Most people in the field of software development are aware of the formal or “closed” methodology that was practiced over the years before agile became popular and is typically still practiced in outsourcing situations where the development team is on the opposite day cycle from the client team. In the days before ubiquitous broadband and online meeting technologies, software development teams corresponded with set of strict requirements and developed on a fixed timeline. Because outsourced development teams have frequently been located in developing countries, the practice was commonly extended to cover their projects.

Our Experience

In fact, to be successful application development should be a process of discovery. As the features of an application come together, new opportunities are exposed and the “personality” of the interface begins to express itself. Without close collaboration and discussion, alternatives may not be evaluated and opportunities for innovation will be lost. Collaboration makes the agile methodology possible and successful because the method is based on the ability of the team to change scope during a project. In a typical formal model, it is quite hard to provide schedule and deliverable flexibility.

The development process at Scio has been designed with this fact in mind. To enable and foster collaboration, we have client roles and responsibilities defined. We have a training plan for new client team members to help them understand how to get the most out of working with us. We have daily meetings on progress and issues. We have a system for managing the project scope, deliverables, resources, effort, and remaining work that provides graphic models of the project to date. But most of all, we work with our clients as one team to map and achieve the business goals in the project. Collaborative teams are the heart of our development process.

Real-Time Collaboration in a Nearshore Model

Our clients in the Americas, because of their proximity to our development center, have the additional advantage of real-time collaboration in a nearshore model from our development center in Morelia, Mexico. This means that team members have overlapping day cycles and can (and do) “pick up the phone” or start a web meeting in preference to starting a chain of emails or planning meetings at a convenient future date. Real-time collaboration fosters a better understanding of goals and issues, improves productivity, and creates more opportunities for success in an atmosphere of shared responsibility.

With or without the nearshore capability, a firm commitment to collaboration and shared responsibility remains a requirement for successful software development when using remote teams.  If you have experienced the problems that can develop when collaborative processes are not in place on an outsourced project, consider the difference it could make to work with Scio.