RE: What are the most important issues during offshore software development

It isn't enough that both sides speak English in my experience.

The finer nuances of culture and technical meaning may escape someone who's
native language isn't the same as the one he's speaking (or worse, he may
misinterpret them).

 

So if you're dealing with (for example) Russians get someone as your liaison
who speaks Russian like a native, preferably IS a native Russian.

He should also be an expert in both the technical as well as the business
domain you're working in.

They should also have excellent communications skills in the language
employed in your core organization. In the best example I encountered that
meant a Russian native who was fluent in English and had been living in the
Netherlands for several years and was reasonably versant in Dutch as well,
as well as being an expert in the technical side of the financial markets as
well as a more than average C# developer and project team lead.

 

Such people are rare, which is one reason why so many offshored projects
fail even if they do everything else right. 

You may in fact have to train those people yourself through years of
involving them in in-house projects before giving them the responsibility to
deal with that foreign team.

 

 

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
Of [email protected]
Sent: woensdag 2 juli 2008 4:33
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [pragprog] What are the most important issues during offshore
software development

 


Thanks for your valuable experience sharing. 

Yes, the first point is the language, at least two sides should understand
well. So that is why English is so important and widely used now. 

The second is the culture background, some underlying communications depend
on this. 

Btw, my private email is [email protected], I am very glad to
communicate with you. 

Best Regards,
Forrest





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RE: [pragprog] What are the most important issues during offshore software
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I've seen it work, I've seen it fail completely. 

The main difference (apart from the countries involved and the cultures of
the people there which does play a part and I will tell you in private if
you want, not in public to prevent angering people with what may seem like
sweeping statements) is having people on the ground who know the culture and
language inside and out. 

  

Jobs that failed invariably were not given local supervision, either by
permanently placing someone on site with the contractor or at least
regularly sending someone over. 

Jobs that succeeded did that, and sent people originally from those
countries who speak the language and know the customs. 

  

There was also a major difference (as I said in the countries involved) but
that could have been accidental as the sample I did encounter was not
exhaustive. 

  

Jeroen Wenting 

  

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
Of [email protected]
Sent: dinsdag 1 juli 2008 6:49
To: [email protected]
Subject: [pragprog] What are the most important issues during offshore
software development 

  


Hi all, 

Offshore software development has seen tremendous growth in the last few
years. This particular kind of outsourcing occurs when the contracting
parties are in different countries and the software is developed in the
developer's country, and then shipped to the buyer's organization. 

So to understand well about offshore software development, I just raise this
question. If somebody had such experience and you want to share your story,
that is awesome! 

Thanks. 

Best Regards,
Forrest