Scott Robinson, Senior Application Development Manager, walks us through a kickoff meeting with Premier Support for Developers and how we work with key technical and business stakeholders to build a delivery plan specifically for your business.

There comes a point in every development organization when the decision is made to look into different ways of “Building Software Better”.  After talking to resources within Microsoft you decided that Premier Support for Developers sounds like just what you need! The one question I commonly receive from customers is what is the next step and how do I prepare for it? 

It typically begins with an Application Development Manager (ADM) and your team building a plan together that address the needs of your organization. Working together with Microsoft can be a new experience, so here are some guidelines of what to expect and how to get the most out of your first planning session with an Application Development Manager.

Attendees!

The first step is to determine who should attend. Since these discussions span strategic as well as tactical aspects of your organization, you want to make sure you have the right people at the table.
You’re looking to include individuals who not only understand where you’re at but also where you are going as it relates to your technology roadmap and business goals. They need to understand the strength of the teams as well as areas where improvement is needed.

Here are a few examples of common roles that help with the scoping discussion.

• Application Architect
• Technical/Development Lead
• Q&A Lead
• Development Process Lead (Scrum Master)
• CTO

You don’t need to have everyone at this first meeting but you do want to have all the groups well represented. If you have multiple applications, make sure they are in on scoping session so their feedback is taken into account early in the process.

Let’s Talk!

After you identify the right team to drive this planning conversation, be prepared to have a conversation and provide feedback around three key areas:

• Education –Think about areas where improvement in the skills of the team would benefits your development efforts. Premier Support for Developers can provide training in number of areas and the ADM with help you navigate what is right for your team.
• Guidance – Advisory services are focused on helping you make the right choices as you plan/develop your application. The ADM will guide the specifics, but having a list of areas where feedback/guidance from Microsoft would reduce your risk or decrease the development cycles will go a long way in making sure your service delivery plan and your needs are closely aligned.
• Assess – These services are all about improving the maturity and health of the environment (People, Process and Technology). Are you looking to improve your development methodology? Premier Support for Developers can help assess where you are and help you put together a plan to get to where you want to be. Are you looking to make sure that TFS environment is running smoothly and adhere to Microsoft Best Practices? Premier has services that can help in these areas!

If you focus on these areas you will be in great position to have a valuable meeting and provide the key information your ADM uses to prioritize and deliver services.  This information is the start of a service delivery plan that Premier Support for Developers orchestrates across your team to help you build better software.

Summary

• Get the right team together that understands your development strengths and weaknesses.
• Develop some ideas around the key areas where Microsoft can help (Educate, Guidance, and Assess).
• Last and most importantly, remember this is a conversation whose goal is to get every potential need on the table. Speak up and let us know your thoughts! Our team of ADMs will help align you with the right package of services based on your goals.