10 secrets of successful offshore software development, part 2

By Nari Kannan, special to SearchCIO.com 11 Nov 2003 | SearchCIO.com

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

"Extrasourcing" is disciplined, strategic and appropriate offshore software development that calls for extended or virtual groups offshore. If it's done right, it can make offshore software development a success in 10 ways. Click here to see the first five. Here are the second five.

1. Parallel offshore efforts lead to accelerated release cycles: Since the local software development group is always working only on prototypes of the next release, there is a possibility that multiple release cycles could be planned at the same time. For example, while the local software development group is working on, say, prototyping v3.0, multiple offshore software development groups are working on hardening, testing and fixing bugs in V2.8 and V2.9, in parallel. When these releases are ready, they could be released on a schedule that makes sense to your customers. Time between releases is not dictated by development tasks and schedules, thus compressing release cycles.

2. Development continuity: Extrasourcing ensures that the local software development group always has a group of people familiar with the source code of every release. If software development efforts are fully outsourced, knowledge of the code may be only with the vendor, and this may be somewhat disconcerting. If for some reason the offshore vendor relationship does not work out, there will be a local group of software developers familiar with the code.

3. Safe and effective knowledge management: One of the biggest concerns companies may have with complete offshore software development is safe and effective knowledge management. With extrasourcing, this concern is somewhat alleviated since core knowledge about requirements, architecture and complex technical designs are always available to the local software development team.

4. Intellectual property protection: ...
   
   To continue reading for free, register below or login

   Requires Membership to View

   To gain access to this and all member only content, please provide the following information:

   Email Address:
   Job Function: Select... - - - - -IT MANAGEMENT- - - - - CIO/CTO CSO EVP/SVP/VP of IS/MIS/IT EVP/SVP/VP of Business Applications Risk Management/Compliance/Privacy Officer Director of IS/MIS/IT Director of Business Applications IT Management (Manager IS/IT) Network Management/Administration Systems Management/Administration Project Management IT Staff Analyst Architect Consultant/Systems Integrator - - - - -CORPORATE / EXECUTIVE/LOB MANAGEMENT- - - - - CEO, COO, Owner, Partner, President CFO/Treasurer/Controller EVP/SVP/VP of Sales & Marketing Senior Corporate (non IT) Management Director of Sales & Marketing Corporate (Non IT) Staff Educator Other
   
   

   By joining SearchCIO.com you agree to receive email updates from the TechTarget network of sites, including updates on new content, magazine or event notifications, new site launches and market research surveys. Please verify all information and selections above. You may unsubscribe at any time from one or more of the services you have selected by editing your profile or unsubscribing via email.
   
   TechTarget cares about your privacy. Read our Privacy Policy
   To read more you must become a member of SearchCIO.com

   As an existing member of the TechTarget network please activate your SearchCIO.com account 

   By joining SearchCIO.com you agree to receive email updates from the TechTarget network of sites, including updates on new content, magazine or event notifications, new site launches and market research surveys. Please verify all information and selections above. You may unsubscribe at any time from one or more of the services you have selected by editing your profile or unsubscribing via email.
   
   TechTarget cares about your privacy. Read our Privacy Policy
   
   
   

   Tags: Return on investment,  Contract negotiations and legal issues,  Offshore outsourcing,  Vendor selection and management,  VIEW ALL TAGS

   
   

   Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

   
   
   
   

   RELATED CONTENT Return on investment Calculating ROI on IT projects is useful but not sufficient The CIO job under a microscope at MIT Sloan CIO Symposium Business intelligence data gets a Web service treatment Identity management in cloud computing courts enterprise trust CIO drives IT business value with new perspective on processes Building IT business value, one word at a time Balanced scorecard founder on the business value of IT Are innovation strategies back on CIO agendas? Innovation strategies: How Chevron drives ingenuity Merck, Chevron and BP are touting a new IT management framework Contract negotiations and legal issues A new due diligence checklist for your next software license agreement IT service provider consolidation tips: A CIO talks vendor management IT outsourcing contracts FAQ: Establishing SLAs, flexibility and more A dozen danger signs that your outsourcing contract is on the rocks IT outsourcing in 2009 and beyond: Lessons learned for the new year Free IT outsourcing templates: SLAs, RFPs and more How Virginia's new CIO is fixing the state's IT outsourcing problems Botched IT outsourcing contract shows need for governance, SLAs How to build IT innovation, flexibility into your IT outsourcing deals Why IT can be OK with users managing their own SaaS services contracts Offshore outsourcing Does IT chargeback pave the way to outsourcing? IT vendor management: Test your IQ on outsourcing, service providers IT vendor management strategy guide for enterprise CIOs IT outsourcing contracts FAQ: Establishing SLAs, flexibility and more Is it better to work for an outsourcing provider than for corporate IT? What to watch for during negotiations with outsourcing vendors A dozen danger signs that your outsourcing contract is on the rocks IT outsourcing strategy FAQ: Getting started on onshoring, offshoring Google in China: Drawing lessons for your IT outsourcing plan IT outsourcing in 2009 and beyond: Lessons learned for the new year

   RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary

   
   
   Extrasourcing enables companies to provide stronger intellectual property protection. Many highly sensitive parts of the software that incorporate intellectual property can be wrapped in an API (Application Programming Interface) -- and only the interfaces provided to the offshore development team for further development. This can ensure that core intellectual property is always protected.

5. Alternative sourcing: If a relationship with an offshore software vendor does not work out, extrasourcing will make the switch to another vendor a little easier. Knowledge transfer is less of a problem because the core software development group may have the knowledge to do effective alternative sourcing as opposed to when the whole project is outsourced.

Offshore development promises, has delivered, and continues to deliver a lot of value to those companies that have the knowledge and experience to do it right. Extrasourcing provides a thoughtful effective way to pick the right parts of projects for offshore development, provides a framework for ensuring their success, and safeguards intellectual property and knowledge management.

Nari Kannan is a technical consultant with Iris Software, Inc. in Metuchen, N.J. He also has extensive experience defining and developing products using offshore development resources in India for such companies as FileNet and Inktomi. He can be reached at nkannan@irissoftinc.com.