…Projects database enables Amnesty International to more effectively measure effort expended against impact on human rights change….

Tuesday 2nd September 2008, New Bamboo, the specialist in bespoke software development using Ruby on Rails, has created ‘the Projects Database’ for the International Secretariat of Amnesty International. By enabling Amnesty International to quantify resource and budget allocation against impact for human rights change, the Projects Database (or project management system) is providing the organisation with a high level, strategic overview of activities which was previously not possible. Data from the new system is currently being used to help set strategic priorities for Amnesty International over the next two years.

Daryl Manning, Director of Information Technology, Amnesty International said: “Our main issue when looking for a developer partner for the Projects Database was that we knew what we wanted – to understand the relationship between effort expended and impact achieved – but couldn’t scope out exact technical requirements up front. That was the beauty of the Agile process used by New Bamboo. Through this methodology we could build requirements throughout the project and understand the business value every step of the way – without impacting on costs or delivery deadlines.”

New Bamboo completed the Projects Database, originally containing information regarding proposed and planned project effort across Amnesty’s portfolio of internal and global projects within six weeks. The project was then extended, thereby enabling Amnesty to additionally align its human and financial resources. This further development was completed in four weeks.

“Where Agile processes made the development very flexible, New Bamboo’s use of Ruby on Rails made it very fast. This was a winning combination for us as we could start realising the value of The Projects Database very quickly, and also meant that the development was extremely cost effective,” said Daryl Manning.

By centralising data, the Projects Database has streamlined Amnesty’s processes for deciding which projects to undertake. This has saved the organisation both time and money. The Database will also enable Amnesty to report on, benchmark, forecast and analyse longer term strategic trends, which has the potential to make the organisation even more effective at impacting human rights change.

Max Williams, Co-Founder of New Bamboo said, “We are extremely delighted with the outcome of this assignment. To work with Amnesty International on such an important project was an amazing experience. It’s not often you get to say that something you have developed may actually help change the world for the better.”

“At New Bamboo we take a shared responsibility in building our client’s web product. The requirements are often complex, involving many stakeholders and in many cases need to be delivered in a short timeframe.  Experience has shown us that a combination of Ruby on Rails and Agile methodology removes unwanted layers of inefficiency and potential pitfalls,” concludes Williams.

New Bamboo has several industry-leading clients in market segments that include business consultancy, global publishing and international not-for-profit organisations.