Monday, March 5, 2007

Valuable Tips on Offshore Software Development management

Here are some valuable tips on offshore software development project management. Success of a project when developed by an offshore supplier is mostly dependant on the way the development is remotely managed from the client’s side. If you hope to make a offshore project successful with very little input from your end as a client, it is improbable that the project will accomplish success in the long term. The crucial reason is very simple: you know your business requirements best. Software Development services companies working in another part of the world can only develop a solution based on the input provided by you.

Target your goal every week: The complete lifecycle of the software development process can be divided into smaller goals which can then be communicated to the team via email or by phone. It is a good idea to have a call with the entire team on Monday morning and run through the list of weekly goals that need to be achieved and then call again at the end of the week to evaluate if they have been achieved or not and what type of roadblocks were faced by them.

How to manage the time difference?: Time difference is one of the main factors in offshore software development projects which can become a pros or a con depending on how it is well managed. It is essential that a "common" time zone is mutually agreed on by you and the offshore vendor. This time should be used for communication and ironing out issues faced by the application development team. Though it might take some time to get used but it pays good dividend in the long run.

If someone in the offshore development team is doing well, observation on it: Encouragement and inspiration are required when you have hired a team with an offshore development service provider. Motivating team members with an encouraging email along with incentives sent to them on regional festivals creates companionship as well as doing wonder for the project.

This is the secret key to successful offshore software development management.