Forem: Aarzoo Naeem

Handling Unexpectedly High AWS Bills

Aarzoo Naeem — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 15:22:49 +0000

You started using AWS for its free trial, and it has a ‘pay as you go’, easy billing option.
However, is it as simple as it sounds? While AWS states you are paying for what you use, many users disagree.

AWS billing may include instances and jobs you ‘forgot’ to turn off. AWS bills can be complicated and surprisingly high. These problems are infrequent, but they arise and can come as a shock to many.

AWS is one of the best cloud computing solutions out there. However, a few honest mistakes may make it expensive for users. You may end up overspending and blowing up your budget if you are not careful. Start-up companies or companies working on a tight budget need to be cautious of every cent they spend and can not afford any missteps on AWS.

I have listed here a few examples of the most common billing complaint that AWS users have had and discuss the reasons behind them:

Users received a shockingly high bill, and some claimed that their bill was literally doubled or even tripled overnight. Some users even received a bill in thousands of dollars, whereas their usual bill was as low as $1 for months. Why did this happen? This was a chaotic mess on AWS’s side and was resolved by their support team by refunding the wrongfully deducted amount. However, it caused quite a frenzy among AWS users everywhere.
Users have received hefty bills without exceeding the AWS free tier limit. For example, a user was shocked because he was using the Free Tier only and had not exceeded the usage. This can happen when the user forgets to turn off instances, assuming that it will turn off automatically or a notification will be sent when its time is up. It is not automated, and one has to terminate instances; otherwise, you will be charged! However, AWS users claimed they received high bills even after terminating instances.
AWS is one of the most reliable and cost-effective cloud computing services. However, it’s easy to blow through your budget via an account compromise.A Redditt user was charged $1,300, although he had been paying $0.00 for two years. Another user leaked AWS credentials accidentally on GitHub resulting in an outrageous bill relative to their regular usage.

Contact AWS Customer Support

If you receive an unusually high bill contact AWS Support first. Amazon has a fabulous customer support system that responds instantly and ensures they take your issues seriously. There are several ways to contact AWS customer support. Their support page has a range of support options that a user might need, like billing or account, technical, compliance support, and so on.

AWS support does not have a direct phone number for security reasons, however, you can contact AWS Support by following these steps:

Sign in to your AWS account using your AWS login credentials.
Open the AWS Support Console and from the options on the left side of the page select Create Case
Select the type of case from the options given ( Account and billing support, service limit increase, or technical support).
Then choose the service and category the issue fits in to. Next, select the severity of the issue so you can be contacted accordingly. This is a screenshot of the ‘Create Case’ page from the AWS Support Console:
In the next step, describe the issue in detail and select how you want to be contacted by the support team. There are 3 options to choose from
(i) The web option’s response time is up to 24 hours and the response is received in the Support Center. You can respond back if the issue is unresolved.
(ii) Chat with an online representative. This option is useful for those whose accounts have not been fully activated.
(iii) In the phone option, you must provide a phone number to receive a call from an AWS support representative as soon as the case is created.

Amazon has an FAQ page dedicated to unexpected billing charges. We have noticed that their customer support personnel also frequent forums on social media and websites to check if any pending complaints. They are quick to refund any amount that has been wrongfully charged or an error in the bill. Amazon overlooks genuine cases and honest mistakes made by users and promptly refunds them. In case there is an oversight at the user’s end, they guide you in breaking down the bill to help you understand why your bill was so high.

AWS billing can be complicated. There are many other ways you may be charged for. We have discussed these issues in this article. It is better to be safe than sorry and keep yourself updated about AWS charges and common billing mistakes. Keeping track of your AWS billing and following the guidelines given above can help you avoid unexpected AWS charges and bills.

Screenshot images courtesy of (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/) (https://docs.amazonaws.cn/en_us/awssupport/latest/user/case-management.html)

Unexpected Costs of AWS Glacier

Aarzoo Naeem — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 14:35:37 +0000

Amazon S3 Glacier is a low-cost, long-term online file storage and archival facility that serves a lot like cold storage for online files. It is most suitable for files that are not accessed frequently. It is a secure and durable data backup and archival facility for businesses, organizations, and governments.

However, as easy as it sounds to use Amazon S3 Glacier, the billing is not simple. Much of the confusion about the billing and pricing arises from the pricing structure of storage and retrieval. Glacier offers a range of charge options and a few hidden charges like deletion charges. This article addresses the various complexities of Amazon S3 Glacier's charges and payment breakdown.

AWS Storage Pricing

Amazon S3 Glacier can reliably store TBs of essential data for months and even years. It is free to upload an unlimited amount of data; it charges per gigabyte per month for storage facilities. You do not have to buy storage in advance or pay an upfront fee. It charges as low as $0.004 per GB stored per month, but the charges may vary depending on your region. However, it isn't that simple as Glacier charges change depending on your file's size, how long you store it, and the storage class you choose. There are seven types of storage options, depending on your usage, and it isn't easy to understand precisely how you are being charged.

AWS S3 Glacier Retrieval Pricing

Amazon S3 Glacier archives the stored data, which can easily be retrieved. There is a two-step process in retrieving archives from the Glacier. First, you initiate a job request, and once it is processed, you can download the bytes. They charge you per GB and per job request per archive. Phew. There's more. There will be a fee per GB of the data retrieved, and if you asked for ten archives, you would also be charged per archive. Furthermore, Amazon Glacier S3 allows the user three ways to access and retrieve their data -expedited, standard, and bulk.

Retrieval Request Pricing

Bulk retrievals costs $0.025 per 1,000 requests, standard costs $0.05 per 1,000 requests, and expedited retrievals cost $10 per 1,000 requests. This is where most users find it difficult to calculate charges in advance and end up paying more than they had thought.

Retrieval Pricing per GB

Expedited retrieval can be done in 1-6 minutes; standard retrieval time for a file is between 3-5 hours, whereas bulk retrieval can take 5 to 12 hours.

One may end up making erroneous calculations due to the three different ways of retrieving data. The retrieval price for data in bulk is $0.0025 per GB, the Standard time is $0.01 per GB, and expedited is $0.03 per GB. There is an AWS free tier, which allows free retrieval of data up to 10 GB that can be used for the month. But this only applies to Standard retrievals.

Data Transfer Pricing

Amazon does not charge you for data transfer into Amazon Glacier. It does not charge for data transfer OUT of Amazon to the Internet up to 1 GB per month only. But, after 1 GB till 9.99 TB, the charges are $0.09 per GB. After that, it charges $0.085 for the next 40 TB in a month and so on. Data transfer out to Amazon CloudFront is free of cost, whereas GovCloud and other regions are between $0.01-0.02.

There are no charges for data transfer between Amazon EC2 and Amazon S3 Glacier within the same region.

Data Deletion Pricing

While it is free to delete data from Amazon Glacier, early deletion is not. Some users call it Amazon's 'hidden charges,' whereas it is written in their FAQs section. If a user deletes data within 90 days of uploading it, they will charge you a prorated early deletion fee. Amazon S3 Glacier is a long term archival and data storage solution, so it can store your data for decades and thus charges if a file is deleted within three months of being stored on it. An example of deletion billing is such that if you delete 1GB data 30 days after uploading, the early deletion fee will be $0.008, but if you deleted it after 60 days, it would be $0.004 per GB.

It is essential to read the Amazon S3 Glacier FAQs before you transfer or request data. Ensure that you have understood the pricing breakdown and the different ways that Amazon Glacier can charge you. These FAQs give additional tips on the best practices to ensure that you are not charged extra or ways you can cut the bill. For example, it is recommended that you aggregate your data when ingesting files to avoid build-up of data and thus a higher storage per GB bill. Also, keep in mind that there are 32 Kilobytes overhead for every GB of storage.

Amazon S3 Glacier's billing seems deceptively easy, but it is not. Especially when a user has not researched and read through the Pricing FAQs and page thoroughly. The solution is to read through the fine print and read other user's reviews. You could also use software that calculates billing and helps use AWS products and features.

AWS Free Tier Explained

Aarzoo Naeem — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 17:18:29 +0000

Amazon is leading the market in real-time accessible cloud computing services. The Amazon Web Services include a diverse range of services and an even wider range of features for those services. From cloud computing, databases to newer technologies like machine learning and so on, AWS has a lot to offer. Anyone from an individual to a large organization can use AWS and the AWS free tier. Students can upload research material while start-ups can manage their websites or blogs with the Free Tier.

What’s included?

AWS provides new users a free usage tier so they can explore and try out specified services. The free tier only applies to a limited number of services that have a maximum usage limit. There are three types of free tier offers -12 months free trial, short-term free trials and an Always Free offer. There is a limited hour or usage limit on services, and you are charged pay-as-you-go when the limit is exhausted.

But is it really free?

This is where a lot of new AWS users get confused as they read stories of users receiving shockingly high bills despite signing up for the free tier services. It is true that AWS offers free tier services, but a few terms and conditions apply.
For example, in the 12-month trial, there is a limit on the hours that can be used. It gives the user 750 hours. These hours are renewed every month, they do not get accumulated or carried forward. Similarly, the short-term trials are limited to particular services, with a particular time limit that starts when you activate it. As soon as your free trial period expires, you start getting charged on the standard pay-as-you-go rates.

Is it possible to monitor the costs?

Yes. You can set up a budget on AWS budgets and control your costs drastically. Make sure that you monitor the dashboard a few times every day, especially if you are a new user. Notifications can also be set up to inform you of the usage and also when you exceed the set limit. It is also possible to customize usage for instances in services like Amazon EC2, Amazon RDS among a few others. You can also use the AWS pricing calculator to check the charges for your planned configuration.
A major setback that users sometimes face is being charged for instances they are no longer using or are not in production. It is essential to shut down instances when not needed, otherwise, you may be charged.
It can be a full-time job to track your AWS costs. Thus, using a service that can help monitor and cut down the charges on AWS usage can prove helpful. These services can help in identifying where and how to lower the costs.
Signing up for the AWS Free Tier Services is a great way to scale and grow your business. It helps you explore options of storing and managing data as well as a wide range of databases, security, compute services, etc.

Don’t Wait till Month End to Check your AWS Bill

Aarzoo Naeem — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 15:43:31 +0000

'My monthly AWS bill is shockingly high!'

'What's that extra ~$1,000 on my AWS bill?'

These questions pop up everywhere on social media at the end of each month. AWS users consistently feel surprised by the end of the month charges. You subscribe to AWS thinking it will be cost-effective and efficient. You can now work on other tasks and let AWS do its job. Not quite.

Let's say, you use the free tier AWS services and think that you can control the costs. You use it minimally, a few instances here and there, maybe some large file transfers and you end up with an alarming bill. Let's see why this happens.

Very rarely, it can be an erroneous charge. In which case, AWS has great support - just like its parent company Amazon.com - and will simply issue a refund.

Other times, it is because although you were using a "free-tier" service, those have a limited number of hours. Some users' usage starts to increase and they share the free tier hours among multiple resources. They exceed the free tier limits, without realizing it.

Occasionally, it can be because your IAM credentials are compromised, and someone is using your account to mine bitcoin or to send spam emails. Make sure you don't have any surprises and check your resources and instances in all regions. Being unfamiliar with the region setting in the AWS console is a common mistake plenty of new AWS users make.

Whatever your case may be, know that you are not alone in receiving an unexpectedly high bill. Other smart people blow through their AWS budgets all the time.

The crux of the problem lies in the fact that understanding and monitoring AWS services is not easy. It is a complex web of charges, instances, workloads, and hour limits. It's challenging to keep track of the AWS bills every month.
Managers realize that managing and monitoring AWS billing on their own requires a lot of resources and energy. If you don't keep track of it, however, your AWS bill spirals out of control.

Monitoring and analyzing the AWS services is critical to keeping your bill low, frugal readers. Monitoring your bill ends up taking up a lot of time. You can get used to doing it quickly by going to AWS billing and scanning for anything that looks out of the ordinary. If you do it frequently enough, you get used to skimming it quickly.

Instead of being shocked at the end of the month of your AWS bill, it is better to keep an eye on it regularly. You can receive alerts and emails to inform you without having to log in to your AWS account every day, maneuvering through the dashboard graphs and calculating the cost. Not only does it take a lot of time to do regularly, but also is puzzling for a non-technical person.

You can and should sign up for bill monitoring software. There are many AWS monitoring solutions that help in monitoring the bill on a daily or weekly basis.
It's better to choose something that sends you a summary of the last day's usage right into your inbox. If you are busy, you can skip a day or two. You can go back to looking at it when you're ready.

It is better to choose a product that does not charge in advance or ask for credit card information.

Business Automation Tools for Project Management

Aarzoo Naeem — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 07:51:04 +0000

What is Business Automation?

Business Process Automation is the procedure through which software or technology enables business organizations to do tasks automatically. A software product helps you automate mundane tasks, whether they are marketing emails, chatbots, or workflow. It helps by replacing human interaction with everyday tasks and doing them automatically.

Business Automation tools

Despite advancement in technology, project managers in the IT and software solutions industry struggle to complete projects within the given time and budget. We asked our project manager, Yassine Tounsi, about the challenges the project managers face that can be resolved by automation. He listed the following challenges and suggested some useful tools.

Challenges:

Mundane, repetitive work: Automated systems are more reliable and visible than those handled by humans. We can expect errors, especially when someone is doing repetitive, mundane tasks. This includes automatically creating template cards on Trello, moving cards on Github, or even adding contacts to CRM.

Lack of Productivity: Software projects can be overwhelming with the client’s expectations, tight budgets, demanding deadlines. It can often cause a lack of creativity and productivity amongst the team members. Producing seamless projects with minimal bugs is the ideal goal of every project manager.

Poor workflow management: Although software projects at Foretheta follow the agile methodology, it does not mean there aren’t any hiccups in the workflow. Managing time and planning the project around stages, and ensuring that the team stays efficient is a challenge for the team lead.

Solutions:

Process Automation: A Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Business Process Automation (BPA) tool will help you follow the exact steps and protocols as instructed. Power Automate and Logic Apps provided by Microsoft are useful tools that could be used to increase process efficiency.

Macro, addons, and Build-in features: Some platforms have macros, add-ons, and built-in features that save time and effort. Browsers and Google products addons are good examples. You will also find it extremely helpful to use Macros and tools pro
vided by Notepad++ or Microsoft Excel.

Apps Automation: Using multiple business applications is really challenging. Indeed, you will have the need to connect one or two apps with a particular workflow. Hopefully, some excellent tools are now available such as Zapier, IFTTT, and automate.io

How to select your automation tool?

The main idea is to save time and cost while producing optimal results. Prioritizing tasks and organizing workflow is crucial to the success of any project. The first step is to recognize and identify those tasks that need automation. Always choose those assignments or tasks that are tedious and require hours of manual work or complicated calculations. The next step is to select a business automation tools company that has a reputation of providing smooth working tools. Do your research for the best business automation tools in America and narrow down your options. Finally, contact a team that can evaluate your current workflow so that they can work in partnership with you to curtail costs and improve overall efficiency.

Should I Buy or Build an App for my Business?

Aarzoo Naeem — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 19:54:32 +0000

Nowadays, Apps are trending everywhere, and are widely integrated into almost every business and organization. Building an app for your start-up is the standard way to get started on a new project, even though it requires a considerable amount of time and effort. You should consider all factors when making your build-or-buy decision. In this article, we will address several elements to consider before you make up your mind.

First, start by considering why your business needs an app. Is it necessary for the company to function? Will it improve your team productivity? Do you need it to take your business to the next level?

Once you already determined that the App is crucial for your business growth, should you buy or build the App? When our clients reach out to us, we help them answer these next main questions prior to any engagement. These points help them decide on the buy vs. build choice.

Budget
Being aware of how much an app cost is essential to narrow down whether you will build or buy an app. An app can cost thousands of dollars, even reach hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop. Additional features like accessibility options, API integration, and back-end services can only raise the cost. Ask for a quote from app developing agencies and freelancers. A break-down of the cost can also help explore your options and choose what is suitable and convenient for your requirements.

Native Vs. Hybrid Vs. Web
Having a clear vision of the app’s purpose is crucial in deciding whether you want to opt for native, hybrid, or web apps. This decision will impact the cost and the user experience of the project.
A web app runs on browsers and can not be downloaded on mobile phones like native or hybrid apps. Yet, they are a popular choice due to their cost-efficiency.
Native apps have the advantage of being sophisticated, faster, and accessible at your fingertips through smartphones. They can use native features of mobile phones like camera, contacts, etc. and synchronize it.
As the name suggests, the hybrid app is a combination of both native and web apps as it is downloadable on mobiles yet functions as well in an embedded browser.

Will your product need updates?
Most apps need regular maintenance and updates on bugs. This is a task for an expert since it requires a higher set of skills to manage. If you build the app yourself, maintaining it will be an additional chore. Otherwise, you will need to hire someone to fix back-end issues and bugs. Buying an app from a software development company will give you easier access to an expert who can manage fixing bugs or issues at reasonable notice.

Making the buying vs. building decision easier
You can now proceed with more clarity to the next step of buying or building an app. Whether you run an established business or a start-up, an app will be of great importance. If the app has basic features that require little to no maintenance, it would be wiser to build it yourself. Get help from team members who have basic knowledge of building apps, testing bugs, etc. But, keep in mind that developing an app is not as simple as it may look. It requires a lot of research and fundamental design, developing, and testing knowledge.

So, buying an app can be costly, but it’s more efficient as it will take less time and be more successful than building an app on your own. Do you want to use the app for a service, a business, or just buy it as an investment? If so, we consider purchasing an app from expert developers as a smarter choice.

There are some ‘hidden’ or additional value-added costs that you may not have considered while deciding on the budget. These costs include functional, administrative, infrastructure, maintenance, and IT support services. If you want to integrate additional features, such as SMS or push notifications, you will have to pay extra fees as third-party providers supply them. Similarly, maintenance of the content, dashboard, fixing bugs, etc., will require an additional ongoing cost.

Your vision of your business future narrows down the decision to buy or build an app. Building an app is comparatively affordable, but it requires high-level knowledge of coding and app development. Purchasing an app from seasoned software developers or companies, on the other hand, is good value for money. It will look professional, and you won’t have extra details to worry about. It is crucial to consider the audience and users’ ease when using the app. You want to make their lives easier. As for hidden costs, considering them will help you closely manage the cost.

Top 5 Business Automation Tools in 2020

Aarzoo Naeem — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 14:59:28 +0000

Business automation tools are the future of successful organizations. They assist you in working faster and better by using technology to streamline and automate your workflow. If you are a start-up that does not want to hire extra staff or wish to save time on task-automation, it is an avenue to explore. Even large organizations are now converting to digital automation to minimize costs and delays. Besides improving productivity, such tools give structure to organizational management. Saving a minute here and there can help you stay focused on the task at hand.

For instance, you may face delays in sending marketing emails or manually calculating salaries for your employees. With the help of business process automation tools, you can integrate workflows and processes between apps. They ease information flow from one app to another. There are several business automation tools, but here are a few of my favorites:

1- Zapier
A user-friendly option that integrates all apps within minutes and saves hours of work for you. For example, if you use Facebook ads to generate leads for your product and Gmail to send marketing emails to those leads. Zapier auto tracks Facebook's lead generation, connects it to Gmail, and automatically sends emails. This will save time spent on manual data entry for lead generation as well as going through lists. It has 'zaps' that are the trigger for a task. You enter the zaps that you need to be automated and let Zapier activate the convenient app to act.

Zapier’s main strength is the fact that it is one of the most straightforward BPA tools out there which permits many apps to be integrated. Yet, some people think that it is expensive when there are some open-source and free alternatives available. Additionally, Zapier’s main weakness is that it does not provide multi-step workflow processes. In conclusion, Zapier is the most popular option amongst users as it has an excellent customer support and marketing features. It is flexible and straightforward, with a range of payment options.

Pricing: Starts from free up to $599 with free trials for every package.

2- Automate.io
It is a cloud-based business automation tool similar to Zapier, but it claims to offer '3 times the value'. Its features are identical to Zapier’s, but it offers more 'tasks' within its packages, including the free one. Automate has multi-step workflow options in its free version and, of course, in the paid options.

Automate is a popular option as it is user-friendly, easy to set-up, and provides multi-step workflow processes. But, one of Automate's most common flaws is that its limitedness in the integration department as it does not support Microsoft Office along other essential integrations. Compared to Zapier and a few other BPA tools, Automate provides more 'free tasks'. It also has five flexible payment plans to choose from.

Pricing: It is reasonable for start-ups and small businesses that don't need too many automated tasks, starting from a free package up to $99 for small companies. The price goes up to $399 for premium users.

3- Azure Logic Apps & Microsoft Flow
As a cloud computing service by Microsoft, Azure is user-friendly and flexible. It presents basic free units per month, and beyond that, you should pay to you use it. It is especially useful for software development projects as it allows hybrid cloud management.

On the other hand, Microsoft flow is a tool that automates and configures your tasks for you. It assists in streamlining daily tasks and saving time.

One of the most significant advantages of both tools is that they allow limitless automated workflows. Not just that, but it has an easy to use interface. However, Microsoft Flow has a disadvantage: it does not provide as many apps integration as users would like, causing a delay in many workflows. It is essential to check if the required apps are supported by it or not. Again, compared to Zapier or Automate, it offers less app integration; but, price-wise, it’s more affordable.

Pricing: Microsoft Flow starts from $15 a month in which you can create unlimited flows and has two more plans available.

4- IFTTT
IFTTT is a useful free automation tool that enables you to connect and integrate your apps and communicate with each other. Yet, customizing the workflow can be time-consuming and often complicated with this particular tool. If the applet you need is not available within its data pool, it isn't easy to work with it. As of 2020, IFTTT has launched its Pro version, which has a limited promotional period, after which the user can choose from three different plans.

Users love tools with limitless integrations and actions,which IFTTT offers in the form of unlimited 'zaps' or triggers. An interesting feature is that it allows you to connect your household appliances with it and automate those tasks. The downside of IFTTT is that it does not support a multi-step workflow or provide premium level support for a sophisticated integration. So, while Zapier allows you to make an applet that is not available, that is not possible with IFTTT.

Pricing: The individual plans are free, whereas business plans start from $199 a year and up.

5- Huginn
Huginn is an online open-source automation tool that is free and is in competition with Zapier and IFTTT. It is a system for building agents that can automate your tasks and perform them by searching the Internet—commonly used for basic web-based tasks like tracking changes in a website, updating the weather, or voting highlights in an election.

Huginn is reasonably popular because it is free and open-source. Some users find it safer as it does not require passwords and cookies to function. However, many users find it challenging to build the agents and don't see the interface as friendly as the other options.

While one can write customized codes to conduct routine tasks, Huginn is not as good at complex logic and actions. It is limited in terms of systems syncing and integration.

It's essential to keep in mind that Huginn's primary use is not to create complicated automation, it is a tool that is mainly utilized to automatically filter the web for useful information. If you are browsing through a website a few times a day, you can build an agent to do that on Huginn. Then, you can automate it to send you an alert or an email when it finds what you are browsing for. For example, if you want alerts on traffic jams or want to find out about discounts on Amazon -Huginn can do that for you.

Pricing: Free

To summarize, there are many other business automation tools out there with different pricing ranges and features that make them more suitable for you. Regardless of which tool you choose, it is essential to embrace automation tools as they are the future of productive and successful teams. Organizations that work with automated and agile frameworks have a greater chance to succeed as they let technology do mundane tasks, thus saving time and promoting productivity.

Header Picture Credit:
Designed by Freepik

Is Agile Methodology the Perfect Fit for Software Development?

Aarzoo Naeem — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 13:10:54 +0000

Introduction

Until a couple of decades ago, project managers handled most software projects more linearly. This included a lot of testing after the completion of each software development stage. It led to projects’ inefficiency as there was little to no interaction between stakeholders and developers during each developmental or testing phase. No feedback process was adopted; any execution errors would be either ignored or started from scratch. This linear process increased the needed cost and time for project completion. Known as the waterfall methodology, it assumes that the client gives their feedback at the beginning of the project and can not change their mind at any stage of the development process. Thus there was a need to develop a more iterative and incremental management process.

Although now there are several software project management processes, the most popular methodology is Agile. As the name suggests, it is a flexible and feedback-oriented process. It has several subsets of methods like Scrum, XP, Lean, Kanban, etc. that differ slightly and are opted for according to the projects' requirements. It is essential to use the right process for a project to assure efficient management, increase productivity, and deliver better results.

What is the AGILE methodology, and what are its advantages?

The Agile methodology is a process by which a project is divided into several steps, with feedback included at every stage in collaboration with stakeholders. Deliberate iteration results in a better end product and helps the software developers stay in tune with the client's expectations.

The client explains the objectives and requirements for the developed software which guides developers into creating better projects and adequate solutions. With the agile methodology, it is easier to fix any issues before the product is delivered in its final form.

What are the variations of Agile Methodology?

Although the Agile Methodology's fundamental values and principles are recorded in the Agile Manifesto, there are several different variations. Some overlapping concepts differ in their approach. Organizations can choose the one that best suits their requirements and goals. Outlined below are the more popular and widely used agile methodologies:

Kanban: It is an agile approach that allows the development team and stakeholders to visualize the project on a kanban board. This method enables the concerned personnel to visualize the ongoing processes and their results. Kanban makes the process flexible while the workflow becomes smoother and more comfortable to collaborate.

Scrum: It is considered to be the simplest method to follow and is preferred by organizations for lightweight and simplistic approaches. As an iterative methodology, it gives the stakeholder or product owner access and involvement in the project. The project is divided into sprints, a period during which the software program is developed. A sprint can last from 2 weeks to a couple of months, depending on the project's complexity. The product owner works in collaboration with the team of software developers and businesses to produce a Product Backlog, which is analyzed at the end of each sprint.

Programming (XP): It is an agile methodology that prompts developers to produce the perfect product. It is an extensive methodology that practices short developmental cycles, extensive testing of codes, etc. Its core values are simplicity, communication, feedback, and respect. Like Kanban and Scrum, it is flexible, it involves both developers and customers, and gives importance to feedback. However, it differs in terms of its shorter sprints and the fact that it allows more changes throughout the process than Scrum.

Conclusion

Although there is no “perfect” way to manage a project, it is better to choose a methodology that suits your business model. Agile methodologies are famous for the reason that their results are exponentially better: They save time by being flexible and accepting feedback. The core value of Agile lies in mutual respect and collaboration between developers and clients, meaning that any changes suggestions are welcome, driving developers to be more open and courageous to take initiatives. All these agile practices aim at reducing the cost and producing the perfect product.

How a Product Specification Improves Your Product Before it is Launched

Aarzoo Naeem — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 17:34:40 +0000

Product managers work in collaboration with their dev team and stakeholders towards a common goal: improve a product before it’s launch.

Software design is one of the preliminary steps towards the launch of a product. Communication of the design has to be clear to the product team. One of the major causes of failure for software projects is building something the sponsor did not want. One way we have come to adopt to avoid this type of failure is the agile methodology instead of waterfall.

In the latter, one works linearly, and the result may be disappointing as improvements. It is better to work in collaboration with other stakeholders of the product. Product sponsors must agree to the details of the product at every step.

Product manager’s role in improvement

Conveying detailed information ensures the production of a high-grade product. The most critical step in communicating software planning is the written product specification.

Without it, you will end up building the wrong product. All kinds of problems arise if you have given incomplete or unclear details to the product team. From design issues to bugs to overall functionality hiccups, many changes are required. At this point, you wish that you had written a better specification document and skipped through this nerve-wracking part. Product managers must improve the product before it's launch. This saves the cost and time of the project. I will expand on the idea in this blog by explaining how it improves a product before its launch.
What should a product specification include?

A product specification document has to be articulate and detailed. One may have to rewrite it several times and include minute details to it. Spending time on the product specification will bring a better return on investment. Don't worry about adding too many details: the more information you give, the better the outcome.

To make this simpler, let's compare a product to a cell phone cover you ordered online. Looking at the picture, the dimensions, and reviews -it seems right. Yet, when you receive it, you realize it is not what you had imagined it to be. The material is cheap, it is a dull version of the picture, and it does not feel right in your hands.

Some vital information was missing from the product description. You can tell there is room for improvement in the product. So, you send it back, give more details of your requirements and wait for a better version. But, there's some wastage of time and cost of sending it back. It would have been better if the product description had been accurate and detailed. Likewise, product managers can produce better products when communication is precise and clear.

With the agile method, early issue identification allows better deliverables. It also builds trust between management and stakeholders.

Using the Agile Methodology for an Improved Product

Any project aims to launch an improved and efficient product. For example, a pedometer revolves around the concept of fitness. It should include functions that suit people of all fitness levels, ages, and gender. A step tracking app should consist of step counts, calories burned, and pulse rate, among other features. Measuring the step count should be accurate and in sync with pulse. A problem may arise if you do not include detailed information on building the product. You may have missed out on accurate graphics or syncing methodology of the pulse with steps. Several cycles of revision of a product before it's launch ensures an accurate result. Revisions and improvements in the documentation are crucial to the process of production. The agile project management methodology works great when the production document is accurate and has minute details.

Conclusion

The product specification document makes the product user-friendly and easy to maintain. An incomplete document leads to client's disappointment and time wasted in over-documentation. The solution is to collaborate with designers, analysts, stakeholders, and project managers. Having discussions on any roadblocks and issues early on saves time and frustration. Instead of working on waterfall methodology, the agile method allows working together. Work becomes more focused and purpose-driven. Sharing ideas and initiating discussions with other designers and production managers. They can assist by coming up with ideas and information you may have missed. It solidifies the plan and helps with a smooth launch of the product. A design document saves time if you include all the why, what, how, and who in the document.

Freelancers vs. software development company: what's right for you?

Aarzoo Naeem — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 15:49:42 +0000

Whenever you need software development skills for your company or a project, the big question is: Who should you hire? A full-time software developer, freelance developer(s), or a software development company?

While it is true that when selecting, one should consider the most cost-effective one. Yet, the cost is not the only thing you will be taking into account. Choosing the right option for the project or company is crucial as it can lower or raise the chances of failure. Knowing your budget requirements, resources, and the project's long term maintenance is essential.

You may have a brilliant idea that needs technical help from scratch, or you may have the full product specifications document ready. Both freelancers and software development companies can assist you in building a project from scratch. However, it will be cheaper to hire a freelance developer if you have the specification document in hand.

What is your budget?

Decide on a budget to avoid disappointment or surprises. It is important to determine beforehand the quality of work you expect for the amount you are paying. A software development company may seem expensive, but it is generally cheaper in the long run.

Freelancer developers generally charge less compared to a company. The reasons are pretty simple: they are independent contractors. They don't have extra costs like office rent, employee salaries and so on. Also, you may find a freelancer for specific expertise in a software development project. This reduces cost and makes it convenient to fix a bug or add a feature to a product.

Yet, for a long term project that may need maintenance, software companies work out better. If there is a bug, it is their responsibility to fix it as soon as possible. They usually have a dedicated person or team for project support. Freelancers are often responsible for working on a project. But not necessarily on maintenance like fixing bugs or doing maintenance of an app.

What is your business communication style?

Do you prefer meeting in person, or do you think you can work with a remote team? Would it be possible for you to communicate with a freelancer over the internet?

You should know the answers to these questions before you decide on a freelancer vs. an agency. After that, you can consider weighing the pros and cons of an individual or a team, working in person or remotely.

Freelancers tend to have a more flexible schedule and can fit you in, whereas companies have fixed timings. One of the significant advantages of hiring a professional company is that it usually works with a highly organized method. This helps streamline the process, meet deadlines, and produce a successful project. The business culture and communication with a company are smoother as compared to freelancers.

How reliable are freelancers vs. software development agencies?

This is a difficult question because we don't want to judge a book by its cover. It is easier to make software companies accountable for any hurdles that you face. You never know how many projects a freelance developer or his team is working on. It is common for them to take on more projects than they can handle and miss deadlines. It is difficult to discern the quality of work that freelancers will produce. Since many freelancers are experts in specific areas, it eventually costs a lot more when you need to fix bugs, etc. Most freelancers are not unreliable, but you have to dig deep to find honest reviews on their work ethics.

In comparison, it is easier to choose a company based on their testimonials, previous clients, etc. When you hire a software development agency, you are hiring experts in the business. They are professionals and experts in the job of making an app or software product. Accountability and reliability are much higher in a company as they have to uphold a reputation to stay in business.

So, what are you going to choose?

It might seem like there is no 'right' answer as both have their advantages and disadvantages. Most people tend to keep the budget and cost a priority when choosing a company or a freelancer. One needs to consider work ethics, reputation, and value-added benefits for a successful product. In conclusion, it is easier to choose once your expectations from the development process are clear. Other than that, your end goal should be to produce a high-end quality product and choose sensibly.

A Guide on Writing a Great Product Specification

Aarzoo Naeem — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 16:01:32 +0000

Writing a great product specification document plays an essential role in the software production process.

What is a Product Specification?

A product team requires a product specification to build a product. It includes a description of the goals, objectives, and any other relevant information. This is an essential part of the product building and design process. The product specifications inform the 'why' and 'who' of the product.

Why is a product specification important?

Most people do not start with a written specification. They only have an idea for what they want to build. They do not spend time thinking through the specifications. Relying on ideas alone will result in a poor product, confusion, and miscommunication. Software product development is a collaborative process, with several stakeholders. A product designer can build a more accurate product with precise specifications.
The two main questions answered by a good product spec list are

Why are we building this product?

For whom are we making it?

Precision is the key to the design, development, and architecture of products. This involves:

Conceptualizing the product,
Structuring the product's hardware/software components; and
Ensuring accuracy.

Writing a Product Specification

Keep it Simple:

Use simple and straightforward language. Be precise in the overview; explain what needs to be, and leave out unnecessary details.

Communicate the objectives:

Clarity of thought is integral to writing a product spec. Please make a list of expectations and objectives before you communicate it to others. Help the dev team understand your goals towards building the product. Eventually, it will show in the design and development process.

Provide Context:

It's important to give background, or the 'Why' of building the product comes in. Give the background and context of developing the product to inspire the dev team.

Give realistic goals:

When writing objectives and milestones, give the dev team realistic timelines. It will not only help in less waste of time but also raise the accountability of the team's working on the product. They know that the time given was enough, and they need to step up and perform.

What Does a Product Spec Include?

Product Description:

Give complete information about the product. It should include the minor details as well as the essential technicalities.

Product Designs:

Provide designs of the interface outlay and features of the product.

User Personas:

This is where the 'Who' of your product spec comes in. Identify the users and their personas to the development team. This helps the product manager to include features that will bring value.

Functionality:

This includes how the product will look and interact with the user. It should be clear, precise, and easy to understand. The product manager should be able to understand the specific functions before starting work on it.

At Foretheta, we work with diligence on writing a great product specification. We spend time on research and development before the product goes into production. We recommend writing and proofreading the product spec until it is coherent. In conclusion, clarity in communication with the development and production team is essential. The product specification document is the main communication channel between the designer and production manager. Thus, it should be comprehensive and thorough.

How to Effectively Hire a Remote Software Development Team

Aarzoo Naeem — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 18:42:55 +0000

Remote work seems to have gained momentum in the past few years. With the COVID-19 situation, remote work, along with distance learning, and online shopping has gained even more momentum.

A lot of organizations were already allowing their staff to work from home a few days a week, while many companies, like Foretheta, operate entirely as a remote-first company. If you have only recently been forced to recruit remote software developers, there is a lot to learn about recruiting remote staff. Since we have been doing this for a while, we wanted to share a few insightful tips to assist you in hiring a software development team:

1) Hire a full-time or part-time recruiter

You will need a recruiter to take on the responsibility to hire remote people. Ideally, this is a full-time job, or if you are a smaller company, someone else in the company fills in this role for you. The recruiter needs to be able to source candidates and fill up the pipeline. They need to be able to evaluate the resume and shortlist the candidates based on the criteria given to them. Once the appropriate candidate is found, they should be able to conduct a basic screening interview online. All of this expertise comes with experience, and also with having a sharp instinct for recognizing people’s personalities and character through the interview.

2) Encourage Referrals

You have awesome employees that understand your company’s culture. They probably know other similarly outstanding people. You need to tap into this resource. Ask your employees to spread the word and look for people who would fit into the role. They will be able to filter and redirect the right people towards you as they probably know them personally and can judge the candidates better. This can save your recruiter some headache. You should reward your existing employees with a cash bonus for successful hires from their referrals.

3) Sourcing Candidates

Besides referrals, your recruiter needs to actively source candidates. Some ideas on where to hire: source them online from LinkedIn, Github, Hacker News, Reddit, and Stack Overflow. Anywhere where software developers hang out is a good source to tap into.
If you are staffed enough to absorb mentoring fresh graduates, then another great way is to establish relationships with universities. This will give you the most steady stream of candidates.
Create job profiles on job boards. Although we don’t use them, we have seen other teams use Job boards like We Work Remotely, Flex Jobs, Working Nomads effectively.
Finally, post all your open positions on Facebook and LinkedIn. This final step is by far the most successful lead generator for us.

4) Have a filtering criterion

It is important to be able to filter out candidates who are not technically competent enough for your company. This can be done by assigning a simple and short coding test through which the recruiter can evaluate the skills of the candidate. If they cannot write a basic program, it will be obvious. The test should be short and doable in less than 20 minutes. It is really important to have simple criteria for evaluating the results -- ideally done in under a minute so that you can save time and filter out candidates quickly. We achieve this is by maintaining a question bank internally with most of the code structure written out for popular languages (Python, Ruby, Java, Javascript, and C). We ask the candidate to then implement a function within the code that makes the program return a certain value.

5) Initial Interview

The initial interview can be combined with the test so that the hiring process is swift and efficient. Here, the candidate answers the big questions like what are their expectations for the salary, work timings, start date, etc. The answer to these questions can identify potential blockers for moving forward. Another potential question is to ask about their experience working remotely and find out if they will be able to adjust to a remote environment, especially when there is potential for time zone differences.

6) Behavioral Interview

One person from your team can conduct a behavioral interview to assess the personality of the potential team member. A video interview works best here, however, if the facility is not available, an audio interview would suffice as well. Be prepared with questions about the candidates’ life and then move on to assessing their problem-solving skills. At this stage, you will ask them open-ended tell-me-about-a-time style questions that will help you assess their work ethic, how they navigate a difficult situation, and whether they will be a good culture fit with your team’s values.

7) Technical Interview

Another important step during the hiring process of a software developer is the technical interview. A technical person or a software developer should conduct this interview to check the technical depth, experience, and knowledge of the candidate. Questions that can be asked here include describing what their favorite project has been so far, what hurdles were faced during this process and how were they resolved. Try to go beyond the specifics of a particular technology and identify how well they can communicate regarding the problem they worked on.

8) Give a small, paid project

Assign small paid projects to the candidates that pass the initial interviewing stage. Paid projects mean that they will be part of your team, will pick up a task and finish it. This lets the candidate understand if they like the company and their work environment, and tells us more about the candidate as well.
Even if the process is slow, it saves time by allowing candidates to assess the organization and whether they can adjust to the remote environment of your organization.

The end goal is to hire long term, active and ambitious people. Employee performance should be evaluated on a regular basis. Lastly, communication is key. It is essential that the leadership, team members feel connected and the communication is smooth with regular feedback. As an employer, it is also important to be equipped with the right software to manage remote teams. These are some of the basic criteria we follow at Foretheta when hiring candidates for our remote team. So far it has been useful in putting together a team-driven with purpose and able to work productively from remote locations.