Frequently Asked Questions - Live Projects Programme

•   What is the Live Projects Programme
Live Projects Programme (LPP) is a Software development methodology where projects are developed by collaboration on online workspaces.The emphasis is on Cloud computing, ie developing online using tools and resources available online.

•   What was the Objective behind Live Projects
Live projects Programme was developed with a view to provide real world experience to anyone who has little or no practical experience of working on IT projects.No amount of theory can prepare you for the pressures of working on projects with sharp deadlines and pressures with almost no mentorship available to help you out.

•   Who can benefit from Live Projects
To begin with, in an economy where jobs are drying up, there has never been a demand for boosting your employability.
Live Projects can help these groups immediately,

1. IT graduates who cannot find a job because of lack of experience.
2. IT professionals who wish to move up the hierchary and become analysts from developers, Architects from Technical Leads.
3. IT professionals who work on technology and wish to transition into Project Management.
4. Business Analysts who wish to transition into Project Management.
5. IT professionals, Business Analysts, Testers, Project Managers who wish to work on Agile test driven methodologies.
6. It is for people who wish to switch from other streams into software development or testing or from legacy systems to web based technologies like Java and dot net.
7. If you have a website and need some experience building, hosting or maintaining it.

•   How can my career benefit from Live Projects
There is no substiture to practical experience on real time projects, especially in today's tough economic environment.Your career may have hit a roadblock in your current role or industry and your employment may be under threat.Building skills is the need of the hour.Practical experience on real projects is worth thousand times more on long drained theory courses and dummy projects.

•   How is it done
Live Projects as the name suggests is an online collaboration.You work on assigned workspaces in a team, or alone if you desire.A mentor identifies and looks after your training and development needs. They work with you on the project and provide you the necessary know how and practical experience to enable you to transition yourself from your current role into the role that you desire.

•   What technologies are covered under Live Projects
Live Projects builds on open source technologies that work on the net.These include Java, Dot Net, Ruby, PHP , web design etc.Please refer to a full list of roles and technologies supported by our projects here.More technologies are being added to provide members with a wide array of projects to work on.
Yes you can.We will act on your request and inform you when a project and mentor are organised for your choice of technology.

•   Can I request a technology which is not covered under Live Projects
Yes you can.We will act on your request and inform you when a project and mentor are organised for your choice of technology.

•   Who is a mentor and How is a mentor selected for me in Live Projects
A mentor is a person with considerable skills, knowledge and experience in an area of technology.They pair up with members and work on projects.A mentor imparts their knowldege on to you and helps you to build your skills around a technology or role you are seeking.A mentor is selected on the basis of the details provided by you at the time of registration.

•   I am a developer but want to become an architect.Can I do it on live Projects.
Yes you can.Live Projects provides you with a safe to fail environment, which you may not get in your organisation.If you are a developer and wish to become an architect, a mentor will evaluate your development gap and assign you a project that provides you the best exposure to be able to transition into your desired role.They ensure that you get the practical exposure required to take on your desired role.Depending on the identified knowledge gap, you may need to work on one or more projects to achieve your desired position.

•   I am a maninframe developer who wants to learn Java and dot net.Can Live Projects Help.
Yes, along with your project, we will provide you easy to learn study material to help you pick up a new, unfamiliar technology.These are self paced learning courses that you can workon and apply.

•   I know very little about dot net ,java and other technologies and require step by step guidence.What assistance will you provide.
As above, we will conduct a detailed assesment of your training gaps and a guidemap will be provided to reach your goals.A mentor will be assigned who will suggest learning from time to time.All learning courseware will be provided to learn as you work on your project.

•   Will someone help if I have a problem with my project.
Yes, we will provide you every assistance with your project.We will provide you an experienced mentor who will be responsible in helping you with your project.You will also be able to post your issues on our message board and we will ensure it is answered within 48 hours.

•   How will you manage my training and development needs
A mentor will asses your training needs.We will provide you with multimedia or other courseware to help you understand and grasp a new technology as you work on it.

•   How will I be assigned a role in the project
We will ask you to fill a questionnaire and provide us with some background about your skillset.We will then evaluate your training gaps.We will recommend a transition path to move into your desired role, example technical lead or Architect from a developer.We will nominate a project and a role for you to work on and assist you towards finishing your project successfully.The role assigned will be the role wish to transition into or close to it, depending on your training gaps and transition path.

•   How long does it require to finish a project
Usually projects are between 3 - 6 months long, depending on team size and complexity.

•   Can I work on multiple projects simultaneously
Yes you can, although we advise members to concentrate on one project at a time to build their expertise.

•   How do I collaborate with my project team.
Although we will provide you with all tools to work online in a collaborative way, our workspace is also equipped with IM tools, Twitter plugins and publishes RSS feeds.We will endeavour to put people in same cities on same projects and arrange for them to meet, socially or for Projects.

•   What else do I learn from Live Projects besides technology
Live Projects uses new Ideas developed by SOTIS (School of Thought, innovation and Strategy) on its projects.Besides getting a grasp on technology, Live Projects will also give you an insight into innovative business ideas and strategies.If you are new to Agile we develop our projects using Benefits, an Agile methodology developed by SOTIS.

•   What happens to my project once I finish it.
Once you finish your project, it goes into beta or commercial production.Real users use it and provide you with feedback.We do not provide dummy projects no one uses.Our aim is to make you proficient in your new role by challenging you to build commercial strength software.

•   Can my prospective employer reference my projects online.
Yes, you can provide a reference of your projects in your resume.The project's profile bears your details and your mentor's reviews.

•   Will I get an experience certificate after finishing my project.
Yes we will send you your completion certificate by registered post.But you must complete your project in order to be entitled.

•   Can you provide references for my job after I finish my course.
Yes we can.We will provide you with a certificate on completion.Your mentors and managers will provide you with a reference to your prospective employer on request.

•   What projects have you developed or are currently ongoing in Live Projects
Since its inception in mid 2008, Live Projects has successfully rolled out Profitabiliting Rating in its Beta phase.Projects nearing completion are iDraw, portal redesign and bim Enterprise Engine among others.Some new projects have been rolled out this March.Please refer to the noticeboard for a partial listing of ongoing projects.

•   How much does it cost
We provide nominal standard pricing for our projects.Members pay per project.

•   Do I need to buy software licences or do you provide them.
Cost of a project includes all training, development and licensing charges.You do not have to buy addional software or licenses.

•   Can my organisation get my IT graduates trainied on Live Projects ?
Certainly, you can enrol your employees into our projects.Please get in touch with our corporate marketing division to discuss your corporate needs.

•   I own a company and am planning to get a website developed.Can I outsource my project development to Live Projects.
Yes.Live Projects includes projects from Clients.Projects cost are 50% lower than elsewhere.

•   How can I affiliate with Live Projects.
We invite you to refer Live Projects to friends, associates and clients.You will be entitled to a 20% commission on each member that signs up through you.Affiliates will also be eligible for bulk discounts. Please contact us for your unique affiliate code.