How To Effectively Manage An Offshore Team Of Developers
There are probably two primary reasons you would go with an offshore team.
(1) Your customers are also offshore, or (2) you’re hoping to save money on development costs.
I’m going to assume your reason is number (2). Though this post is brief for such a complicated topic, it should give you some things to think about. Yes, you can certainly save a lot on development expenses. Then again, it can come back to bite you in rework expenses if there are communication issues.
How do you bridge the language barrier?
(1) You need a go-to guy or gal who speaks the same language as your developers but will be working at your location. This is a must. Your probability for success is going to go way up by ensuring there is no breakdown in communications.
How do you receive the quality of code you need?
(1) Use continuous integration
(2) Use test scripts to understand requirements
(3) Use short iterations
(4) Have regular builds
(5) Separate teams by functionality (not activity)
How do you communicate?
(1) If you can afford to send/bring someone (an ambassador) over to work with the other team at the beginning of the project, do it.
(2) It is critical that your “go-to” has a daily meeting with the team. Select a method that allows each side to see one another. (webcam/Skype)
(3) Have everyone use Skype (VoIP) and/or a chat client for one-on-one communications.
(4) Keep a Skype connection open between the offices.
(5) Use wikis or other collaborative solutions for common project information.
(6) Stay away from email, unless it is for formal communication. Information is going to get lost along the way and it will take longer to clarify.
Remember to use parallel communication methods, not serial.
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Agile, Application Development | Derek Huether | November 19, 2009
Challenge, Communications, Cost, Integration, Iterations, Manage, Offshore, Skype, Team
Derek, I like the fact that this post addresses a topic which is probably seen less talked about on blogs – offshore engagements and how to make it work. I applaud you on that. Secondly, I think you are dead on right that there should be a go-to person onsite. I am one of those people. I am an onsite program manager working at a clients facility in charge of the entire offshore wing (my team members). Been in this role for the past 7+ yrs. It is a crucial role for any outsourced model, from working through politics and resistances in the first 6 months to delivering and winning confidence to stabilizing the account and then moving onto an SLA-based long term partnership. While communication is the most obvious challenge, there are many more that come to light as the partnership matures. The key is to be process-oriented and any challenge can be overcome. I can go on and on about this but let me stop here. I would request that you read my post http://leadership.13apples.com/my-perfect-symphony/ to get a better insight into my role. Thank you. Hope to collaborate more.
Raj, thank you very much for your response. I’ve managed several projects where we had collocated teams and our greatest successes came when we embedded a teammate at the beginning of the project. It was well worth the expense.
Best Regards,
Derek
[...] Derek Huether of The Critical Path offers insightful tips on how to manage an offshore team of developers effectively – http://thecriticalpath.info/index.php/2009/11/19/how-to-effectively-manage-an-offshore-team-of-devel... [...]
Hi Derek,
your post is very interesting so I’ve translated it in french : Comment gérer efficacement une équipe de développeurs en offshore
Regards, Fabrice
Fabrice, thank you for your response. I hope others find my post useful. Regardless of the country, some challenges remain the same.
Best Regards,
Derek