Successful offshoring part 4: Independence
In this series on successful offshoring we already spoke about time(zone) management, the important role of the coordinator and advisable steps during the preparation phase.
Next in my discussion on how to do offshoring successfully is independence. You have to make sure the development team in the offshore location can work as independently as possible.
Like the earlier articles it is equally important to deal with the subject of independence in the planning phase of a project, but also each and every day of its lifetime.
Pen & paper Scrum – 10 days edition
True to the spirit of continuous improvement I just created new printout templates for a Sprint Backlog and a Sprint Burndown Chart for ten-day sprints with pen & paper Scrum.
Hope you find them as useful as I do.
If you're irritated about what pen & paper Scrum is refer to the original article.
Successful offshoring part 3: Preparation
In this third article in my series on successful offshoring I will discuss the preparation of a project that involves a team at a co-location and present several steps to ensure a smooth start.
I give you some measures to keep the project on track and inform you about early warning signs.
If you missed the initial articles which handled the added complexities of time(zone) management, or the second one talking about the role of the coordinator, I recommend you click one of the the links and start there.
Successful offshoring part 2: The coordinator
This is the second article in a series on successful offshoring. If you missed the first article which handled the added complexities of time(zone) management, I recommend you click the link and start there.
Here I will discuss the role of the coordinator and what its responsibilities are (and are not). What to look for in the person filling the role but also how to enable this person to do a good job.
Successful offshoring part 1: Time management
Globalization in the software industry not only means global competition and broader markets, it also means outsourcing work to offshore locations.
Offshoring is hard. There are many mistakes to make, some obvious (in hindsight), some not so. Do not expect an immediate success. If you have the strength to sit through the initial months, it can be a good solution to compete, grow and react flexibly to changing environments.
Being largely involved in offshoring and on-site coordination myself, I'll present you with some of the success factors that proved to be most critical in my own environment.
This is the first article in the series, make sure you come back in a couple of days for more on the topic!
ownCloud – centralize your data and keep control
I'd like to point your attention to the ownCloud project my friend Frank is running which just announced the release of its first beta this weekend.
What is ownCloud?
I'll let Frank answer that himself:
You can use it to store your files in your personal cloud storage and access it from all your devices. It will also support versioning, backuping, sharing, syncing and other server based functionalities which are useful additions to KDE applications.
ownCloud is the central exchange point for my data and a companion for different KDE powered devices using the AGPL license.
So there you go. Your own online storage with connectivity to virtually all your gadgets. The benefits are obvious: You don't give your data away as it will still be on your own hardware. That alone is a big improvement over most other online storage systems. I hope my favorite mobile office applications, namely the Files, QuickOffice and iThoughts applications for the iPhone will support ownCloud once it has reached a certain stage.
Help a good idea to grow!
Currently the ownCloud project is in beta stage and is looking for PHP and Qt developers for support. So if you're interested read Franks full announcement, check the mailinglist and the sourcecode and sign up!
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I'm a software architect and developer, detail driven and opinionated, playful and curious.
Constantly learning, I strive not to do what others do but what I think is right.
This blog is about my experiences in information technology and the management aspects related to that.
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