New Bamboo Helps Amnesty International Target Effort for Human Rights Change

…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.

Notes to editor

About Amnesty International

Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights to be respected and protected for everyone.

We believe human rights abuses anywhere are the concern of people everywhere. So, outraged by human rights abuses but inspired by hope for a better world, we work to improve people’s lives through campaigning and international solidarity.

Our mission is to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated.

Our members and supporters exert influence on governments, political bodies, companies and intergovernmental groups. We have more than 2.2 million members and subscribers in more than 150 countries and regions and we coordinate this support to act for justice on a wide range of issues. Activists take up human rights issues by mobilizing public pressure through mass demonstrations, vigils and direct lobbying as well as online and offline campaigning.

For further information visit http://www.amnesty.org

About New Bamboo
New Bamboo Web Development Limited is a specialist in bespoke software development using Ruby on Rails. Its range of experience covers social networks, complex e-commerce solutions and process management and collaboration tools for organisations.

New Bamboo offers a highly skilled technical team that has been programming with Ruby on Rails since its conception in 2004. The company uses an Agile methodology which is particularly suited for complex projects and is based around objective metrics, stakeholder involvement, feedback, and managed processes.

New Bamboo is privately held and based on London, United Kingdom.

What is Ruby on Rails?
It is an innovative framework architected for rapid development of web applications. Ruby on Rails is the framework and ‘Ruby’ is the programming language.

For further information visit http://www.new-bamboo.co.uk or contact Lena {at} technologypr(.)eu

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