Global Software Development
Overview
• Global Software Development
• Barriers & Complexitities
Introduction
• Dr. Ita Richardson
• Industry-based research into Global
Software Development teams
• Researcher: B4STEP – Building a
bi-directional bridge between theory and
practice
Industry-based research
• Participant Observer
• Action Research
• Interviews
• Document search
• Multi-national companies
• Small to medium sized enterprises
• Siemens Global Studio Project
What I hope to give you…..
• Factors which need to be taken into
account when setting up GSD teams
• GSD project management
What is
Global
Software
•
The term Global Software Development
(GSD) implies teams of knowledge workers
located in various parts of the globe
developing commercially viable software
•
GSD is characterised by moving centralised
software development from “home” to
dispersed teams or/and external
organisations in remote locations
•
Distributed Software Development (DSD) is
software development which takes place in
geographically distributed settings
•
The focus of DSD is the distributed nature
of the software development process
•
DSD is a term that is sometimes used to
describe GSD
What is
Offshoring?
What is
• Offshoring Software Development takes place
when an organisation establishes a division in a remote location and wholly or partially distributes software development to that location
• Outsourcing Software Development - today this
term has come to mean an organisation employing or partnering with another company to partially or fully develop software on their behalf
Outsource to Third Party Sub Contractor
• Get a separate company to develop software for you
• Normally once off project
• May use again, but not committed to do so
Partner With Other Company
• Partner with another company to develop software for or
with your organisation (may utilise virtual team)
Organisations Setting Up Centres (Offshoring)
• In low cost location
• Owned and operated by parent organisation
• May utilise virtual teams to develop software
• Maintain control and capability within your own organisation
while taking advantage of GSD
Global Software Development – Virtual Teams
• Traditional team
(Powell et al., 2004)– Social group of individuals collocated and interdependent is tasks
– Activities to achieve common goals
• Virtual team
(Lipnack & Stamp, 1997)– Same goals and objectives as traditional
– Operate across time, geographical locations and organisational boundaries
• A virtual software development team has members located in more than one geographical location
• Key : Operating as a single team
• Example :Team operating with members Four in Ireland
Five in Malaysia Three in Israel
Global Software Development
• Combinations to be considered
– Local / Distance:
• From a cultural / temporal perspective
– Within the company / Outside the company
• Be aware of different strategies depending on
your circumstances
• Global Software Development is NOT easy
– Difficulties experienced during all stages of the life-cycle
Global Software Development
• Is being implemented by many companies
• Requires a global, not local, process
• Provides benefits to organisations who
implement correctly
• Requires awareness by industry people
– To implement correctly
• Requires awareness by academics
Factors that need to be considered
Project Management Culture Communication FearGSD
To benefit from
implementing Global
Software
Development, what do
we have to consider
about Software
Engineering Project
Management?
Project Management
• Global process is not local process
• Effective management of key factors
• Requires project management strategy
– Awareness of Global Software
Development needs
– Communication and coordination activities
– Cultural diversity
• Defined Roles and Responsibilities • Risk • Coordination • Visibility • Tools • Technical Support • True Cost • Reporting requirement • Information • Process Management • Effective Partitioning • Skills Management • Team Selection
Project Management
Defined Roles and Responsibilities
• Documented • Articulated • Disseminated • UnderstoodRisk
• Micro risk – operational risk • Macro risk – political risk • Mitigating risk
Coordination
• Ensures adequate resources available
• Milestones are planned, understood and agreed • Monitors progress
• Cost, time, risk and productivity • Defined common vocabulary
• Activities and tools
• Deliverables and artefacts
Visibility
• Impacted by loss of informal contact • Impacted by temporal distance
• Impacted by cultural distance
• Implement processes to ensure visibility of
• Documentation, milestones, deliverables and artefacts
• Effort, performance and output
Tools
• Selection and use of standard development tools across locations
• Ensure compatibility / interoperabilty
Technical Support
• Ensure it is available across locations
True Cost
• Ensure measurement of costs is realistic • Operational and management costs
• Training costs • Labour costs
• Travel and communication costs
• Travel costs to allow team members to meet face to face?
Reporting requirement
• Detailed and timely reports • Project progress
• Summarise and transmit to all team members
Information
• To support effective GSD
• Basic information about colleagues
• Inform teams of subject matter experts • Cultural differences
• Time differences • Public Holidays
• Defined Roles and Responsibilities • Risk • Coordination • Visibility • Tools • Technical Support • True Cost • Reporting requirement • Information • Process Management • Effective Partitioning • Skills Management • Team Selection
Project Management
Communication Language Communication Tools Knowledge Transfer Temporal Issues Motivation Information Skills Management Training Project Management impact
Communication
Culture Coordination Cooperation Knowledge Transfer Communication Project Management Risk Training impacts
Culture
Questions and
Comments
Acknowledgements
• Research underlying GSD tutorial content has been supported by:
– Science Foundation Ireland Investigator Programme, B4-STEP (Building a Bi-Directional Bridge Between Software ThEory and Practice)
– Science Foundation Ireland cluster project, GSD for SMEs – Siemens Corporate Research Global Studio Project
– A multi-national organisation in Ireland.
• Input to this tutorial was received from Valentine Casey and Alan Malone, post-graduate students at the
References
• Lipnack, J. and Stamp, J. (2000) Virtual Teams:
People Working Across Boundaries with Technology,
John Wiley & Sons. Inc, New York.
• Powell, A., Piccoli, G. and Ives, B. (2004) Virtual
Teams: A Review of Current Literature and Direction for Future Research, The DATA BASE for Advances
