitating efficient reporting processes.
- Requirements and Scope of Work (SoW) Estimation: The table view in Google Sheets enables quick calculation processing and the arrangement of work breakdown descriptions. This aids in accurately estimating the requirements and scope of work for projects.
Here’s our example of the ETA table:
Confluence
Confluence is used for documentation activities at Trembit. Some examples of its usage include:
- Company processes and team members’ contacts: Confluence serves as a platform for storing and sharing information regarding company processes and contact details of team members.
- Project documentation: Confluence is used for creating and maintaining project documentation, such as users’ and developers’ guides. It provides an accessible and user-friendly collaboration tool for teams to work together effectively.
Telegram/Whatsapp/Skype/Discord
- These and other applications are used as fast communication channels with all stakeholders whenever needed. Customers prefer specific apps based on their location and available options. We are pleased to communicate through any means necessary.
Therefore, here is the list of PMO applications used by Trembit in our day-to-day operations. We are happy to share our experiences and will continue to improve and search for the most effective tools to work with. We look forward to collaborating and discussing exciting projects and ideas. Please feel free to contact us.
