Managing Global Software Projects

Abstract

Projects are increasingly distributed across different sites. But distributed teams and suppliers complicate communication and create numerous frictions. Over half of all distributed projects do not achieve their intended objectives and are then canceled. Traditional labor cost-based location decisions are replaced by a systematic improvement of business processes in a distributed context. Benefits are tangible, as our clients emphasize: better multisite collaboration, clear supplier agreements, and transparent interfaces are the most often reported benefits. There is a simple rule: Only those who professionally manage their distributed projects will succeed in the future.

This chapter summarizes experiences and guidances from industry in a way to facilitate knowledge and technology transfer. It looks to processes and approaches for successfully handling global software development and outsourcing and offers many practical hints and concrete explanations to make global software engineering (GSE) a success. Starting with the necessary foundations, the chapter indicates what solutions are available to successfully implement GSE. It underlines the basic concepts and practices of GSE with broad industrial experiences and also summarizes future trends in GSE. The chapter is based on an industry perspective taking into consideration the state of the practice to ensure direct transfer and applicability to distributed projects.

Some portions of the text and pictures have been first published in the book Ebert, C.: Global Software and IT: A Guide to Distributed Development, Projects, and Outsourcing. Wiley, USA, 2012. Used with permission. The chapter is based on an industry perspective, which means that we look primarily towards industry needs in GSE to ensure applicability to distributed projects.