As Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, once said, \u201cThe first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.\u201d This quote highlights the importance of efficient processes in any business operation, including offshore development.<\/p>\n
To help businesses manage offshore development effectively, we have compiled essential tips and best practices based on industry expertise and research. Since strategies build over a foundation of pillars, prior to moving strategies we look at 10 elements that make these strong pillars.<\/p>\n
10 pillars to build for strategizing Offshore Software Development<\/h2>\n![\"build](\"https:\/\/www.finoit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/offshore-software-development.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nIn 2007, researchers explored differing performances in virtual settings among two software teams with identical size, goals, and leader. Shifting a leader six hours ahead led one team to flourish, while the other failed due to meeting scheduling, member well-being, and skill distribution issues. Fast forward 16 years, with advanced tech and focus on well-being, the global software industry has achieved a new level of success.<\/p>\n![\"big](\"https:\/\/www.finoit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/big-picture.png\")
<\/figure>\nYet there is a parallel reality. A reality inflicted with doubts, delay, and difficulties. And that even after monumental achievements in communication technology and agile methodologies, managing software developers in remote settings, be it from the same company or any offshore software development company<\/a>, is still a big challenge.<\/p>\nAccording to McKinsey, \u201cthe experience of remote working can lead to inefficiency and reduced cohesion.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"experience](\"https:\/\/www.finoit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/experience-of-remote-work.png\")
<\/figure>\nImage source:<\/strong> www.mckinsey.com<\/a><\/p>\nIt is quite evident with this data that the problems of remote software development team management are intrinsically inherent to human behavior. Lack of trust in each other, followed by reduced face-to-face communication, and unequal treatments are common challenges that remote teams face today.<\/p>\n
These challenges increase in manifolds when there are language barriers, social-cultural differences, and disbalance of technical and attitudinal skill sets, commonly observed in offshore development teams.<\/p>\n
In our attempt to solve the challenges of remote and offshore development team management and develop best practices, we have combined three ways:<\/p>\n
\n- Built a foundational framework of team behavior on the 10 Good Teams principles recommended by the Standish Group Chaos 2020: Beyond Infinity report.<\/li>\n
- Explore what has worked for successful offshore development companies so far in remote team management<\/li>\n
- Use our own experience of providing offshore software development services for 12 years, and successfully completing more than 200 software projects.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Here it goes!<\/p>\n
Formation: Individuals into Team<\/strong><\/h2>\nIf you are hiring remote software developers, the first step is to convert individuals into a team by helping them adopt a fresh perspective to look at each other, as a \u201cvalue addition\u201d to the software development team.<\/p>\n
It does not matter how you are engaged with the remote software developer, whether through an offshore software company or freelancer, everyone should feel included, the part of the team working on a common goal.<\/p>\n
To do that, as a project manager or IT service leader, you need to influence them rightly to find a respectful place in the software development team. The influential principle is one of the first Good Team principles by the Standish Group. According to Robert Cialdini’s six principles of influence, these six principles influence people to change their behavior and undertake the right action.<\/p>\n![\"Individuals](\"https:\/\/www.finoit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/table1.png\")
<\/figure>\nAttitudinal Factors<\/h2>\n
The second in the row of 10 Good team principles by the Standish Group, mindfulness is about being in constant connection with the present moment, and not letting opinions of the past take over the decision-making requirements of the present.<\/p>\n
Since offshore and remote software developers rarely get the chance to mend over past incidents with corridor talks or watercooler conversations to sip in the hurtful comments and start afresh, the principles of mindfulness may help them while reminiscing bad experiences.<\/p>\n
According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, an American professor emeritus of medicine and the creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic, there are 7 attitudinal factors that act as a pillar of mindfulness.<\/p>\n
Take a look at the 7 attitudes that project leaders can develop in themselves to manage remote and offshore software development teams.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n\nPrinciples<\/th>\n Description<\/th>\n Implementation<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n \nNon-judging<\/td>\n Being an impartial witness of your own experiences and your team members.<\/td>\n As a project leader, having a neutral view of your team members helps you understand their strengths and weaknesses and select the right course of action to surmount them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nPatience<\/td>\n All good things take their time and space.<\/td>\n Putting unnecessary pressure on the team to get immediate results would only harm your cause. Instead, focus on building the right processes and timelines to manage what to expect and when.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nA beginner’s mind<\/td>\n Look at people and experiences with fresh perspectives every time.<\/td>\n It is about giving a chance to people, in every conversation, by getting over the biases and opinions. Meeting as if you are meeting them for the first time, and with an open mind.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nTrust<\/td>\n Learning to trust people and our own instincts.<\/td>\n It helps in an effective delegation of responsibilities to the team. When you trust people that they can learn and upskill themselves and that you have created a learning environment for them, you can easily trust them to do the job.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nNon-striving<\/td>\n Taking a break to celebrate the milestones.<\/td>\n Constant chasing of tasks and timelines may exhaust your team, and take away the \u201chappiness\u201d of doing the job every day. It is important that you give them the time to relax and contemplate.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nAcknowledgment<\/td>\n Be open towards unexpected feelings.<\/td>\n Every software developer may not feel the same way about an incident. As a team leader, you must acknowledge their feelings, and allow them to feel that way instead of pushing them to the edge.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nLetting Go<\/td>\n Take a step back, observe, and reject whatever may hamper the project’s success.<\/td>\n Even as a team leader, you need to track your actions and decisions to ensure that your actions are not motivated by opinions but fact.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nDisagreements, disputes, mistakes, and iterations are part of the software development team meetings. By inculcating the culture of mindfulness, remote software developers could easily get over \u201cwhat has happened in the past ” and focus on \u201cnow\u201d to build solid work relationships.<\/p>\n
The Five Deadly Sins Principles<\/h2>\n
According to Standish Group, a healthy project ecosystem requires software team lead and developers to have strong emotional maturity to support the skills to be self-aware and develop abilities to manage team relationships.<\/p>\n
The Group has outlined 5 deadly sins that often prevent software development teams from achieving this emotional maturity.<\/p>\n
This emotional maturity is also essential when managing an offshore or remote software development team. As failing to have it leads to project failure, dispute, loss of productivity, and high attrition rate. Here are those 5 deadly sins and ways to surmount them.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n\nSins<\/th>\n Description<\/th>\n Action<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n\nOverambition<\/b><\/td>\n It impacts the risk assessment of behaviors of software developers that affects their ability to conduct requirements assessment leading to project overruns.<\/td>\n If found that someone\u2019s overambition is causing harm to the morale of the team, you need to validate the roles and responsibilities, conduct regular meetings, and break the project into small implementations to prioritize requirements.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nArrogance<\/b><\/td>\n It refers to an evidenced behavior of overbearing pride directed at superiors, peers, and inferiors. It prevents building a conducive environment for risk assessment.<\/td>\n Confront directly, and make sure that individual roles are aligned with project goals, and every one understands their contribution to the project and has the ability to view aspects from an unbiased eye to bring honesty to the project.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nIgnorance<\/b><\/td>\n It is indicated by being unaware, uninformed, uneducated, and unsuspecting about the project goals, direction, opportunities, and challenges.<\/td>\n Simplify communications, keep messages to the point, use an easy-to-use decision pipeline, and create educational opportunities.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nAbstinence<\/b><\/td>\n It is characterized by refraining from contributing to the project or participating in team activities.<\/td>\n 4 pillars of R: Require-all stakeholder participation, Regular-Keep meetings regular and recurring, Replace-Remove members who are not contributing, Review-Review and reevaluate participation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nFraudulence<\/b><\/td>\n Deliberate trickery or action to deceive team members to gain advantage or avoid confrontation.<\/td>\n Maintain transparency, measure performance, and mandate a formal change process to prevent blindsiding.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nProblem Solving<\/h2>\n
In the context of offshore software development team management, problem-solving can be interpreted on the basis of the root cause of the problem, whether it is a person in the software development team or any constituent of the IT project, for example, its complexity or the bulk of the work or conflicting goals.<\/p>\n
As stated in the CHAOS report 2015, by Standish Group, \u201cinside of every complex problem are simple solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement itself serves as the guiding principle to approach a problem and that is to break it down into parts and then address the challenges one by one.<\/p>\n
As you might be communicating through video conferences or email or phone calls, addressing the problem in chunks would give enough time to the remote and offshore software developers to sink in the proposed solution and sort it out the rest of it.<\/p>\n
However, you need to be sure to complete the cycle of a solution, once begun, instead of keeping loose ends that might create problems in the future.<\/p>\n
Communication<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/figure>\nIn 2007, researchers explored differing performances in virtual settings among two software teams with identical size, goals, and leader. Shifting a leader six hours ahead led one team to flourish, while the other failed due to meeting scheduling, member well-being, and skill distribution issues. Fast forward 16 years, with advanced tech and focus on well-being, the global software industry has achieved a new level of success.<\/p>\n Yet there is a parallel reality. A reality inflicted with doubts, delay, and difficulties. And that even after monumental achievements in communication technology and agile methodologies, managing software developers in remote settings, be it from the same company or any offshore software development company<\/a>, is still a big challenge.<\/p>\n According to McKinsey, \u201cthe experience of remote working can lead to inefficiency and reduced cohesion.\u201d<\/p>\n Image source:<\/strong> www.mckinsey.com<\/a><\/p>\n It is quite evident with this data that the problems of remote software development team management are intrinsically inherent to human behavior. Lack of trust in each other, followed by reduced face-to-face communication, and unequal treatments are common challenges that remote teams face today.<\/p>\n These challenges increase in manifolds when there are language barriers, social-cultural differences, and disbalance of technical and attitudinal skill sets, commonly observed in offshore development teams.<\/p>\n In our attempt to solve the challenges of remote and offshore development team management and develop best practices, we have combined three ways:<\/p>\n Here it goes!<\/p>\n If you are hiring remote software developers, the first step is to convert individuals into a team by helping them adopt a fresh perspective to look at each other, as a \u201cvalue addition\u201d to the software development team.<\/p>\n It does not matter how you are engaged with the remote software developer, whether through an offshore software company or freelancer, everyone should feel included, the part of the team working on a common goal.<\/p>\n To do that, as a project manager or IT service leader, you need to influence them rightly to find a respectful place in the software development team. The influential principle is one of the first Good Team principles by the Standish Group. According to Robert Cialdini’s six principles of influence, these six principles influence people to change their behavior and undertake the right action.<\/p>\n The second in the row of 10 Good team principles by the Standish Group, mindfulness is about being in constant connection with the present moment, and not letting opinions of the past take over the decision-making requirements of the present.<\/p>\n Since offshore and remote software developers rarely get the chance to mend over past incidents with corridor talks or watercooler conversations to sip in the hurtful comments and start afresh, the principles of mindfulness may help them while reminiscing bad experiences.<\/p>\n According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, an American professor emeritus of medicine and the creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic, there are 7 attitudinal factors that act as a pillar of mindfulness.<\/p>\n Take a look at the 7 attitudes that project leaders can develop in themselves to manage remote and offshore software development teams.<\/p>\n Disagreements, disputes, mistakes, and iterations are part of the software development team meetings. By inculcating the culture of mindfulness, remote software developers could easily get over \u201cwhat has happened in the past ” and focus on \u201cnow\u201d to build solid work relationships.<\/p>\n According to Standish Group, a healthy project ecosystem requires software team lead and developers to have strong emotional maturity to support the skills to be self-aware and develop abilities to manage team relationships.<\/p>\n The Group has outlined 5 deadly sins that often prevent software development teams from achieving this emotional maturity.<\/p>\n This emotional maturity is also essential when managing an offshore or remote software development team. As failing to have it leads to project failure, dispute, loss of productivity, and high attrition rate. Here are those 5 deadly sins and ways to surmount them.<\/p>\n In the context of offshore software development team management, problem-solving can be interpreted on the basis of the root cause of the problem, whether it is a person in the software development team or any constituent of the IT project, for example, its complexity or the bulk of the work or conflicting goals.<\/p>\n As stated in the CHAOS report 2015, by Standish Group, \u201cinside of every complex problem are simple solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement itself serves as the guiding principle to approach a problem and that is to break it down into parts and then address the challenges one by one.<\/p>\n As you might be communicating through video conferences or email or phone calls, addressing the problem in chunks would give enough time to the remote and offshore software developers to sink in the proposed solution and sort it out the rest of it.<\/p>\n However, you need to be sure to complete the cycle of a solution, once begun, instead of keeping loose ends that might create problems in the future.<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n
Formation: Individuals into Team<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/figure>\nAttitudinal Factors<\/h2>\n
\n\n
\n Principles<\/th>\n Description<\/th>\n Implementation<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n \n Non-judging<\/td>\n Being an impartial witness of your own experiences and your team members.<\/td>\n As a project leader, having a neutral view of your team members helps you understand their strengths and weaknesses and select the right course of action to surmount them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Patience<\/td>\n All good things take their time and space.<\/td>\n Putting unnecessary pressure on the team to get immediate results would only harm your cause. Instead, focus on building the right processes and timelines to manage what to expect and when.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n A beginner’s mind<\/td>\n Look at people and experiences with fresh perspectives every time.<\/td>\n It is about giving a chance to people, in every conversation, by getting over the biases and opinions. Meeting as if you are meeting them for the first time, and with an open mind.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Trust<\/td>\n Learning to trust people and our own instincts.<\/td>\n It helps in an effective delegation of responsibilities to the team. When you trust people that they can learn and upskill themselves and that you have created a learning environment for them, you can easily trust them to do the job.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Non-striving<\/td>\n Taking a break to celebrate the milestones.<\/td>\n Constant chasing of tasks and timelines may exhaust your team, and take away the \u201chappiness\u201d of doing the job every day. It is important that you give them the time to relax and contemplate.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Acknowledgment<\/td>\n Be open towards unexpected feelings.<\/td>\n Every software developer may not feel the same way about an incident. As a team leader, you must acknowledge their feelings, and allow them to feel that way instead of pushing them to the edge.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Letting Go<\/td>\n Take a step back, observe, and reject whatever may hamper the project’s success.<\/td>\n Even as a team leader, you need to track your actions and decisions to ensure that your actions are not motivated by opinions but fact.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n The Five Deadly Sins Principles<\/h2>\n
\n\n
\n \nSins<\/th>\n Description<\/th>\n Action<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Overambition<\/b><\/td>\n It impacts the risk assessment of behaviors of software developers that affects their ability to conduct requirements assessment leading to project overruns.<\/td>\n If found that someone\u2019s overambition is causing harm to the morale of the team, you need to validate the roles and responsibilities, conduct regular meetings, and break the project into small implementations to prioritize requirements.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Arrogance<\/b><\/td>\n It refers to an evidenced behavior of overbearing pride directed at superiors, peers, and inferiors. It prevents building a conducive environment for risk assessment.<\/td>\n Confront directly, and make sure that individual roles are aligned with project goals, and every one understands their contribution to the project and has the ability to view aspects from an unbiased eye to bring honesty to the project.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Ignorance<\/b><\/td>\n It is indicated by being unaware, uninformed, uneducated, and unsuspecting about the project goals, direction, opportunities, and challenges.<\/td>\n Simplify communications, keep messages to the point, use an easy-to-use decision pipeline, and create educational opportunities.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Abstinence<\/b><\/td>\n It is characterized by refraining from contributing to the project or participating in team activities.<\/td>\n 4 pillars of R: Require-all stakeholder participation, Regular-Keep meetings regular and recurring, Replace-Remove members who are not contributing, Review-Review and reevaluate participation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Fraudulence<\/b><\/td>\n Deliberate trickery or action to deceive team members to gain advantage or avoid confrontation.<\/td>\n Maintain transparency, measure performance, and mandate a formal change process to prevent blindsiding.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Problem Solving<\/h2>\n
Communication<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"simply](\"https:\/\/www.finoit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/strives-for-growth.png\")
<\/figure>\n