The Guide from MultiLingual Computing & Technology PROJECT MANAGEMENT #63 Supplement April/May 2004

3 TheThe HubHub ofof thethe WheelWheel WillemWillem StoellerStoeller

7 WorkingWorking WithWith thethe ClientClient toto EnsureEnsure aa SuccessfulSuccessful ProjectProject ClaireClaire IngramIngram

10 FourFour TranslationTranslation ProjectProject ManagementManagement ToolsTools ThomasThomas WaßmerWaßmer

15 ProjectProject Churn:Churn: CountingCounting thethe CostCost KennethKenneth McKethan,McKethan, Jr.Jr. contents contents 17 ProjectProject ManagementManagement ChecklistChecklist JeffJeff AllenAllen

18 LPMLPM Best Best PracticesPractices SurveySurvey

19 BestBest PracticesPractices BuildBuild SolidSolid ProjectsProjects MLCMLC Research Research GETTING GUIDE GUIDE STARTED GETTING

GUIDE STARTED PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project Management MultiLingual Computing & Technology in the Localization Industry Editor-in-Chief, Publisher Donna Parrish Project management (PM) as a concept has been around as long as there have been Managing Editor Laurel Wagers projects. Or, more likely, it developed after the first project limped to a less-than-stellar Translation Department Editor Jim Healey completion. At any rate, PM is a well-established concept with a wide variety of applica- Copy Editor Cecilia Spence tions. A search for books on PM listed with Amazon returned 6,297 results. Research Jerry Luther, David Shadbolt So why are we talking about it here? Certainly there are sound principles and prac- News Kendra Gray, Becky Bennett tices of PM that apply to localization projects, but there are aspects of translation and Illustrator Doug Jones localization projects that bring additional concerns and requirements. Perhaps it is a Production Sandy Compton sign of maturation in our industry that we are now discussing best practices for local- ization project management (LPM). A search for books on LPM listed with Amazon Photographer Aric Spence returned no results. Editorial Board Willem Stoeller sees the localization PM as the hub of the project wheel, responsible Jeff Allen, Henri Broekmate, Bill Hall, for defining and controlling the project. He outlines the critical factors for a project’s suc- Andres Heuberger, Chris Langewis, cess in the introductory article of this supplement. The importance of beginning with good information is described by Claire Ingram. Ken Lunde, John O’Conner, The old adage of “garbage in/garbage out” has never been more apt than with localiza- Mandy Pet, Reinhard Schäler tion projects. Advertising Director Jennifer Del Carlo As localization and translation projects have grown, our more technical friends have Advertising Kevin Watson, Bonnie Merrell responded with some interesting PM tools. In this supplement, Thomas Waßmer reviews four of them. More resource tools are listed on page 14. Webmaster Aric Spence Kenneth McKethan, Jr., talks about the true cost of project churn — the changes in Interns Rael Ammon, Kyle Elsasser project schedule and scope. This is something that we are all painfully aware of but have Advertising: [email protected] probably not had the courage to quantify. www.multilingual.com/advertising How large is your localization service supplier? How big does it claim to be? Jeff Allen 208-263-8178 gives us a checklist of questions for a localization manager to ask the small to medium- Subscriptions, customer service, back issues: sized vendors. The questions also work well as a self-test for these vendors. [email protected] For this supplement, we worked with Karen Combe to survey project managers on both the client and vendor sides of localization. We asked them for their priority items in www.multilingual.com/subscribe different categories of PM. Controlling updates was the universal hot issue. The two most 208-263-8178 common nightmares were the chronically under-budgeted project and the impossible-to- Submissions: [email protected] meet schedule. You can see the results and some of the comments on pages 18 and 19 and Editorial guidelines are available at more at www.multilingual.com/LPMSurvey www.multilingual.com/editorialWriter —Donna Parrish, Publisher Reprints: [email protected] 208-263-8178

This guide is published as a supplement to MultiLingual Computing & Technology, the magazine about language technology, localization, Web globalization Jeff Claire Kenneth Willem Thomas and international software development. Allen Ingram McKethan, Jr. Stoeller Waßmer JEFF ALLEN is integrated project manager and knowledge manager of the Product Division of Mycom International. He is also a member of the MultiLingual Computing & Technology editorial board. He can be reached at [email protected] CLAIRE INGRAM is Wordbank’s assistant director of production and can be reached at [email protected] KENNETH MCKETHAN, JR., a globalization project manager for IBM’s Tivoli divi- sion, can be reached at [email protected] authors authors WILLEM STOELLER is a certified project management professional and a vice- president at Welocalize. He can be reached at [email protected] MultiLingual Computing, Inc. THOMAS WAßMER works in Mainz, Germany, with the Chemistry Education 319 North First Avenue Network as a science educator, multimedia developer and Web designer. Besides his Sandpoint, Idaho 83864 USA employment, he works as a freelance translator, software reviewer and information 208-263-8178 • Fax: 208-263-6310 specialist. He can be reached at http://infotom.com [email protected] www.multilingual.com 2 GETTING

PROJECT MANAGEMENT GUIDE STARTED TheThe HubHub ofof thethe WheelWheel

Willem Stoeller

Control Qua What really is localization project man- lity particular, to be an outstanding professional, the agement? First, some concepts. Let’s look at LPM needs to be able to create and maintain p s a es M a formal and somewhat dry definition of m r o energy in the project team and to foster cre- d og n localization project management. a r i ativity among the team members. In other o P to R k r “Localization is the process of c words, a good LPM needs to be a coach to e a R & n r adapting and manufacturing a prod- i i a team. Often these qualities are over- f T s M

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uct so that it has the look and feel of s looked, and the focus tends to be on the D n

e L a nationally manufactured piece of o g a analytical techniques. The latter are

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goods. Thus, localization is the piece a n e essential but not sufficient. Without the e li a f z M of the global business puzzle that in ati t communication and coaching skills a e on Projec enables companies to do business in & project will never be an outstanding one. C markets outside of their home market.” o s Let’s return to the LPM as the hub of n ion (The Localization Primer, LISA) tro tat the localization wheel and see when and l S ec “A project is a temporary endeavor co Exp where each of the five major activities come into pe Manage undertaken to achieve a particular aim. Projects play. We will do that in the context of a localiza- differ from operations in that operations are tion project management model. ongoing and repetitive while projects are tem- Localization project management activi- porary and unique.” (Project Management has graphical user interface and message local- ties and phases include the following: Institute, ©2002) ization and testing, help localization, docu- The Statement of Work (SOW) Form- When we put it all together, localization mentation localization and often marketing ulation phase provides project stakeholders with project management is the application of collateral localization. Many of the localization a clear understanding of what needs to be done knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to activities for these four components take place in terms of requirements, constraints and localization project activities in order to meet in parallel with many dependencies among assumptions and the project objectives. In the project requirements. them. For example, screenshots for the manual typical client-vendor relationship, the SOW is Now let’s look at a more dynamic view. can only be taken once the sample data has the proposal from the vendor written in The accompanying graphic shows the localiza- been localized and once the software has been response to a Request For Proposal by the client. tion project manager (LPM) as the hub of the localized and tested. The main focus here is on what needs to be localization wheel. These capabilities of planning and tracking done — the scope of work. How did localization project management are no longer enough to be an outstanding LPM The Project Approval phase is the official evolve over time? Initially, LPMs were mainly in today’s economic environment. The com- starting point of the localization project with a expediters and file movers. They worked in a plexity of many localization projects (large cor- committed contract. This phase also provides pre-planned environment, and their entire porate Web sites with interactive components, the LPM with the authorization to start the focus was moving files to be localized from the multitier enterprise applications, e-learning project. In the client-vendor relationship this is client through translation, editing and desktop content and so on) and additional job pressures the point in time when the proposal becomes a publishing and back to the client. Projects were — such as poorly understood or shifting local- contractual agreement to perform certain local- small; they required few, serial localization activ- ization requirements, the need for simultaneous ization services. ities and used well-understood, simple technol- shipment (simship) of localized product, the The Project Initiation phase provides infor- ogy. A good example would be the translation of focus on return on localization investment and mation on how to do the project, when the proj- a small manual. The activities are mainly trans- finally a very competitive environment — force ect can be completed and how much the project late, edit, correct layout and review. These are all the LPM to be foremost a communicator. will require in terms of resources and costs. serial activities with no overlap. Extracting through dialog the true local- During this phase final resource assignments are Larger, more complex (many parallel ization requirements from the client, managing made for the project team. This is the planning threads) projects using advanced technology, client expectations over the course of the proj- phase of the life cycle where a detailed road- such as found in many software localization ect, moderating the client review process and map is developed for the project. For too many projects, forced the LPM to become more of a assisting the client in determining the return on localization projects this phase is minimized in scheduler and tracker of progress. Upfront localization investments are now common order to start the localization activities sooner. planning and day-to-day control of the proj- activities for many LPMs. Invariably the latter approach reduces substan- ects became essential, and many an LPM devel- For large, complex projects the LPM needs tially the probability that the project will pro- oped a hate/love relationship with Microsoft mainly a set of analytical project management duce the agreed upon deliverables on time, Project. A typical software localization project techniques and strong communication skills. In within budget and with the expected quality. 3 GETTING

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SOW Project Project Project Project Formulation Approval Initiation Execution Closure

SOW Formulation Project Approval Project Initiation Tracking and feedback Project Closure Requirements from SOW approved by Scope with work breakdown Formal acceptance of customer customer structure (WBS), assumptions, deliverables by customer Requirements analysis constraints, project objectives Project manager assigned Archiving project files SOW generation Schedule based on WBS Project Resource requirements Control Document lessons from schedule learned The Project Execution phase is where the bulk of the localization activities takes place. Budget from schedule and resource requirements Often, we tend to focus on this phase to the Project Execution A metric against which to QC plan detriment of the first two phases that are more Team training measure project performance Risk plan important to the success of the project. Quality assurance (QA) in terms of progress, money The Project Control phase provides qual- Linear responsibility chart Project communication spent and quality is necces- Team assignment ity control for project deliverables, as well as Project Control sary. A baseline schedule in control over project scope, progress and the Gantt chart format sup- Budget variance control budget. As indicated, this phase is executed in What is the timetable for all plies a simple way to compare parallel with the Project Execution phase. deliverables? How are the deadlines Schedule variance control planned versus actual per- Additionally this is also the phase where the classified (desired, critical and so on)? Quality control (QC) formance. Cumulative budget LPM moderates the client review of interme- What is the budget for the proj- Scope change control versus actual cost comparisons diate and final deliverables. The latter is spe- ect? How are variances handled? Is this Risk management provide good indicators of cific to localization projects since it deals with a “time and materials project” or a Issue tracking and financial performance. the subjective notion of translation quality firm, fixed-cost one? resolution The third critical success (in particular, the issue of linguistic style). What are the customer expecta- factor is managing stakehold- The final phase, Project Closure, formalizes tions for quality of the final deliverables? ers’ expectations through ongoing communica- the acceptance of the project results by the cus- Establishing quality criteria at the beginning tion. Never, ever forget that a very large compo- tomer. A second very important objective of of a project helps greatly in setting the right nent of project management is formal and this phase is to discuss and document the les- expectations. Quality criteria should be informal communication. sons learned so that future projects go more defined by type of defect for each final prod- The fourth critical success factor is con- smoothly. This is typically done in the context uct deliverable. trolling the scope of your project (that old fiend of a post-project meeting with all stakeholders What are customer expectations in terms known as scope creep). You need a formal proce- in attendance. These lessons learned are the of his or her responsibilities on the project? dure for approving any change to the original LPM’s weapon to insure continuous improve- Often, the negotiation over project scope of the project. Not doing so is setting ment on his or her localization projects. requirements is seen as too time consuming, yourself up for failure yet again. Within this entire Localization Project and the “let’s start translating”attitude prevails. The fifth critical success factor is obtain- Management model we can identify a num- However, neglecting to invest the necessary ing management support by aligning product ber of critical success factors that are also time upfront to clearly outline project objec- localization with corporate objectives and by reflected in the “hub” diagram. The next sec- tives will prevent you from meeting customer communicating with management in terms tion will discuss these critical success factors expectations, and thus set you up for failure. that the latter can understand, such as how in more detail. The second critical success factor is to localization directly increases shareholder What are these localization project develop a detailed project plan that can serve as value. For many LPMs this is extremely diffi- management critical success factors? The first a roadmap for everyone involved, that is, the cult to achieve because more often than not critical success factor is agreement among stakeholders, in the project. It will outline they do not share a common language with stakeholders regarding project requirements. project phases; indicate how activities and management. All requests or arguments Stakeholders include the project team, the milestones within the phases are dependent brought forward by many LPMs need to be boss, the client and the project sponsor (the on each other; and document the deadlines backed up by solid metrics in order to be person who provides the funds, authorizes for project deliverables. taken seriously by management. the project and empowers a person as the A clear description of each stakeholder’s The sixth and final critical success factor project manager). Here are some examples of responsibilities is best achieved with a Linear is very specific to localization and translation project requirements: Responsibility Chart (a table with the left col- projects: capturing correctly the terminology What are the intermediate and final deliv- umn identifying all project deliverables and and style requirements as seen by the client’s erables? A clear description of all intermediate the rest of the columns identifying each reviewers and subsequently managing those and final project deliverables is crucial. Project stakeholder). The cross-section of the two client reviewers’ expectations. This is so criti- deliverables include all product deliverables, columns specifies one or more of the follow- cal because, unlike software development plus project-specific items such as progress ing responsibilities of each stakeholder for a projects, localization and translation projects reports, defect reports, completed check lists project deliverable: create, review, approve or have very subjective quality requirements due and so on. not applicable. to the nature of natural language. 4 GETTING

PROJECT MANAGEMENT GUIDE STARTED

Enterprise-class Globalization • Since 1990 What Is Translation Management Systems • Training for localization service, translation and document management with IPMA, APM UK and Project Management? Since 1998, Idiom has been delivering server-based, ANSI PMI standards in project management enterprise-class translation memory solutions that • Mobile “Project Web Tracking for Localization and Project management includes project planning and enable global enterprises such as General Electric, Translation” and “Project Stopgap” service programs scheduling; client communication; team coordination; Baxter Healthcare, Motorola, Oracle and eBay to: • LISA QA Model v.3, BS 6046, BS 6079, ANSI cost control; project tracking and reporting; change management; troubleshooting and problem-solving; and • Automate globalization and dramatically accelerate PMBoK 2000, ISO9 000 & 10 000 series, CALS a project wrap. McElroy Translation offers the services time-to-market. Concepts, ERP, CRM & MRP II of a Certified Project Manager for all complex projects. • Assure content quality and customer satisfaction on • CAD/CAM drawing, design and sketching PM Attaining this certification is far from easy. Requirements a global scale. • Professional GIS digital mapping include a year of intense coursework, detailed • Accelerate international revenue while reducing • CE, EE, Scandinavian, Russian, former USSR, documentation of 4500 hours of project management translation and localization costs. Central Asian, Far East (CJK) and SE Asian scope • Project Management Institute, USA, PMI Corporate experience, application to and acceptance into the Project Visit www.idiominc.com and request your free copy Management Institute, and rigorous final examination. of “The Advantages of Centralized Translation Memory.” R.E.P. No 2097 Mammoth Elk Translation McElroy Translation Company Idiom Technologies, Inc. Suite 12, 3rd Floor, Queen’s House 910 West Avenue, Austin, TX 78701 200 Fifth Avenue, Waltham, MA 02451 180 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 7PD, UK 800-531-9977, 512-472-6753 • Fax: 512-472-4591 781-464-6000 • Fax: 781-464-6100 US Fax: 801-439-8256 • UK Fax: 44-870-831-9177 [email protected] [email protected] • www.idiominc.com [email protected] • www.mammothelk.net www.mcelroytranslation.com

15 Years of Well-managed Why Should You Brazilian Translations Business Management Work With WH&P? This is what you get: Software for Language Our network of dedicated localization experts is • Quality in customer service, deliverables and open used to tight deadlines, high-end technology and communication Service Companies top quality…you have read that before. • Responsiveness and ability to adapt to ever chang- Well, we do it consistently: WH&P has been ing requirements • Contact management benchmarked “Best Localization Company” • Customized service with no compromise to translation for the second time in 3 years! • Sales management quality, even in challenging volumes Based in Sophia Antipolis, France, WH&P is • Project management • Promptness to raise issues and prevent any disrup- located in the heart of Europe. Since 1994, we tions to project quality • Document management have provided turnkey localization services to This is what we get: Bring all of the pieces together with LTRAC. Fortune 500 corporations. • Extremely satisfied customers Visit www.ltrac.com for an on-line demonstration or We help them to enter the complex and very call 303-679-7321 for more information. demanding European market smoothly – and to If you’re not one of them yet, experience the difference! stay on top. Follow-Up Sandhills Software, Inc. WH&P Av. Presidente Wilson 165, sala 1308 9220 Teddy Lane, Suite 1100 Espace Beethoven BP 102 Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20030-020 Brazil Lone Tree, CO 80124 06140 Sophia Antipolis, France 55-21-2524-2994 • Fax: 55-21-2210-5472 303-679-7321 33-493-004-030 • Fax: 33-493-004-030 [email protected] • www.follow-up.com.br [email protected] • www.ltrac.com [email protected] • www.whp.net or www.whp.fr

5 GETTING

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Factors Score Score Score NE HREE Localization maturity Low/medium WO Low/medium T O T Localization infrastructure Low/medium Low/medium ROFILE ROFILE Product complexity Medium/high ROFILE Medium/high Medium/high P P P Services outsourced Many Many Many

Localization project management is a are well internationalized, and any exceptions dynamic profession within a changing are known and well understood. localization industry. The rest of this article Buyer’s infrastructure to support local- looks closely at three often-asked questions ization. Buyers at the low end of the localization regarding localization project manage- maturity scale usually do not have full-time ment: Should localization project manage- localization staff, and the localization func- ment be outsourced? Is localization project tion is often less than optimally placed with- management a critical factor in vendor in the organization. selection? Is localization project manage- Buyers at the high end of the maturity ment a billable service? scale typically have full-time localization staff As we shall see in this section, the impor- reporting into product development. The tant question is “What localization project man- recent economic downturn and resulting agement services should be outsourced”? If the reorganizations and staff reductions have answer is yes, then it should also be a critical fac- introduced a wrinkle in this localization tor in localization vendor selection, and it maturity and supporting infrastructure rela- should be a billable service due to its importance tionship. Many buyers with medium localiza- to the success of the project. tion maturity now find themselves with little To answer these three related questions, infrastructure to support localization. let’s first look at the added value that a localiza- Complexity of products to be localized. tion vendor provides. The complexity of the products to be localized The localization vendor provides, determines how much localization project man- through localization project management, agement is needed. For example, a Flash tutori- planning, process, resource management/ al with audio and animation is more complex to procurement and progress tracking/control to localize than a FrameMaker-based manual; a the various services needed in a localization multitier enterprise application is often more project — translation/editing; layout; local- complex to localize than a standalone desktop ization engineering and translation memory application; and a highly interactive Web site is management; quality control and testing. more difficult to localize than one with limited Additionally, the localization vendor often interactivity. The product complexity is directly provides localization and internationalization related to the number of various services and consulting and training. The LPM provides at resources needed to localize the product. least in part these latter services. Services outsourced. On the low end of the Second, let’s look at the true localization outsourcing scale is the buyer who outsources buyer needs. These needs depend on four only raw translation. On the high end of the related factors: the localization maturity of scale is the buyer looking for a turnkey model the buyer; the buyer’s infrastructure to sup- with essentially all services outsourced. port localization; the complexity of products to be localized; and the services outsourced. Putting It All Together Localization maturity of the buyer. On the one end of the localization maturity scale, All buyers who meet one of the three we find the buyer who is still very new to profiles in the accompanying table need to localization and who does not have repeat- outsource a substantial portion of localization able localization processes (procurement, project management activities. Therefore, creation of localization kits, vendor support, these buyers should make localization project review processes and localization project management one of the top criteria for ven- management) to rely on. Additionally, this dor selection. Thus, if localization project type of buyer often has products that are not management is one of the most important fully operable, conforming to standards and services you obtain from a localization ven- regulations, and localizable in the planned dor, expect to pay for these services as a sepa- target markets (internationalization). rate billable line item. On the other end of the scale there is the Most companies I have had interactions buyer who has considerable localization expe- with over the last 12 years have a low/medium rience and has mature, repeatable processes in localization maturity coupled with a low/medi- place. This buyer typically has products that um localization support infrastructure. Ω 6 GETTING

PROJECT MANAGEMENT GUIDE STARTED WWorkingorking WWithith thethe ClientClient toto EnsurEnsuree aa SuccessfulSuccessful PrProjectoject

Claire Ingram

The “garbage in/garbage out” (GIGO) In most cases, the responsibility for the Clients and agencies with little experi- syndrome, where the quality of the output is first factor lies largely with the global compa- ence of other cultures and religions are often in direct correlation to the quality of the ny or client; the second with its design agency; unaware of the sensitivities attached to lan- input information, applies to many life sce- and the third with the localization specialist. guage and imagery, and we frequently have to narios but is particularly relevant to the If the first two fall into the GI category, then advise clients of their inappropriateness. A localization process. the chances for GO will be considerably common example is the use of visuals of dogs The successful management of localiza- increased regardless of the best efforts of the or women in Muslim countries. We recently tion projects to achieve most clients’ objec- localization specialist to produce a silk purse had to advise a client who wanted to describe tives — speed, value for money and effective out of a sow’s ear. the resilience of their print cartridges by say- communication in local markets — is Not surprisingly, there is also a correla- ing that they are subjected to “torture tests” dependent on three factors: well-written tion between the quality of the brief from our and they also used the phrase “torture sup- source text that can be adapted for local mar- clients and our ability to meet their speed and plies.” This basically means that the cartridges kets; an internationalized file format to enable cost-effectiveness objectives. However, not all are heated up to extreme temperatures and the easy extraction and reinsertion of text to clients fully appreciate this connection. While dropped from 15 meters to ensure that they be translated; and efficient systems to manage some are very good at sticking to the briefing will still work. However, in many languages, an the process throughout. template upon which we agree, all of our alternative word had to be found for torture. project teams can cite hair-raising examples The technical evaluation will provide of client briefs that have relied heavily on our recommendations on how best to construct The Ideal Client Brief extrasensory and mind-reading powers. the source file to enable easy extraction of the Absolute Must-Have Information Recent examples include the “no brief at text for localization by in-country translators 1. Source text — final approved version all” which didn’t even specify the languages to and to ensure that fonts, graphics and layouts if possible be localized; a recycled brief that had a new are localization-friendly and will work in dif- 2. File format or proposed file format, project title but instructions and timelines ferent languages. such as PowerPoint relating to a previous project; and a file that just Needless to say, while this is how we 3. Target languages by country, for example, French (Switzerland) arrived out of the blue from a client’s agency advise clients to approach a localization proj- 4. Mode of addresses preferences, for without any clue as to the client “owner.”It took ect to achieve the best results, we are all too example, polite or informal several e-mails and phone calls to track down often presented with a fait accompli where 5. Language style, such as business the client to extract a brief and purchase order. there is little opportunity to affect the prereq- formal In this article, I outline four main prob- uisites for success. 6. Vendor services required, for lem areas that we regularly encounter in my The four main areas of difficulty that we example, marcom translation company and our solutions for pre-empting come up against while managing projects are 7. Delivery date — all languages by ___ 8. Delivery format, such as PowerPoint or resolving them together with some of the mismatched expectations; lack of understand- 9. Client approval process golden rules that we use to help our clients ing of the implications of making late changes; 10. Purchase order or written save their time and money. poor communication between the client and confirmation to proceed The best-case scenario for any localiza- his or her creative agencies; and the inherent tion brief is that we receive it in good time, tension between the corporate center and the Helpful But Not Essential Information along with any sample files. This enables us to local offices. 1. Background to campaign or project assess the suitability of the file for localization and/or creative brief Mismatched Expectations 2. Word count from a linguistic, technical and process per- 3. Target market and audiences spective and to select the most appropriately 4. Marketing communications objectives experienced translators and editors to work on A common area of difficulty is the mis- and desired response from target the text. match in expectations of who is going to do audience Our Copy Review and Technical Eval- what. One client, for whom we were localizing 5. Contact details for local approval con- uation (CREATE) service not only ensures a Web site into several languages, assumed that tacts and their scope for making changes that the English text is well-written, clear, we would take responsibility for tracking 6. Reference materials — existing collater- unambiguous and conforms with any specif- down the original source files needed for the al/Web site that we can use as a point of reference to gauge tone of voice, ic corporate guidelines for terminology and Web sites from various agencies, Web develop- imagery, style and so on style but also that it will be acceptable to the ment companies and IT departments. The 7. Previous or similar recent projects local markets from a cultural, idiomatic and client couldn’t understand why we kept asking visual perspective. for them. We had never specified that it was 7 GETTING

GUIDE STARTED PROJECT MANAGEMENT the client’s responsibility to provide the source writing at the outset and to get the client to complete a sample brief to raise their aware- files, but rather assumed this had been under- do so as well. It’s amazing how the ten XML ness of the importance of providing all the stood. However, many clients are not as famil- files quoted for in the purchase order can necessary information. This is proving to be iar with the process for Web site localization as turn into 50 files once the project is under- a very successful tactic and has cut down they are for brochure or other marcoms collat- way. Make sure that you spell out clearly in considerably on the follow-up e-mails and eral production. It was a salutary lesson for us the quote that additional files will be charged telephone conversations that are usually to be expected to undertake something that we for pro rata and that the client can’t just slip required to ensure that both sides are clear had always taken for granted as being the in a few dozen more and hope that they will about the exact details of the project. client’s responsibility. be covered in the initial price. The solution to overcome these types of We have started to run training days Implications of Changes misunderstanding is to put everything in for our new clients at which we ask them to Another major issue is the lack of under- standing of the time and cost implications of making amendments once the project has TRANSLATING THE LANGUAGES OF BUSINESS started. It is easy to see the client’s perspective — “We only want to change a couple of words. Technical Manuals Why should it take another day to do this?” Creative Advertising But if the client does not understand the Sophisticated Software process — rebriefing each of the translators, rechecking the copy in each language, chang- Always on Time. Always on Budget. Always Excellent Service. ing the layout if the new words take up more or less space, proofreading again and so on — • Translation it is difficult to convince him or her that “just a couple of changes” can take significant time • Software Localization and money to make. Even a change of just one • Cross-cultural Consulting word in English might imply a change of the whole sentence in translated versions to • Interpretation ensure gender, number or case agreement. Again, the solution to this problem lies Call +1-412-963-7587 with better client education about the localiza- or write to: [email protected] tion process so that he or she understands the implications. We always emphasize that clients www.one-planet.us should only send us approved final copy files with the purchase order. We strongly advise The world’s best translators interested in challenging work them not to send unapproved drafts in the and professional growth are encouraged to apply. hope that the translators can start working on the text. It is a false economy and will not save time or money to do this. The final format should be just that — the final format. Clients clearly have a vested interest in getting it right, so we spend a lot of time edu- cating them about the process so that they understand the implications of making changes at different stages of production. Unfortunately, the design and advertising agencies through which many of our clients work are less concerned with understanding the process and would prefer to let the local- ization specialist sort it out. Also, if the agency is the lead contractor and billing point for the project, more work on our part just means more mark-up for them. Caught in the Middle

Localization specialists are often caught between the client and his or her design agen- cies, each having different objectives. The client is often not technical and is driven by com- mercial objectives — “I need it quickly and cheaply” — while a key consideration for the agency is for the end product to enhance its 8 GETTING

PROJECT MANAGEMENT GUIDE STARTED creative reputation and look good in the corpo- were being produced and their input would be “prevention is better than cure.” Time and rate portfolio. Neither party has a complete required, nor if they are unclear about what money can only ever be saved by getting proj- understanding of the linguistic, cultural, tech- they can or cannot do. We are always happy to ects right from the outset. The more that a nical, file engineering, process and project man- work with local contacts to explain the process client has considered the internationalization agement challenges involved in localization. and the technical constraints of formats with of a project or service, the easier it will be to Consequently, the localization specialist which they may not be familiar. localize. The more that clients understand the is often faced with headlines, copy, imagery, In summary, our experience of managing linguistic, cultural, technical and process embedded graphics, fonts and encoding that marcoms localization projects has taught us issues involved in localization, the better won’t work beyond the borders of the domes- how to deal with most eventualities, but our equipped they will be to achieve their com- tic market and has to act as a go-between be- recommended approach is firmly founded on mercial objectives. Ω tween the two. An area that frequently causes problems is that design agencies do not allow 10 Golden Rules for Client Briefing enough space for language expansion because • Don’t start any project without a purchase order or written confirmation. they are not familiar with languages other • Encourage clients to use a standard brief template so that they get used to providing all than their own. the necessary information every time. To pre-empt the time-consuming and • Always try to think laterally. Are there any obvious questions that you haven’t asked, such often costly outcome of attempting to localize as “On which operating system are the CDs going to be used?” content that has been conceived without due • Consider the format almost as much as the text itself. For example, it’s very difficult to expand consideration for its potential for internation- language in a Flash animation, so add as much space as possible for language expansion. alization, we encourage our clients to involve • Make sure that the client’s agencies understand the need to deliver the source files in for- mats that enable efficient localization. Microsoft Word or Excel are not always the best, but us at an early stage. While advertising and don’t assume that the agency understands the reasons behind this. design agencies are often reluctant to take • Try to encourage clients to get you involved early on in the project. advice from us on creative and technical • Avoid Excel files because translation memories can’t work with them. Put tables in Word. issues, this “prevention is better than cure” • Always keep the client informed on the project’s progress and give him or her early strategy can save a huge amount of time and warning of any potential delays. money later down the line. • Don’t assume that either the client or the agency understands the jargon that is used in the localization industry. Make sure you explain everything clearly. Who Has Ultimate Control? • Develop your mind-reading powers. They will always be needed.

Another problem area is in the inherent conflict between the regional marketing center and the local contacts. There is often a lack of The clarity about the role of a company’s local approval contacts. If the approval process hasn’t Localization Institute been clearly defined by the client at the outset of the project, a great deal of time and money can be lost at this stage. Ideally, the organization will Poor project management Karen Combe have taken a strategic decision on whether it is costs money. Karen’s 18 years of localization project management experience started at the center or the local operations that have the Access the broad body of knowledge ILE, a vendor, where she managed final say in the production of marketing com- that has accumulated in the field of client services, sales and marketing. munications materials. localization project management. Currently, as Director of Localization Send your project manager to one at PTC, a large software company, If this has been agreed upon, then the Karen is responsible for product of our Localization Project localization specialist still needs to be briefed localization as well as localization Management seminars. support for global services, technical on a range of issues such as the level of com- An experienced professional will support and marketing. She manages mitment from local offices, the scope of their provide training in the best practices a staff of fifty localization professionals. in this field. Our seminars are available She recently taught several PM classes authority to make changes, and the agreed tim- at the World Bank for us. ings for final sign-off. Is the client willing to as public and on-site seminars. Tom Connolly accept all the local approval changes? What The Localization Project Managers Based in Ireland,Tom has over 20 years’ happens if the local offices don’t like the source Roundtable is a two-day gathering for experience in project management, text, let alone the translation? Who pays for the PMs from both client and vendor sides. business development, localization, new product introduction, manufacturing amendments made by local offices? engineering and engineering services PROJECT management, including a stint as The client must ensure local country MANAGERS Localization Project Managers European localization manager at buy-in before starting the project. Roles, re- Apple.Tom is President of the sponsibilities, timelines and processes need to Roundtable Microsoft Project Users Group of Ireland (MPUG). He recently taught be agreed upon between client and the local 19 – 21 September 2004 several PM classes at Nokia in offices before getting the localization specialist ROUNDTABLE Lake Tahoe, CA Tampere, Finland, for us. involved. If required, we can manage the pro- cess but only if the parameters and deliver- The Localization Institute, Inc. ables have been agreed upon at the outset. It is 4513 Vernon Boulevard, Suite 11, Madison,WI 53705 USA Phone 608-233-1790, Fax 608-441-6124 very difficult for us to argue with local con- E-mail: [email protected], www.localizationinstitute.com tacts who refuse to sign off on files because they had no idea any localized documents 9 GETTING

GUIDE STARTED PROJECT MANAGEMENT FourFour TTranslationranslation PrProjectoject ManagementManagement TToolsools

Thomas Waßmer

In addition and extension to general Additional PM tools and tools with PM compo- purchase orders in a well-organized manner. project management (PM), translation proj- nents are listed in a box at the end of this review. The Project Management Module allows the ects require a special workflow and include user to establish and track tasks, print project/ special linguistic and technical issues such as Espresso Personal Edition purchase orders for subcontractors and track multilingual file conversions and printing, project files in a simple way. Finally, the Repor- the coordination of tasks such as translation, 2003 Version 1.1 ting Tool creates simple financial overviews for independent editing, desktop publishing any given period of time. All modules are con- (DTP), final proofreading (quality assurance Language Networks B.V., founded by Yuri nected by a single interface. or QA), client review and the final delivery to Vorontsov, has developed and implemented Use & evaluation. Espresso is an easy-to- the customer. It also involves document man- digital platforms for translation professionals use, well-structured and good-looking PM tool agement of the electronic source and target since 1996. Through the on-line translation for the translation industry. Although it in- applications, reference data, translation marketplace Aquarius (www.aquarius.net), the cludes many useful features, it is obviously in an memories and specialist glossaries (diction- company offers on-line translation outsourcing early stage of development and constitutes a aries), ensuring consistency of style, termi- for translators, translation agencies and indus- side development of a company focusing on its nology and structure as well as document try clients. Since 2002 it has run a transla- version control. A third block of activities is tion services business, lingolinea (www the administration of communications be- .lingolinea.com), as well as developing tween employees, clients and suppliers. In Espresso as an internal application for smaller agencies, translation PM might also translation workflow management. include accounting. Espresso is a business manage- The management of a translation project ment tool for translators and transla- workflow typically includes: tion agencies. The application is written The preparation of a project including a in FileMaker Pro 6 and features a tool- detailed breakdown of costs and gains for box containing five modules. your own business/agency as well as request- Editions & prices. Espresso Personal ing quotations from your vendors/suppliers Edition is designed for small translation and the calculation of a competitive offer to businesses (1 User/1-PC), no networking. your clients which still ensures immediate or €249. Client-Server Edition is suitable to at least long-term returns. manage small-to-medium translation Espresso Resource Management Module: Fast and Project scheduling including the initial businesses. Database sharing across sever- easy entry and administration of all resource details turnover (time anticipated until the conclusion al workstations. Standard pack includes five user translation business. The application lacks many of the project) as well as the intermediate and licenses. Wider range of reporting (financial and planned or even advertised features and shows final deadlines for each task. operational) possibilities. €2,790. Web Edition weaknesses in already implemented parts. As an The coordination of the translation and includes the licensing costs for the SQL Server example, there is an option for the import of editing (proofreading) teams (in-house or sup- and ColdFusion Application Server. €12,499 (contact) data in various formats, including pliers/vendors). with unlimited licenses. The Aquarius Web Microsoft Excel and Access, but the required QA, testing and debugging, including Edition is available free of charge through data structure is not specified, and all import linguistic reviewing, functionality and usabil- Aquarius to its Gold members. attempts yield in an unspecified error. In addi- ity testing. Espresso’s Company Management Mod- tion, the short and insufficient help file recom- Communication with the customer/ ule allows the user to manage standard prices mends to back up the FileMaker database before client, project conclusion and closing, even- and currency rates in an easy and straightfor- attempting to import data but does not specify tually accounting: accounts payable and ward manner. One can set up a default curren- how this backup can be achieved. A minor flaw receivable (invoicing). cy and taxes that will be used throughout the is that the entry field for the tax rate shows pre- In various stages, cultural consulting Espresso application. The Resource Manage- defined percentages but refuses to take any new might be advisable to ensure the success of ment Module helps to organize relations with values besides plain numbers. Finally, the the translation/localization and thereby cus- subcontractors: translators and translation PO/quote and invoice forms have a partially tomer satisfaction. agencies. The Client and Sales Management incorrect word and text block spacing and do This review introduces four tools designed Tool keeps customer records, including the his- not allow to include the user’s company logo. to assist in the sometimes difficult tasks involved tory of past projects, at the user’s fingertips. One Espresso is a promising tool with a cool in the management of translation projects. can easily create and print quotes and project/ design, but it needs some serious development 10 GETTING

PROJECT MANAGEMENT GUIDE STARTED efforts to become professional. I recommend to potential problem areas, the adjust- the author to drop prices substantially in order ment of deadlines and the rescheduling to encourage more users to work with the tool of allocated tasks. Optional modules and provide important suggestions and feed- are the TRADOS Interface providing back for further development. direct import of TRADOS Workbench System requirements. Hardware: Pen- analyses and the Design Module allow- tium 90 (or compatible), 32MB RAM, hard ing for the customization of the user drive. Software: Windows 98/Me/NT 4.0 (Ser- interface, adding static and data con- vice Pack 6)/2000/XP — ODBC features not trols as well as visual basic scripts to the supported for Me. Network sharing require- standard interface. ments: Microsoft TCP/IP or IPX/SPX network Editions & prices. LTC Organiser for ODBC import/export and registration. Freelance is designed for independent translators. No supplier module. €299. LTC Organiser Version 4.61 Agency edition is for medium-sized LTC Organiser: Left panel shows a tree-view of all translation offices or translators collab- The Language Technology Centre (LTC) entered projects, tasks and personnel. The right panel orating together. Microsoft Access Ltd. (www.langtech.co.uk) was founded in 1992 shows the tasks by the selected personnel database, access to all modules, unlim- by Adriane Rinsche, a German national holding handles invoicing (view, print, save and export ited number of licenses can be networked. €999. a Ph.D. in computational linguistics. After first invoices) based on pre-created price lists and the Corporate edition is aimed at larger scale oper- focusing on language technology solutions to a instant checking of balances and outstanding ations. It is the same as the Agency version plus wide range of application areas, LTC designed payments. This module also handles recalcula- Microsoft SQL database, LTC Web interface, LTC Organiser, a software tool for the special tions due to changes in the currency or price list. security management, unlimited licenses. needs of PM in the translation business. First Finally, the Report Module creates management €3,499. Volume pricing and monthly rentals are released in 1998, it has been continuously fur- and financial summaries as well as statistical and available. The Web Edition has all features of the ther developed and now has more than a thou- graphical reports. Data can be displayed as text Corporate version plus PM from distributed sand users among language service companies, or bar and pie charts. Reports can also be sites, direct access of clients and suppliers to multinational corporations, international exported in Microsoft Word and Excel, as well as their own records, up-to-date information. organizations and government departments. HTML, RTF, PDF and RPT Crystal format. €39,000 per 10 managers; volume pricing and They include Bowne Translation Services, In addition to these basic modules, the monthly rentals available. ASP version is a Web- Deutsche Post AG, Eurocontrol Brussels, Agency, Corporate and Web Editions contain a based service with prices quoted per month and UNESCO and AXA Insurance Services. Supplier module to manage new and existing users. Optional Modules: TRADOS Interface LTC Organiser is an enterprise manage- suppliers and their availability, languages, sub- €99; Design Module €749; Supplier/Clients ment system supporting local or Web-based ject areas and prices. The interactive Scheduler Web Forms (volume pricing). integration of multilingual projects from the enables project managers to monitor the Use & evaluation. After a smooth setup initial quotation throughout the final invoicing. progress of each work stage or each project without any USB dongle problems, a very pow- All essential steps are automated as far as possi- phase and allows them to quickly identify erful application was ready to serve me. The ble, offering flexibility in the setup of various project structures and workflows. Each edition of the LTC Organiser contains five modules. The Project Management Module contains all proj- ect-related data, such as workload, costs and Get a Tek localization delivery dates to optimize your workflow. For each job or project, files and directories can be manager on your side directly accessed from within LTC Organiser, and a search tool enables the user to locate indi- Our approach at Tek is to dedicate staff to work exclusively vidual projects by search criteria such as client on your account. This makes a significant difference. or task, as well as source and target languages. As one of our clients writes recently, "I am continually Purchase orders are automatically calculated, amazed at the level of service and personal attention and files can be transferred or retrieved by FTP. The Quote Module creates and manages all Tek provides." client quotes and automatically calculates the We specialize in Healthcare, IT and Telecommunications. price for each client by integrating the user’s Tek's expertise in these industries spans over 40 years, price list, ensuring fast and consistent quoting. and our resources are worldwide. Once a quote has been accepted, a new struc- We localize in over 50 languages. tured project is generated within the Project Tek is accredited with the latest ISO certification Management Module. The administration of ISO 9001:2000. clients is handled by the Client Management For more information call us at Module, which provides quick and easy access Tek OneWorld Localization Center to the client database supported by a search Tel. +34 91 414 1111 facility and a client classification. This may email: [email protected] include specific requirements, payment terms www.tektrans.com and special price lists. The Finance Module 11 GETTING

GUIDE STARTED PROJECT MANAGEMENT only limitations to my initial desire for explo- quotes and invoices with a company logo but extranet environment for the user company ration were the vast options and branching of needs the third-party tool Crystal Reports and its customers. In addition to LTRAC, this unbelievable feature-rich application. A from Business Objects (formerly Seagate Sandhills Software has also developed tutorial and/or wizard would be very helpful to Software) at around $150. A final suggestion is PDFCount for Acrobat and the e-mail auto- introduce Organiser’s many functions and the implementation of an interface to tax pro- mation application 4MailHandler. assist the novice in setting up a first database, grams if and where a standard for such exists. Features. LTRAC is a complete 100% customer and supplier records and projects and Conclusion. The LTC Organiser is an Web-based customer relationship management point to the fastest way to get things going. The almost perfect PM solution for the freelancer and PM tool especially designed for language present documentation and help system does and businesses of any size within the area of service providers of all sizes. LTRAC includes a not provide sufficient support to learn how to translation and localization. It offers a very central dynamic database of translation cus- use this powerful tool. convenient and easy import of existing sup- tomers (Clients), in-house project managers LTC provides an excellent, engaged and plier, client and contact data via a simple MS (Employees), language professionals as subcon- well-trained support with response times un- Excel spreadsheet and an easy, changeable mul- tractors (Vendors) and individual project der 24 hours. Support and product updates tilingual user interface. details with all related files. All information is are handled using the Product Support tool. System requirements. Hardware: 64MB contained in a single database. All users have The user can request support by sending an e- RAM, 250MB hard drive space, SVGA 800x real-time access using their Web browsers. De- mail from within the tool by entering a prob- 600, 16 colors, small fonts, mouse, network pendent on their role in the workflow, the user lem description and attaching screen shots access (for multiuser use), modem with TAPI can access different modules of the system. and files. The tool also sends log files created interface driver for automatic dialing. Project managers can quickly locate the by Organiser as well as some information Software: Microsoft Windows 98/Me/NT most qualified translators, generate project about the user’s system, providing the support SP6/2000 or XP, Microsoft SQL Server 7 or quotations, create project schedules, issue team with everything they need for a fast and 2000 for use by the Corporate Edition (option- vendor purchase orders, deliver target lan- qualified response. al), Adobe Acrobat Reader. guage documents and create client invoices. Minor drawbacks are truncated entries in In addition, the LTRAC vendor database dropdown fields, which can be adjusted by Language Translation allows the user to easily expand and manage resizing the whole window or just the column; Resource Automation worldwide translation vendors. Business the lack of a direct help button linking to the Console (LTRAC) owners are assisted with a powerful job cost appropriate help chapter in some of the many accounting along with accounts receivable, sub-dialogs; and the lack of pre-configured Sandhills Software (www.ltrac.com), accounts payable and sales commission track- lists to select the equipment of suppliers. founded in 1999, has worked closely with ing. Standard reports include receivables, Subject areas and other large selection lists leading translation organizations to develop payables, sales, revenue and work in progress. should be organized in a hierarchical tree- the first Web-based intranet/extranet applica- The Document Management Module stores view; and it would streamline the setup of tion to manage all aspects of the document all project-related electronic files. Clients, numerous suppliers if a user could simply translation process. The Language Translation vendors and project managers upload and copy and paste information from an existing Resource Automation Console (LTRAC) sys- download files from the Document Manage- supplier to a new one. Furthermore, it is tem combines a series of public and password- ment Module as defined by the LTRAC work- inconvenient that the user cannot equip protected Web pages to create an intranet/ flow model. Each user has a unique login and interacts with LTRAC based on the role in the project workflow from a custom home page. LTRAC covers every phase of a language services business. The user can track each stage of the document translation process from initial client pricing to final invoice. LTRAC enables real-time interaction with clients and vendors and within an organization. The standard LTRAC workflow provides a company with standard forms and business procedures to simplify employee training. Editions & prices. Turn-Key Program is a custom system setup guided by Sandhills Software’s expertise, guidance and best prac- tices. All strategies come with a fixed-bid imple- mentation guarantee. LTRAC Quick Start Program is de- signed for companies that require little cus- tomization of the LTRAC workflow and are ready to start using LTRAC as is. The Quick Start service includes a low-cost training program to jumpstart the implementation. Includes customization of LTRAC with user’s logo, public, intranet and extranet pages as well as forms. 12 GETTING

PROJECT MANAGEMENT GUIDE STARTED

area. Recently, the company imple- medical and legal transcriptionists and tran- mented 128-bit SSL security on the scription agencies, writers, project managers LTRAC server. and other language professionals. It allows a On the positive side stand user to base your quotations and invoices on LTRAC’s easy import features for client the document text count (word count, line and other previously established data count, gross line count, character count, and the support of a competent and page count or other text count types) as well dedicated team with a response time of as on time (hours/minutes). PractiCount less than 24 hours. handles a wide variety of file formats, At the moment, LTRAC is a including Microsoft (MS) Word, Excel, powerful but not cheap solution and PowerPoint, as well as WordPerfect, HTML; therefore not suitable for freelancers XML and SGML, PHP and ASP and PDF and small agencies. In order to files. An automatic unzip function supports increase LTRAC’s suitability for this the direct selection of zipped source files. LTRAC Project Management: Entry page of an clientele, Sandhills Software plans to Both line and page counts are customizable employee shows a well-organized overview and allows release an ASP version later this year and can be conducted within multiple files, fast access to all important aspects of projects (LTRAC Express) featuring an initial folders and sub-folders. The application is Various support and hosting services. setup fee with monthly user and hosting fees. also able to count text that Word and other Additional information and pricing are avail- System requirements. Server: Microsoft solutions often miss, such as text boxes, able from Sandhills Software. Advanced Server, Cold Fusion 5.0; Client: headers, footers, annotations (comments), Use & evaluation. LTRAC is a very pow- Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher. footnotes and endnotes as well as embedded erful Web application handling all aspects of (inserted) and linked objects. In addition, project management in small and medium- PractiCount and Invoice tags and script elements in HTML can also sized translation businesses. Going through Business Edition 2.4 be counted. The user can include the result the test drive I received for this review, I for any count in customizable detailed observed only a few shortcomings of the sys- Practiline Software is a privately held reports and print or export them to MS tem, most of them not very serious. company in the field of text counting, quoting Word or Excel or produce elaborate invoices A first irritation was the dependency of the and billing within the language processing using a convenient customer database. Web application on Microsoft Internet Explorer industry. The company’s worldwide clientele Finally, a currency converter and calculator (IE), although the advertisement promised plat- includes small and medium-sized companies assists in creating customized invoices. form and browser independence. However, the and individual users. PractiCount and Invoice The Business Edition offers all features of dependency on IE proved to be more a recom- is currently licensed in more than 40 countries. the Standard Edition plus network support mendation than a real dependency. All func- Features. PractiCount and Invoice is a (counting of files on other computers within the tionality was also possible using Netscape word and line counting as well as invoicing local network), shell integration into the (Mozilla) and Opera with a few design errors. program, equally suited for freelance transla- Windows Explorer context (right-click) menu LTRAC is currently based on a Microsoft Access tors, translation and localization agencies, and the ability to import the count log into a database. Therefore, I feared that only a maxi- mum of 100 user accounts could be handled. Sandhills Software explained that this limit is bypassed by the server architecture being based on Macromedia Cold Fusion Server. Access, therefore, only sees one concurrent user. Sandhills Software estimates that this architec- ture allows between 1,000 and 1,500 virtual users. During a prolonged use time, however, the number of records in the Access database will decrease performance. For larger corpora- tions, LTRAC will, therefore, provide migration to SQL with their Turn-Key application. Another minor inconvenience is the selection of multiple items within dropdown boxes, which requires the continuous pressing of the Ctrl key. It is quite easy to lose a large, time-consuming selection due to an acciden- tal release of the Ctrl key. In addition, I would have liked the option to display the progress and scheduling of my projects as a Gantt dia- gram which is a standard display in most PM solutions. Furthermore, the planned multilin- gual interface is still missing. The only serious shortcoming when I tested LTRAC was the lack of any secure server 13 GETTING

GUIDE STARTED PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Unfortunately, there are no tutorials or wizards to shorten the Additional learning curve getting used to this Language Technology Tools With powerful application. Language pro- Project Management Functions fessionals would also like to have the option to compute different word Alchemy CATALYST 5.0 rates according to various word Alchemy Software Development matching (fuzzy, full) and/or to www.alchemysoftware.ie include TRADOS or other TM sup- AuthorIT port. Although PractiCount does not AuthorIT Software Corp provide such functionality directly, www.author-it.com there is a free stand-alone utility by FLOW the same company called Match BeeText Calculator where one can enter the www.beetext.com PractiCount Report Window: Clear overview on files and statistics from any TM and calculate quotation parameters. Convenient shortcuts transfer data the billing amount according to the Global Project Manager to Word or Excel and to the invoice creation process discount structure (% for repeti- eTranslate report window enabling the user to view count tions, matches, and so on). I suggested the www.etranslate.com history by month, client and other features. implementation of this tool into PractiCount. GlobalSight Ambassador Editions & prices. Standard Edition for User options/settings, now distributed GlobalSight small translation business (one user/1-PC), over various dialogs, should be concentrated in www.globalsight.com no networking, $59.95. Volume pricing avail- one panel. Client and the own-company infor- Multilizer 6.0 able. Business Edition for small to medium- mation only allows the user to include either Multilizer Inc. sized translation business shares databases the company name or a personal name. www.multilizer.com across several workstations; standard pack Including both would be more appropriate. QuantumCMS includes five user licenses. Wider range of Other minor points are the lack of bank Algonquin Studios, Inc. reporting (financial and operational) possi- account information fields for multiple banks, www.algonquinstudios.com bilities. $99.95. Volume pricing available. including international SWIFT (BIC) and SDLWorkFlow Use & evaluation. PractiCount and In- European IBAN account information. Finally, SDL International voice is a fast, clear and effective tool for the the current currency converter, which links to a www.sdlintl.com analysis of text containing file types and the Web site, should retrieve daily rates from the generation of invoices based on various word Internet right from within PractiCount. TRADOS GXT TRADOS TeamWorks counts. It also supports often ignored special PractiCount and Invoice in concert TRADOS Corporation text elements such as footnotes, Alt-Tags and with the freeware tool Match Calculator is a www.trados.com script content. Another nice feature is the great little helper for invoicing at an incredi- easy import of contact data previously bly reasonable rate. Transit XV entered into another application. But the cur- System requirements. Hardware: Pen- STAR Group rent import editor allowing drag-and-drop of tium 166 or compatible, 32MB RAM, 2MB www.star-transit.com columns is a little cumbersome if data con- hard disk space. Software: Windows 98/2000/ Translation Office 3000 sisting of many columns are imported and XP; Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) Advanced International Translations intensive rearrangement is necessary. Here, a 97/2000/2002 (XP)/2003; Word required for www.translation3000.com simple two-window arrangement where one counting WordPerfect files, Adobe Acrobat Translator’s Office Manager can level corresponding columns in the same 5.05-6.0 or free Acrobat Reader 5.1 (free JovoSoft line by moving lines up/down or drag-and- Acrobat Reader 6.0 is currently not supported) www.jovo-soft.de Ω drop would be much easier. required for text count in PDF. Ω Translator’s Task Manager Acceletra www.acceletra.com TranServer WholeTree Pte. Ltd. www.wholetree.com WebBudget XT Aquino Developments S.L. www.webbudget.com WizTom WizArt Software www.wizart.com WorldServer Idiom Technologies Inc. www.idiominc.com

14 GETTING

PROJECT MANAGEMENT GUIDE STARTED PrProjectoject ChurChurn:n: CountingCounting thethe CostCost

Kenneth McKethan, Jr..

Change happens and takes its toll. This that software development projects are The bottom line is that we have two rather obvious insight came to me in a fresh particularly churn-prone. In his outstand- choices, the preferable one being change con- way during an assignment as globalization ing resource, Software Project Survival trol. Choosing to control change gives us project manager for a particularly change- Guide, Steve McConnell draws attention to options. We can still make necessary changes prone software development project. Given the fluidity of the software development and understand the impacts from these that change will occur, how much of a toll environment: “Because of changing markets changes. Understanding, then, emerges as the does it take? What does it cost the company? and evolving technology, software project obvious first step toward controlling the dol- The frequent — at times seemingly gra- feature sets amount to moving targets. lar cost of churn. It is clear, however, that in tuitous and even regressive — changes to a Some movement is inevitable; other move- order to “understand impacts” to schedule, project’s schedule and scope I define as proj- ment can be controlled.” cost and resources, one must be able to quan- ect churn. Going back over old ground to replan tify them. Measurement is basic. But how? During my assignment to this project, it and renegotiate an approved project plan is To measure impact, we need tools. seemed that we were perpetually in a replan labor-intensive. Overturning previously-made Typically, our lack of such tools relegates us mode. Again and again we went over the decisions can be demoralizing as well as detri- to a react mode. We are left to sift through the same ground with adjustments for new reali- mental to the project manager’s reputation. pieces for clues at post mortem time. Finding ties of schedule, scope or resources. I realized Think of the work involved, especially on this unacceptable, I set out to devise a better that the net impact on me alone equaled an large-scale projects, in revisiting, replanning way of measuring churn impact so that it additional project on my platter — a shadow and renegotiating much of the original plan. could be expressed in terms of additional project. I had to ask whether or not project For the project at hand this was required mul- monetary cost. churn was always inevitable. And what is this tiple times, for multiple target languages. Given its colorful history of change, churn costing us? My case study also exposed the this particular software development project During this time, I discovered that the little-recognized effect from what Johanna was the ideal candidate for a case study on problem of project churn, particularly as it Rothman refers to as “context switching,”the the impact of churn. Moving forward, I occurs in the software industry, was nothing dropping of one task to refocus on another quickly abandoned using a “stopwatch” tool new. For instance, in his classic collection of at multiple times. In her article “Multi- as hopelessly impractical. I concluded that project management essays, The Mythical tasking Overhead” in Software Development, the most practical approach would be to Man-Month, Dr. Frederick P. Brooks, Jr., says, Rothman says that “context switching develop a set of metrics that could then be “Not only are changes in objective inevitable, demands more time and energy than you easily applied to determine the time impact changes in development strategy and tech- think....No matter how efficient you think caused by extra replanning effort. From nique are also inevitable.” you are, multitasking comes with a high there, I would be able to derive a dollar As any project manager knows, churn cost. Because we’re people, we don’t swap impact. A set of metrics was needed which tends to occur mid-project, often at inop- out the content of our brains as easily as a could be applied to each retouched task in portune times. Sometimes, after much computer does.” order to measure extra effort from any investment in repeated replanning, the proj- While it was gratifying to learn that churn after initial plan approval. ect is cancelled altogether. Project managers churn is particularly characteristic of soft- are intimately familiar with the impacts on ware development projects, I became increas- Case Study schedule, costs, resources and, sometimes, ingly convinced that proper management on quality. One common outcome of having could be developed to control the impact at For case study purposes, I took a mid- to go back and revisit, review and reorganize least for purposes of quantifying it. project snapshot of this mercurial project, an already well-developed plan is overtime. McConnell agrees: “Some movement is While usually not factored into the planned inevitable; other movement can be con- 1 official, workload, overtime nonetheless is costly. It trolled.” He goes on to challenge us to take Release date 6 candidates, 1 to be determined is also disruptive, making it hard to plan charge: “controlling changes as an integral workloads and to balance work and personal part of project planning is critical to project Project slip 7 months life. The question at that point becomes: success....As Gene Forte says,‘change con- and counting Just how much extra effort is being expended trol’ is in marked contrast to ‘change surren- Plan decision 3 and counting to deal with churn on a particular project? der.’” McConnell continues: “Change control checkpoint Such knowledge could be assigned a dollar allows all necessary changes to be made Translatable user 2.5 times the value and used to buttress the next head- while ensuring that change impacts are interface scope creep original projection count request. Further reading confirmed understood projectwide.” 15 GETTING

GUIDE STARTED PROJECT MANAGEMENT addressing only impacts to my area of global- Results (PERT Metrics) and distributed them to ization. Other affected focus areas were not my fellow globalization included in the study. G11N Schedule 1.62 days 7 replans 11.34 days project managers. I asked For globalization, however, each project that they provide their best Planning tool change typically entailed the following task 2.0 days 7 replans 14.0 days experience-based estimate update repeats: revisiting all stakeholders to solicit of time required to go back G11N vendor updated input; coordinating new milestones 1.34 days 7 replans 09.38 days and repeat each of these with everyone; reconfirming available inter- renegotiation tasks as required by any nal and vendor resources; revisiting plans Subtotal +34.72 days mid-course change in the and schedules; renegotiating budgets; and, project. I asked for their finally, going back through the gamut of for- From a detailed globalization work Best, Worst and Most Likely time estimates. mal plan approval steps. breakdown structure, I selected 18 key tasks I averaged the peer input for each of these three cases by task. This yielded an aver- age Best, Worst and Most Likely figure for each task. I plugged these three cases into Micro- soft Project for Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) analysis using the IT LEFT THE DOPEY LIE OF DOGS default weighting factors. These factors are Best 1, Most Likely 4, Worst 1. Here’s a headline that you won’t easily forget. Particularly if you have just had an The resulting PERT analysis output uncomfortable conversation with the CEO of your Italian office who can’t under- provided me with an empirically based time stand how “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie” came to be translated as “Ha lasciato la factor to measure each task. For example, bugia di cani addormentata”. the derived task time required to renegotiate with internal vendors totaled 1.34 extra Wordbank clients are lucky. They can project management days per replan. just pinch themselves to wake up Multiplying this factor times the number of from this nightmare because it replans for the renegotiation task yielded will never happen to them. 9.38 extra days. To make the point, our case study need- As marketing ed no more than three task examples. communications This means that I was expending an localization specialists, extra 35 project management days for only linguistic excellence is three tasks. Though this task subset addresses at the heart of only a fraction of our overall process, results everything that we do confirmed that my workload did indeed and we are passionate include an extra shadow project. about effective Regardless of the causes, such impacts communication. need to be captured and converted to dollars. Applying a hypothetical burden rate per day We won’t bore you with of $500 yields a total of $17,500 for a mere long lists of everything three tasks from only one project focus area. that we can do to achieve Though developed within the context your objectives for cost- of software globalization, this simple met- reduction, speed to market rics tool can actually be applied to any and quality translations – just project management activity such as test have a look at our website at or documentation. www.wordbank.com Conclusion But we can promise that your local offices won’t be calling you to complain about mendacious canines. They’ll be “non svegliare il can che dorme”. The tool is ideal for helping maintain sound expectations with all stakeholders Wordbank LLC Wordbank Limited based on actual rather than planned effort. The measurement knowledge it can provide 600 17th Street, Suite 2800 33 Charlotte Street Denver, Colorado 80202 London W1T 1RR serves as basic input to critical control of United States United Kingdom project churn. In turn, extra effort measure-

Tel: 1 720 359 1580 Tel: +44 (0) 20 7903 8800 ment can be converted to a real monetary Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] value, a language readily understood by man- agers. Change control must include counting the actual cost. Armed with this informa- tion, the project manager can derive more www.wordbank.com realistic scheduling, cost planning and staffing plans. Ω 16 GETTING

PROJECT MANAGEMENT GUIDE STARTED PrProjectoject ManagementManagement ChecklistChecklist

Jeff Allen

Many non-localization-field small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) are • What percentage of time is spent by team members on tasks in their primary (home) trying unrealistically to attack the market and take a large-share position that is departments, and what is spent on tasks for other teams (real or virtual)? occupied by their big competitors. Many other SMEs fully recognize and admit • How many projects can your organization realistically handle with your current their small size and focus on being successful at a local or regional level before try- workforce and the existing documented procedures and instructions? ing to be successful at an overall national and/or international regional level. I think • How many projects are you trying to obtain? the localization field can learn some lessons from them. • Based on the realistic threshold, how many projects over your threshold are you For example, several years ago a small pizza van was at my local train station trying to obtain? each evening. At the same time a small pizzeria started up in the neighborhood. • Who conducts project resource allocation planning? Where are these estimates published internally? Is this information evaluated? My wife and I discovered that the pizzeria pizzas were prepared quickly, and while •Who conducts tracking of project resource allocation of time, and where are these they might have been larger than those at the van, the quality was much lower. We statistics published internally? Is this information evaluated? stopped going to the small pizzeria. About six months later it closed. The pizza van • Based on the realistic threshold, how many projects over your threshold are you continued to prepare and sell excellent mid-sized pizzas at the train station. trying to run, and for how long have you been running in that mode? Location and product quality were key success factors for the owner of the van. • Does your organization function on a regular basis in strategic planning and forecasting Imagine if its owners decided to make special 2-for-1 offers, gave volume discounts mode or in urgent reactive mode, or is there an attempt to balance these? and sold pizzas to at least half of the people who passed through that train station • How much of the company internal information through the product workflow each evening. They could buy pre-prepared pizzas and heat them up in the van. cycle is transmitted orally versus in written form? But then the level of product quality would decrease, and they would risk losing • Is there a control mechanism in each department/team to make sure that infor- their existing and certainly faithful regular clientele. Compare these short-term mation is being received and transmitted in a useful way for that team and for attempts to be big vs. carefully developing long-term strategic decisions, such as other teams to perform their necessary tasks? buying a bigger van and adding a second oven, that run less of a risk of jeopardiz- • Is your organization a true SME or an SME subsidiary of a larger group? ing existing product and service quality. • If your SME is part of a group, does it function as a completely independent enti- And for each existing customer who is lost, how much energy and money ty or is it financially and process dependent upon the group? Do the different subsidiaries function in a supply-chain manner? Are some of the subsidiaries need to be spent to attract a replacement customer? certified with a quality standard (ISO, CCM, TL) and others not certified? If this If a small pizza outlet does not specifically evaluate its location, customer is the case, what is the status of ISO certification of your subsidiary compared menu, recipe, product quality, delivery processes, production completion time, with the others? business hours, equipment and number of personnel (and make significant • Can you explain the purpose and reason for ISO certification and what value it changes accordingly), then it is, realistically, unlikely to survive long at the produc- should add to your organization? tion level of a larger competitor without causing employees to quit or losing them • How often do your teams hold internal team meetings, inter-team meetings, man- to mid- or long-term sick leave. agement meetings, risk analysis meetings and project (re)prioritization meet- Here are questions (not a comprehensive list) that I think localization man- ings? Are meeting minutes published internally after these meetings? agers or directors should ask themselves about their SMEs as they seek to com- •Are decisions documented and announced in your organization? How is this done? pete against the larger corporations. • How is task project (re)prioritization (single project and inter-project) conducted in your organization, and how often is it really done? • Are all of the tasks for any given project documented from the starting point of pre-sales • What is the exact path of your project workflow? Are there variant sub-paths in it? to the end point of customer evaluation of the delivery of the product or project? Where is this information documented, and is it published internally? • Is your company organized in terms of project or team/department (with regard • How many inter-team handovers (partial, intervals or full) or parallel team pro- to tasks)? cessing of projects take place within your overall workflow? • How many of your teams are real teams (officially recognized teams or departments • If you say that for some projects you will make an acceptable quality delivery and with dedicated members who have been hired to fulfill one or more roles in that for other projects you will make high-level quality delivery, what are the inter- team or department)? How many are virtual teams (teams or workgroups com- nally published criteria for making such decisions? posed of team members borrowed from real teams)? • How often does your organization say that it depends on the willingness and • How many of your team members from one or more real teams are borrowed on a reg- motivation of its employees vs how much does the organization truly invest in ular basis (and at what frequency) to conduct tasks for other real teams? employee development and teamwork such as internal process training, brain- • Has a responsibility matrix been created? This should show who is responsible for storming sessions, professional training and evaluation of information commu- what areas (and tasks), for what other team member(s) they are responsible, and nication channels? to whom they are accountable for each of those areas. Where is this matrix pub- • Is your organizational structure and reporting hierarchy completely horizontal, lished internally? partial vertical with two or three levels, very vertical with clear reporting lines, or • Has your organization minimally documented the procedures for some or all of a theoretical and realistic mix of some or all of these? the processes so that a new employee in any team has a minimum of information • What is the turnaround internal review time of any given customer-facing docu- to know what to start with? ment in your organization? How many customer-facing documents on a quar- • Do you train your employees after they are hired? Or do you expect all of them to terly basis are delivered externally without internal review, and how many are not invent and create their job descriptions over time? Or is there a balance of the sent externally because they have not been internally reviewed? two depending on position level? • Are decisions based on short-term objectives or long-term strategic planning, or • How many junior-level staff have you hired in the past year who have not been are they based upon a mixture of them? trained on existing processes and procedures? If you can answer these questions without hesitating or know where to • Are the processes, procedures and descriptive instructions of your virtual teams documented? find the documented answers in a couple of minutes, then your SME is most •How long do you expect a virtual team to exist before it becomes a real team? Are there likely on track to being successful according to the organization’s ambitions. virtual teams that could continue to exist without becoming real teams? But if you cannot honestly or easily answer the majority of these questions, • Do your teams fill out task time sheets for their real team tasks? For their virtual then you may want to ask yourself how successful the company really is today team tasks? and can hope to be in the long term.

17 GETTING J GUIDE STARTED PRO ECT MANAGEMENT LPMLPM BestBest PracticesPractices SurSurveyvey

Most software localization suites include approach. What works well for one industry industry-wide LPM best practice; one LPM project management (PM) scheduling and or type of work may not for another. risk factor that they would choose never to monitoring tools based on systems and MultiLingual Computing & Technology occur again in their lifetimes; a best practice practices developed by such PM pioneers as chose the course outlines for Localization that significantly contributes to the excellent Frederick Taylor, the “father” of scientific Project Management (LPM) taught by outcome of their company’s projects. management, and Henry Gantt, the developer Karen Combe for The Localization Institute The charts below show the responses of charts for project phases and progress as a guide to develop a survey seeking an from 53 localization project managers and indicators. Emerging from their experi- LPM best practices guide. We asked local- clients who participated in the survey. The mentation and from recent developments in ization project managers to pick one item selected comments on the opposite page are PM principles in the Internet era is the from each category that they think would in response to an LPM best practices query in concept and application of a “best practices” be appropriate for the development of an the survey. Ω

What one item in each category do you think would be appropriate for the development of an industry-wide LPM best practice?

Change Management Project Planning Phases

5% Adding resources 0% Software, help, documentation components 5% (No choice) 3% Kick-off 10% Eliminating steps 3% Post mortem 13% The immutable deadline 10% Marketing, multimedia, 67% Controlling updates Web-based components 20% Terminology development 64% Planning, definition and scope Resource and Budget Management

10% When to stop work 23% Project team productivity Risk Factors to Eliminate 25% Managing translation resources 0% Handling mega-projects 42% Budget/schedule relationship 0% Project team productivity problems 3% Simultaneous release Risk Analysis — Critical Path Issues 10% Micromanaging client 10% The localization department with no voice in 0% Printing its corporate environment 3% Marketing materials 11% Continual change in size, scope and schedule of project tasks 10% Glossary 12% Software developers who don’t see the big 10% UI and code freeze localization picture 13% In-country review 22% The unresponsive client that doesn’t make decisions 15% Internationalization issues 32% The chronically under-budgeted product with 49% Quality assurance the impossible schedule

18 J GETTING PRO ECT MANAGEMENT GUIDE STARTED BestBest PracticesPractices BuildBuild SolidSolid PrProjectsojects

1. All projects adhere to ISO 9001:2000 standards and are frequently audited by authorized external agencies. 2. All cus- We use the Dynamic Matrix method tomer engagements start with a detailed relationship and project for localization resources, a method that planning phase. As part of this, we replicate the client’s existing envi- allows our company to use our available ronment in terms of processes and infrastructure to enable better resources as efficiently as we can without los- integration. This phase also includes communications, project ing productivity and with an ability to survive management and training requirements specific to the client the “dry seasons.” environment to ensure smooth transition of work to the offshore —Alex Finkelstein, Texel Localization center. 3. Before the start of any project, the entire team is trained on the client’s software and processes. All client-specific information is captured in a knowledge management server.

Good relationships with clients and vendors are important in LPMs. With good relationships we have good —Prashanth Chunduri, Neilsoft Ltd. communication and are not afraid of Using a collaboration portal allows saying what needs to be said. ambiguous terminology and other cross-language issues to be resolved —Claudio Costa, TextTrans quickly. All language teams see the res- The timely planning of a olution simultaneously and can quickly project and react to updates and clarifications. its scope helpthe a r clear definition of —Ben Sargent, Lionbridge Technologies resources. When budgetingealistic allocation is vague, of If there is one single factor that can play a key inadequate or insufficient, assign- role in LPM, it is the selection of localizers . . . ments must be rejected. according to the needs of the project. Other elements cannot supply the kind of knowl- —Luigi Muzii, Gruppo L10N edge that a good selection of localizers Understanding our clients’ needs at a pre- should provide. project stage is critical to the success of —Roberto Silva, Celer Soluciones a localization project. Who is the end customer for the client? What is the client Our most important best trying to do better this time? practice is our understand- ing and proactive approach —Vera Snaselova, Moravia Worldwide to tune our procedures for each and every client, thus We adhere to QA practices, ensuring their projects are ensuring that each and every consistently successful. link in the process chain is Adhering to process assures success quality checked by the next. with each project. Process, despite our —Graham Moller, —Claire Ingram, Wordbank best wishes, is never written in stone. WH&P Each process evolves as the needs of the customers evolve. Educating the client to the scope of the project and ensuring they understand Awareness of the client internal cycle. —John Watkins, Lingo Systems all the components we deal with that Understanding the position of the they do not see or understand. This client — not always easy. Project ensures they appreciate the job we do. managers must be aware that they are not mere file coordinators; they are All of our PMs have been profes- management professionals. sionally trained using Fergus —Anonymous —Marina Marugan, CPSL Worldwide O’Connell’s Successful ProjectsHow to Manage When all PMs are operating Planning the project correctly along the same theory,as productiv-a baseline. with input from each of the ity soars. disciplines involved ensures that the right methodologies —Anonymous are employed for successful project completion. —Michelle Wilson, SDL International

19 GETTING

GUIDE STARTED SubscriptionSubscription OfOfferfer

This supplement introduces you to the Wide Web for e-mail, for purchasing more complex. Leaders in the development magazine MultiLingual Computing & services, for promoting your business of these systems explain how they work and Technology. Published nine times a year, or for conducting fully international e- how they work together. filled with news, technical developments commerce, you’ll benefit from the informa- and language information, it is widely tion and ideas in each issue of MultiLingual Internationalization recognized as a useful and informative pub- Computing & Technology. lication for people who are interested in the Making software ready for the interna- role of language, technology and transla- Translation tional market requires more than just a good tion in our twenty-first-century world. idea. How does an international developer How are translation tools changing prepare a product for multiple locales? Will Language Technology the art and science of communicating ideas the pictures and colors you select for a user and information between speakers of dif- interface in France be suitable for users in From multiple keyboard layouts and ferent languages? Translators are vital to Brazil? Elements such as date and currency input methods to Unicode-enabled opera- the development of international and formats sound like simple components, but ting systems, language-specific encodings, localized software. Those who specialize in developers who ignore the many interna- systems that recognize your handwriting or technical documents, such as manuals for tional variants find that their products may your speech in any language — language computer hardware and software, industri- be unusable. You’ll find sound ideas and technology is changing day by day. And this al equipment and medical products, use practical help in every issue. technology is also changing the way in which sophisticated tools along with professional people communicate on a personal level; expertise to translate complex text clearly Localization changing the requirements for international and precisely. Translators and people who software; and changing how business is done use translation services track new develop- How can you make your product look all over the world. ments through articles and news items in and feel as if it were built in another coun- MultiLingual Computing & Technology MultiLingual Computing & Technology. try for users of that language and culture? is your source for the best information and How do you choose a localization service insight into these developments and how Managing Content vendor? Developers and localizers offer they will affect you and your business. their ideas and relate their experiences with How do you track all the words and the practical advice that will save you time and Global Web changes that occur in a multilingual Web money in your localization projects. site? How do you know who’s doing what Every Web site is a global Web site, and and where? How do you respond to cus- And There’s Much More even a site designed for one country may tomers and vendors in a prompt manner require several languages to be effective. and in their own languages? The growing Authors with in-depth knowledge Experienced Web professionals explain and changing field of content management summarize changes in the language indus- how to create a site that works for users and global management systems (CMS and try and explain its financial side, describe everywhere, how to attract those users to GMS), customer relations management the challenges of computing in various lan- your site and how to keep it current. (CRM) and other management disciplines guages, explain and update encoding Whether you use the Internet and World is increasingly important as systems become schemes and evaluate software and sys- tems. Other articles focus on particular countries or regions; translation and local- To subscribe, use our secure on-line form at ization training programs; the uses of lan- guage technology in specific industries — a wide array of current topics from the world wwwwww.multilingual.com/subscribe.multilingual.com/subscribe of multilingual computing. Nine times a year, readers of Multi- Be sure to enter this on-line registration code: Lingual Computing & Technology explore sup63 language technology and its applications, project management, basic elements and advanced ideas with the people and com- panies who are building the future. 20