Your 10-step guide to Agile Implementation

by | Jul 17, 2018 | Agile Technologies

Not sure how to go about with your first Agile project? This article is a step-by-step guide.

Agile is all about speed and efficiency, a must-have in today’s dynamic business landscape. It combines the best practices and proven approaches to accelerate software development and optimize project management.

In our previous articles in the Agile series, we looked at how Agile helps modern-day enterprises stay ahead in a competitive environment and what are the various Agile methodologies that have developed over the years.

Due to its many benefits, companies across the globe are waking up to the need for embracing Agile for their software development and project management needs. Although it is simply about putting together the best practices, getting started with Agile could sound a bit overwhelming. This article takes you through a step-by-step Agile implementation roadmap making Agile adoption a cakewalk for you and your team.

1. Determine your Agile Readiness

Before you get started with your first Agile project, evaluate the readiness to implement Agile in your organization. Is Agile suitable for the upcoming project? Is your team willing to accept the change and adopt Agile? Is your client happy with an Agile-based project? A clear understanding of Agile readiness will help you chalk out a meaningful roadmap for implementation.

2. Pick the right methodology

Several Agile methodologies have sprung up to meet diverse project requirements and are widely being applied. Some of the most popular Agile frameworks are Scrum, XP, Kanban, Crystal etc. Although all Agile methodologies focus on speed, flexibility, quality and efficiency, each one has a slightly different approach. While Scrum emphasizes on changing client demands, XP aims at delivering best quality product. Pick a methodology that best suits your project demands.

3. Appoint a project manager

Agile project management is slightly different from traditional project management. Traditional projects follow a hierarchy where the team follows the roles and responsibilities assigned by the manager. However, Agile involves active participation of all team members in decision making and implementation, while the manager acts more like a facilitator of the project. Appoint a manager who understands the nature of Agile well and would help the team get through the project successfully.

4. Plan the Sprints

Most Agile projects are carried out in phases, each phase known as a Sprint. Activities are divided into small tasks to be finished within Sprints and the duration of each Sprint may vary from 15 days to 30 days. Before starting product development, gather your team and plan each Sprint, clearly defining the activities to be accomplished in each Sprint. It establishes clarity and sets standards to be met.

5. Define roles and responsibilities

Agile is all about achieving efficiency and delivering high quality results. While planning your Sprints, it is important to assign appropriate roles and responsibilities to each team member, based on individual competence and expertise. This reduces confusion and ensures that each member works to their fullest potential. Also, each member should be well aware of what is expected out of them and can focus on their core activity, thus achieving greater productivity.

6. Keep track of progress

The best part about an Agile-based project is the fact that each step in the product development journey is constantly monitored to ensure things are on track. To ensure successful accomplishment of your project, create a quick checklist, identify errors and fix them immediately before you move on to the next stage. Continuous monitoring and improvisation through the project ensures high quality end results.

7. Involve client in the process

One of the key features of Agile is that it involves active client participation in each stage of product development. As you move along, keep your client informed about the progress; get feedback and improvise accordingly. This ensures that changing client requirements are immediately and effectively addressed, leading to enhanced customer satisfaction.

8. Test the product

Although Agile teams constantly test the product throughout the development process, it is important to test the product thoroughly before it is released. This final testing includes a full system and end-user testing, and fixing any outstanding defects before the release.

9. Release the product

This is what it all boils down to; the release of the finished product. Once the software or application is complete and ready for release, it is a good practice to gather your team and plan the release effectively. Write an in-depth release plan with instructions on how and when the product will be released to the end-user. Follow this standard release plan and launch your product in the market.

10. Extend support services

Once you’ve successfully released the product, the project is nearly complete. However, there are some post-development tasks that need to be carried out. It could mean spending some time with the client or end-user, training and assisting them with the new product usage, fixing issues and enabling a smooth transition.

Agile is spreading widely and gaining huge momentum in software development. Several businesses have already adopted Agile and are seeing better results. Follow this 10-step road map to implement Agile effortlessly in your next project.

Top Agile methodologies you need to know

by | Jun 19, 2018 | Agile Technologies, Product Engineering

Adopting Agile in your software development is a strategic business move, but choosing the right method is critical for success. This article will help you understand the top 4 Agile methodologies in detail.

In a fast paced and dynamic world, time is literally the money. Traditional methods of software development were a thing back then, but they lack the speed and flexibility that modern day software projects demand. That’s where Agile gets all the limelight.

Agile is a software development strategy that combines the best practices and proven methods to deliver results faster and ensure effectiveness.

In our first article in the Agile series, we discussed about the concept of Agile and the many benefits of adopting an Agile strategy to execute software development projects. Over time, Agile enthusiasts have come up with numerous methodologies for software development, which are being used widely by enterprises to enhance speed and ensure continuous delivery. In this article, let’s take a look at the top 4 Agile methodologies that are shaping up software development in the 21st century.

Scrum

Scrum is the most popular and widely followed Agile methodology worldwide. The Scrum framework was designed to address two critical pain points of software development; speed and changing client requirements. In this approach, the software development project is executed in phases, each phase known as a Sprint. Also, small teams of 5-6 members are created, who collectively work towards the desired results.

The Scrum methodology allows active client participation at each stage, so that any required changes are addressed immediately and acted on. This ensures that the project is delivered within time and meets the client demands effectively.

Extreme Programming (XP)

As its name suggests, Extreme Programming methodology aims to put together the best practices of traditional software development and takes them to an extreme level to ensure high quality deliverables. The XP methodology tries to simplify the entire process of software development by taking the most simple and straight-forward approach, rather than implementing complex functionalities.

These codes are reviewed and tested on an ongoing basis throughout the project so that any bugs or issues can be fixed immediately and the desired software quality can be attained. Also, similar to the Scrum approach, Extreme Programming involves a lot of client interaction and addresses customer feedback/suggestions through the project, leading to maximum customer satisfaction.

Lean Agile Process

The concept of Lean first emerged in the 1950s in the manufacturing sector of Japan, where production activities were strategized in a way to reduce wastage and costs. Later, the concept was introduced in software development as a major Agile methodology. Lean software development tries to identify the business value to be delivered, creates a planned workflow and seeks perfection at each step.

The methodology focuses on reducing redundant tasks and wastage in software development. Wastage, in software development would mean writing wrong codes, reworking, or even inefficient usage of time and resources. Since Lean is all about achieving perfection, it is an ideal methodology to follow in both software development and other business projects. It helps businesses reduce the cost, time and efforts involved in software development, leading to increased functional efficiencies.

Kanban

One of the areas of critical emphasis in Agile is the ability to ensure continuous delivery. The Kanban methodology is designed on three basic principles that ensure continual delivery, without overloading the software development teams.

The Kanban framework ensures that the teams do not commit to more than what they can deliver in a day, the work in progress is visualized and reviewed each day, and when a task is completed before time, the next task in line is taken up immediately. This allows the teams to plan activities on a daily basis and deliver defined outcomes every day.

In a short span, Agile has grown and evolved to be one of the most important project management and software development strategies. There are various Agile methodologies in practice today, and many more to come. Agile is no more a good business practice, it is gradually becoming a culture.

Agile Software Development – What is it and why do you need it?

by | Jun 11, 2018 | Agile Technologies, Product Engineering

One of the recent and most significant developments in the world of IT is Agile software development. But what is Agile all about, and why do you need it? This article explains it all.

The Oxford dictionary defines Agile as the ability to move quickly and easily. In other words, agility is the quality of understanding, acting and accomplishing things quickly and efficiently. However, the term has become exceedingly popular in the world of IT.

What does Agile have to do with information technology? Is it a technology, a product, a solution? In this article, we will take a close look at what Agile is and how it is beneficial for modern day enterprises.

How did it all start?

Software development is a complex process and IT companies know it pretty well. It involves a list of deliverables including specific software programs, conception, designing, implementation, testing and documentation. If it wasn’t any complex already, it is also subject to constant technology upgrades and changing client/business requirements.

The complexities involved in software development are known to slow down the product lifecycle and fail to deliver the desired business value. Businesses felt the need for a more robust and scalable approach to software development. They sought after a method that could speed up the whole process, while ensuring quality and delivering business value. That’s when Agile was born.

So, what is Agile?

Agile is not a tool or solution. It is a set of best practices and methodologies used to optimize software development. It is a bridge that tries to connect the gaps in the development process and deliver the end product faster. A typical Agile framework is distinguished by some key features.

Phased approach
Instead of following a linear approach and verifying deliverables at the end, Agile establishes a stage-wise product development approach; each stage known as a “Sprint”. At the end of each Sprint, the completed tasks are verified and passed on to the next Sprint.

Collaborative
In contrast to the traditional style, Agile follows a team-based approach, bringing together the planning, development and testing professionals to complete the project successfully.

Client involvement
It also includes active client participation at each stage so any changes or requirements can be addressed immediately.

Visualization
Agile uses a number of tools to track individual and team progress in real-time and compare progress with defined deadlines.

Why choose Agile over traditional software development?

The concept of Agile software development sounds convincing, but is it something you need? Whether or not software development is your bread and butter, following industry best practices always has its own advantages.

Continuous delivery
Traditional methods of software development are slow and mundane, and are known to delay product deliveries. In a dynamic IT world, little delays could cause costly repercussions. It is a time-poor world and clients always look for continuous delivery. By introducing Agile framework in your software development, you can shorten project lifecycles, release products faster and improve the overall ROI.

Complete transparency
Getting lost in the lengthy, complicated procedure of software development is quite natural. Agile solves this issue by making the whole process transparent. Right from the moment a project begins; Agile breaks it down in multiple phases, establishing clear visibility at each stage. This feature of Agile software development makes it highly transparent, understandable and most preferred by clients.

High software quality
The entire concept of Agile is aimed at delivering high-quality software and applications to the end user. By adopting a team-based approach to software development, Agile ensures better coordination among development and testing teams, allowing them to fix functional bugs immediately. Also, since the progress is tracked at each phase, the quality of software is constantly under check, leaving little scope for errors and glitches.

Enhanced customer satisfaction
Under traditional software development, the client reviews the software/application right at the end of the project. It leads to confusion and chaos if the client is not satisfied with the outcome. Agile puts an end to this problem by involving stakeholders at each stage of the development process, right from planning, designing, development and testing. The client is also aware of progress at each stage and can suggest changes in real-time. It ensures that client requirements are well addressed and the end user is happy.

Like all other niches, the software development industry has grown and improved phenomenally; and Agile has led to this revolution. Over time, numerous Agile methodologies like Extreme Programming (XP), SCRUM and Crystal have evolved. The best method for your business would vary according to your business and project type. However, implementing Agile in your project management or software development creates a win-win situation for both your internal teams as well as your client.

Prem Shankar Patel
Senior Manager
Prem brings nearly three decades of analytics and information management experience to Estuate. He is a recognized expert who has received several awards over the years. In 2003, he was awarded the Center of Excellence (CoE) Champion Award for introduction of advanced training and certification for BIDW architects and consultants. In FY03-04 and FY04-05, he received the Best Faculty of the Year Award for his significant and effective contribution as a faculty member in the delivery of BIDW training. Previously in 2005, he received the Feather in My Cap (FIMC) Award for defining metrics for BIDW projects and establishing organizational norms. Prior to joining Estuate, Prem worked in various strategic positions at Wipro Limited and R S Software (India) Ltd. He holds an M. Tech in Computer Science from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.
Nagaraja Kini
Founder and Chief Financial Officer
Nagaraja has more than two decades of engineering, business development, consulting, alliances and management experience in software development, integration and implementation. He has worked extensively with global teams to consistently simplify ERP implementations for businesses. Nagaraja brings with him the commitment, willingness, and capability to anticipate and act on the continually evolving needs of a business.
Prior to founding Estuate, Nagaraja served at Oracle as Director in Application and Industry Solutions group within Global Sales Support. Nagaraja holds a Master of Technology in Industrial Electronics from the National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, and a Bachelor’s in Engineering from the SJ College of Engineering, Mysore, India.
Nagaraja Kini
Founder and Chief Financial Officer
Nagaraja has more than two decades of engineering, business development, consulting, alliances and management experience in software development, integration and implementation. He has worked extensively with global teams to consistently simplify ERP implementations for businesses. Nagaraja brings with him the commitment, willingness, and capability to anticipate and act on the continually evolving needs of a business. Prior to founding Estuate, Nagaraja served at Oracle as Director in Application and Industry Solutions group within Global Sales Support. Nagaraja holds a Master of Technology in Industrial Electronics from the National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, and a Bachelor’s in Engineering from the SJ College of Engineering, Mysore, India.
Marc Hebert
Chief Operating Officer
Marc joined Estuate in December, 2008 as its first Chief Operating Officer. Marc is a recognized expert on offshore outsourcing. He has appeared on CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight, was interviewed in Investor’s Business Daily, and has been widely quoted in major media publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, Financial Times, New York Times and Boston Globe on offshore outsourcing. He is recognized as an “IBM Champion” for his role in expanding the market for IBM’s Information Lifecycle Governance product line.
Prior to Estuate, he served in leadership roles at large global corporations, including as the CMO at Virtusa Corporation; EVP, Marketing and Alliances for Sierra Atlantic; and Vice President for eight years at Oracle Corporation. Marc holds a Bachelor of Science degree in experimental psychology from Harvard University, and an MBA from Stanford University.
Marc Hebert
Chief Operating Officer
Marc joined Estuate in December, 2008 as its first Chief Operating Officer. Marc is a recognized expert on offshore outsourcing. He has appeared on CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight, was interviewed in Investor’s Business Daily, and has been widely quoted in major media publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, Financial Times, New York Times and Boston Globe on offshore outsourcing. He is recognized as an “IBM Champion” for his role in expanding the market for IBM’s Information Lifecycle Governance product line. Prior to Estuate, he served in leadership roles at large global corporations, including as the CMO at Virtusa Corporation; EVP, Marketing and Alliances for Sierra Atlantic; and Vice President for eight years at Oracle Corporation. Marc holds a Bachelor of Science degree in experimental psychology from Harvard University, and an MBA from Stanford University.
Seemakiran Upadhya
Global Delivery Head and Managing Director, India
Seemakiran brings to Estuate more than 25 years of experience in the IT industry. She has been successful in building high-performing teams for the Delivery, Sales, and Operations departments. She was instrumental in setting up Estuate’s India center. Prior to joining Estuate, Seemakiran worked at Satyam, where she developed, tested, and implemented software projects in Oracle Technologies across multiple domains. She is highly proficient at working with a global client base.
Seemakiran holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering from Karnataka University.
Seemakiran Upadhya
Global Delivery Head and Managing Director, India
Seemakiran brings to Estuate more than 25 years of experience in the IT industry. She has been successful in building high-performing teams for the Delivery, Sales, and Operations departments. She was instrumental in setting up Estuate’s India center. Prior to joining Estuate, Seemakiran worked at Satyam, where she developed, tested, and implemented software projects in Oracle Technologies across multiple domains. She is highly proficient at working with a global client base. Seemakiran holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering from Karnataka University.
Prem Shankar Patel
Senior Manager
Prem brings nearly three decades of analytics and information management experience to Estuate. He is a recognized expert who has received several awards over the years. In 2003, he was awarded the Center of Excellence (CoE) Champion Award for introduction of advanced training and certification for BIDW architects and consultants. In FY03-04 and FY04-05, he received the Best Faculty of the Year Award for his significant and effective contribution as a faculty member in the delivery of BIDW training.
Previously in 2005, he received the Feather in My Cap (FIMC) Award for defining metrics for BIDW projects and establishing organizational norms. Prior to joining Estuate, Prem worked in various strategic positions at Wipro Limited and R S Software (India) Ltd. He holds an M. Tech in Computer Science from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.
Prem Shankar Patel
Senior Manager
Prem brings nearly three decades of analytics and information management experience to Estuate. He is a recognized expert who has received several awards over the years. In 2003, he was awarded the Center of Excellence (CoE) Champion Award for introduction of advanced training and certification for BIDW architects and consultants. In FY03-04 and FY04-05, he received the Best Faculty of the Year Award for his significant and effective contribution as a faculty member in the delivery of BIDW training. Previously in 2005, he received the Feather in My Cap (FIMC) Award for defining metrics for BIDW projects and establishing organizational norms. Prior to joining Estuate, Prem worked in various strategic positions at Wipro Limited and R S Software (India) Ltd. He holds an M. Tech in Computer Science from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.
Sreekantha B. S.
Head Strategic Projects
Sreekantha brings to Estuate more than 33 years of experience in IT. He has successfully sold and delivered over 130 turnkey software projects worldwide for various clients across a variety of sectors - from software, finance, manufacturing, utilities, services, and more. Prior to joining Estuate, Sreekantha led Buzznet (a Malaysian software company) for 17 years and Inventa Corporation (a US-based software company having an office in Malaysia) for 6 years.
Through his experience, Sreekantha brings in-depth knowledge of software engineering, delivery, and implementation of software projects across all technology sectors that have emerged over the last 30+ years. Sreekantha holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics & Communications from Mysore University and a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from Newport University, USA.
Sreekantha B. S.
Head Strategic Projects
Sreekantha brings to Estuate more than 33 years of experience in IT. He has successfully sold and delivered over 130 turnkey software projects worldwide for various clients across a variety of sectors - from software, finance, manufacturing, utilities, services, and more. Prior to joining Estuate, Sreekantha led Buzznet (a Malaysian software company) for 17 years and Inventa Corporation (a US-based software company having an office in Malaysia) for 6 years. Through his experience, Sreekantha brings in-depth knowledge of software engineering, delivery, and implementation of software projects across all technology sectors that have emerged over the last 30+ years. Sreekantha holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics & Communications from Mysore University and a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from Newport University, USA.
Piyush Singh
Practice Head - Insurance
Piyush has fifteen years of work experience, including one year with Estuate. Piyush holds a Master of Computer Applications degree from Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune. Piyush is a highly accomplished professional with a wealth of experience in IT services and product engineering. Piyush has worked with PwC and Accenture in the past and his last positions were Delivery Manager and Dev Lead respectively.
He has received the Great Performance award from PwC and the ACE award from Accenture. Piyush has also delivered many end-to-end projects on a medium to large scale.
Piyush Singh
Practice Head - Insurance
Piyush has fifteen years of work experience, including one year with Estuate. Piyush holds a Master of Computer Applications degree from Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune. Piyush is a highly accomplished professional with a wealth of experience in IT services and product engineering. Piyush has worked with PwC and Accenture in the past and his last positions were Delivery Manager and Dev Lead respectively. He has received the Great Performance award from PwC and the ACE award from Accenture. Piyush has also delivered many end-to-end projects on a medium to large scale.
Subbarao Satyavolu
Chief Delivery Officer, Americas
Subbarao is a results oriented Senior Leader with 30+ years experience in Enterprise Solution Consulting, Enterprise Program Management, Digital Enterprise Transformation/IT Modernization, Product Engineering, Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC), IT Service and Operations Management (ITSM/ITOM) and Strategic Account management. Global experience in building & managing high performing teams in solving complex business & technological challenges for the clients
Subbarao is a proven problem solver with extensive experience in the IT industry. He has been recognized as an outstanding performer by his employers, Hitachi/Sierra Atlantic and Computer Sciences Corp (CSC). Subbarao has also been certified in Six Sigma and Project Delivery Excellence by CSC University. In addition, Subbarao is certified in Supply Chain Management and IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). Subbarao holds an M. Tech in Computer Aided Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and has also completed an Executive Development program at Cornell University in New York.
Subbarao Satyavolu
Chief Delivery Officer, Americas
Subbarao is a results oriented Senior Leader with 30+ years experience in Enterprise Solution Consulting, Enterprise Program Management, Digital Enterprise Transformation/IT Modernization, Product Engineering, Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC), IT Service and Operations Management (ITSM/ITOM) and Strategic Account management. Global experience in building & managing high performing teams in solving complex business & technological challenges for the clients. Subbarao is a proven problem solver with extensive experience in the IT industry. He has been recognized as an outstanding performer by his employers, Hitachi/Sierra Atlantic and Computer Sciences Corp (CSC). Subbarao has also been certified in Six Sigma and Project Delivery Excellence by CSC University. In addition, Subbarao is certified in Supply Chain Management and IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). Subbarao holds an M. Tech in Computer Aided Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and has also completed an Executive Development program at Cornell University in New York.
Satya Bobba
SVP, Global Head of GRC and Customer Success
Satya Bobba brings more than 20+ years of experience in building market-leading enterprise SaaS products and solutions. Her experience spans engineering, cloud strategy, business development and customer success. Her passion is to help customers achieve GRC goals while simplifying their processes and reduce implementation costs. She brings more than 14 years of domain experience in building and delivering GRC solutions to top enterprise customers across Financial Services, Life sciences, Hi-Tech, Healthcare and Quality verticals.
Prior to joining Estuate, she worked at MetricStream as AVP Cloud Strategy, Global Head of Platform Engineering and Head of Advanced Engineering GRC Products and Services. Earlier in her career, at AOL and Netscape she held technical roles in enterprise server technologies and personalization frameworks. She has a bachelor degree in Computer Science from Andhra University.
Satya Bobba
SVP, Global Head of GRC and Customer Success
Satya Bobba brings more than 20+ years of experience in building market-leading enterprise SaaS products and solutions. Her experience spans engineering, cloud strategy, business development and customer success. Her passion is to help customers achieve GRC goals while simplifying their processes and reduce implementation costs. She brings more than 14 years of domain experience in building and delivering GRC solutions to top enterprise customers across Financial Services, Life sciences, Hi-Tech, Healthcare and Quality verticals. Prior to joining Estuate, she worked at MetricStream as AVP Cloud Strategy, Global Head of Platform Engineering and Head of Advanced Engineering GRC Products and Services. Earlier in her career, at AOL and Netscape she held technical roles in enterprise server technologies and personalization frameworks. She has a bachelor degree in Computer Science from Andhra University.
Prasanna Kulkarni
Vice President - Sales and Marketing
Prasanna is a seasoned Technology & Sales leader with over two decades of valuable global experience. Prasanna has been with Estuate for the past 5 years, leading the Sales and Marketing department with excellence. Prasanna holds a Bachelor of Engineering from GCoE, Amravati and a Stanford Advanced Program Management qualification from Stanford Center for Professional Development. Before joining Estuate, Prasanna held various leadership roles at HCL, Wipro, Nihilent Technologies, and Godrej.
Prasanna Kulkarni
Vice President – Global Sales and Marketing
Prasanna is a seasoned Technology & Sales leader with over two decades of valuable global experience. Prasanna has been with Estuate for the past 5 years, leading the Sales and Marketing department with excellence. Prasanna holds a Bachelor of Engineering from GCoE, Amravati and a Stanford Advanced Program Management qualification from Stanford Center for Professional Development. Before joining Estuate, Prasanna held various leadership roles at HCL, Wipro, Nihilent Technologies, and Godrej.
Stanley Perumala
Global Practice Delivery Lead
Stanley Perumala is the Global Practice Delivery Lead with 8.6 years at Estuate. He holds a Masters degree in Computer Science from International Technological University, which is his area of specialization. Stanley has 16 years of experience and has held various positions at Netpace, Cognizant and Hewlett-Packard. He has received multiple accolades for his achievements such as building an innovation segment with zuora and leading the BRM practice.
Stanley is a key contributor for the BRM practice, having built the team from the ground up and building the core team for the same.
Stanley Perumala
Global Practice Delivery Lead
Stanley Perumala is the Global Practice Delivery Lead with 8.6 years at Estuate. He holds a Masters degree in Computer Science from International Technological University, which is his area of specialization. Stanley has 16 years of experience and has held various positions at Netpace, Cognizant and Hewlett-Packard. He has received multiple accolades for his achievements such as building an innovation segment with zuora and leading the BRM practice. Stanley is a key contributor for the BRM practice, having built the team from the ground up and building the core team for the same.
Prakash Balebail
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Prakash brings more than two decades of software development & implementation experience, including over 16 years in several key roles in Oracle Corporation. His management principle has been to provide commitment to continuously improve how he serves all of his customers, partners, and employees by anticipating their needs and exceeding their expectations through a culture of creativity & forward thinking.
Prior to founding Estuate, Prakash was the Senior Director in Oracle Applications Global Sales Solutions team, which built complex Oracle E-Business Suite application demonstrations for Sales activities. Additionally, he had leadership roles in the development of Oracle’s much-acclaimed Business Flow Accelerator (BFA) for the E-Business suite. During this time, Prakash also built the highly-regarded India operations team from the ground up. Prakash holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Karnataka University in India.
Prakash Balebail
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Prakash brings more than two decades of software development & implementation experience, including over 16 years in several key roles in Oracle Corporation. His management principle has been to provide commitment to continuously improve how he serves all of his customers, partners, and employees by anticipating their needs and exceeding their expectations through a culture of creativity & forward thinking. Prior to founding Estuate, Prakash was the Senior Director in Oracle Applications Global Sales Solutions team, which built complex Oracle E-Business Suite application demonstrations for Sales activities. Additionally, he had leadership roles in the development of Oracle’s much-acclaimed Business Flow Accelerator (BFA) for the E-Business suite. During this time, Prakash also built the highly-regarded India operations team from the ground up. Prakash holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Karnataka University in India.
Geetha Somayaji
Vice President Finance & Human Resources
Geetha brings over two decades of experience to Estuate in her role as an accomplished leader of Finance and Human Resources. Since joining the company in 2011, she has been instrumental in developing the financial infrastructure of the company alongside the founders, and she has come to be known a a cherished mentor to many within the organization. Geetha holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration and Accountancy from Bangalore University, India.
Prior to her role at Estuate, she worked in payroll processing and tax returns for Gene's Fine Foods and Jay's Tax & Keeping Services. In her personal time, Geetha enjoys exploring the outdoors and spending quality time with her family.
Geetha Somayaji
Vice President Finance & Human Resources
Geetha brings over two decades of experience to Estuate in her role as an accomplished leader of Finance and Human Resources. Since joining the company in 2011, she has been instrumental in developing the financial infrastructure of the company alongside the founders, and she has come to be known as a cherished mentor to many within the organization. Geetha holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration and Accountancy from Bangalore University, India. Prior to her role at Estuate, she worked in payroll processing and tax returns for Gene's Fine Foods and Jay's Tax & Keeping Services. In her personal time, Geetha enjoys exploring the outdoors and spending quality time with her family.
Brad Rickman
Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)
Brad Rickman is Estuate's Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) providing oversight and leadership for customer success, sales, marketing as well as strategic partnerships. He is passionate about building customer relationships that grow multiple years over through delivering world class value as a technology partner. Brad has over 30 years experience in the software and technology industry in verticals of telecom/media, retail and ecommerce, financial Services, utilities and healthcare.
Prior to Estuate, Brad was CEO of SmarTek21 for six years, a technology services company where he led a team that grew top line revenues by 3X and EBITDA by 5X in his tenure. Prior experiences include Senior leadership positions in sales and marketing at T-Mobile, Ericsson, Deloitte, and six early stage software companies that grew to market values of over $1B.
Brad Rickman
Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)
Brad Rickman is Estuate's Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) providing oversight and leadership for customer success, sales, marketing as well as strategic partnerships. He is passionate about building customer relationships that grow multiple years over through delivering world class value as a technology partner. Brad has over 30 years experience in the software and technology industry in verticals of telecom/media, retail and ecommerce, financial Services, utilities and healthcare. Prior to Estuate, Brad was CEO of SmarTek21 for six years, a technology services company where he led a team that grew top line revenues by 3X and EBITDA by 5X in his tenure. Prior experiences include Senior leadership positions in sales and marketing at T-Mobile, Ericsson, Deloitte, and six early stage software companies that grew to market values of over $1B.
Ron Judd
SVP, Business Development
Ron Judd is a client-focused and problem-solving senior leader who focuses on balancing business impact and technology for clients. Ron's curious nature challenges teams to discover "how the client benefits in both quantifiable and qualitative results." Ron brings deep domain knowledge in technologies, including digital transformation, enterprise resource planning (ERP), experience management (CX), governance, risk & compliance (GRC), IT service and operations management (ITSM/ITOM),
content management (WCM), hierarchical decision analysis, tech-debt reduction programs, application programming interfaces (API), robotic processing automation (RPA), and chatbot, from across financial services, healthcare, consumer products, retail, and manufacturing industries. With over 30 years of experience in client engagement roles, Ron focuses on developing and maintaining relationships across organizations.
Prior to joining Estuate, Ron served in sales, marketing, and product leadership roles with IBM, SmarTek21, RoadBotics, InMoment, OpenText, Interwoven, PictureTel, and NEC Japan, as well as several early-stage technology startup firms. Ron lives and works in the Greater Boston area with his wife and family and maximizes his personal time by spending it with family, officiating college soccer, and taking care of several horses. Ron graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) with degrees in Business and Computer Science.
Ron Judd
SVP, Business Development
Ron Judd is a client-focused and problem-solving senior leader who focuses on balancing business impact and technology for clients. Ron's curious nature challenges teams to discover "how the client benefits in both quantifiable and qualitative results." Ron brings deep domain knowledge in technologies, including digital transformation, enterprise resource planning (ERP), experience management (CX), governance, risk & compliance (GRC), IT service and operations management (ITSM/ITOM), content management (WCM), hierarchical decision analysis, tech-debt reduction programs, application programming interfaces (API), robotic processing automation (RPA), and chatbot, from across financial services, healthcare, consumer products, retail, and manufacturing industries. With over 30 years of experience in client engagement roles, Ron focuses on developing and maintaining relationships across organizations. Prior to joining Estuate, Ron served in sales, marketing, and product leadership roles with IBM, SmarTek21, RoadBotics, InMoment, OpenText, Interwoven, PictureTel, and NEC Japan, as well as several early-stage technology startup firms. Ron lives and works in the Greater Boston area with his wife and family and maximizes his personal time by spending it with family, officiating college soccer, and taking care of several horses. Ron graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) with degrees in Business and Computer Science.