on the network element supports leg- acy SNMP and when the server is based on XML, a protocol converter is required. Interface managers can also be used to make a product compliant to stan- dards. For example, an adapter that can be used to convert legacy calls to standards based MTOSI calls is an interface manager. In this example when the adapter is integrated with the legacy solution, the product will then be compliant to MTOSI standards similar to next generation network manage- ment solutions. 69. Project management: Every development or enhancement activity in a service provider or service developer space is handled as a project that needs to be managed. As part of project management the milestones need to be tracked, resources need to be assigned based on skill set, software need to be procured to support development, estimates need to be prepared, and all activities to support the project from inception to completion need to be performed in project management. Project management solution is a collection of tools that can be used to manage the project effectively. These tools can be applied at different stages in the project life cycle like initiation, planning, requirements gathering, design, implementation, integration, testing, and support. The project management tool also maintains a repository of best practices and methodologies that can be referred by users of the application to get necessary templates and guide- lines in preparing artifacts in the project. 70. Data synchronization: Synchronization of data is a major issue in telecom management. This has led to development of data synchronization solutions that check for discrepancies in data between application databases and syn- chronize the data. For example, the data available in the network manage- ment module might be different from the inventory management module. When a device goes down and is deallocated from an operation, the net- work management solution will get immediately notified. When the faulty element is shown as deallocated in the 