Most people in the industry recognize that there are challenges in managing offshore projects and it needs to be managed differently than a local project.
One of the first steps in any project is to develop a project plan.
So, what is different about developing an offshore project plan? First, invest the time to develop a project plan regardless of the size of the effort; sounds simple, but I find that many fail to take this simple step because the offshore project was a "small" project.
You need to establish a clear set of processes from the very beginning.
Lack of a clear plan invariably causes mismatch of expectations and increases the odds of failure.
Second, make sure the offshore team understands the plan and has bought into it; one of the issues teams run into is different interpretations of what each part of the team agreed to.
Silence by the offshore team, is some times interpreted by US managers as consent - NOT true.
It may mean "acknowledgement that I have heard you" or "I will do it on a best effort basis" or may really mean "Yes".
You need to understand how to know which one they are saying.
Third, make sure that tasks are broken down into steps of no more than 2 weeks.
This will allow you to see the results quickly and take appropriate action if necessary.
In addition to the traditional waterfall methods in development, you may also consider rapid development and agile techniques.
These techniques can be used despite the time differences and distances involved.
Fourth, when getting started, plan for additional personal time for building confidence in both sides; you should plan to be heavily involved to make sure that things are going well.
Last, but not least, the initial projects must be carefully chosen with high probability of success.
Nothing succeeds like success.
On the other hand, if the initial projects fail, it is an uphill task to recover and build confidence in your own organization and the offshore team.
Once you have established a pattern of success for the first few projects and your management processes are in place, you can consider scaling.
One of the first steps in any project is to develop a project plan.
So, what is different about developing an offshore project plan? First, invest the time to develop a project plan regardless of the size of the effort; sounds simple, but I find that many fail to take this simple step because the offshore project was a "small" project.
You need to establish a clear set of processes from the very beginning.
Lack of a clear plan invariably causes mismatch of expectations and increases the odds of failure.
Second, make sure the offshore team understands the plan and has bought into it; one of the issues teams run into is different interpretations of what each part of the team agreed to.
Silence by the offshore team, is some times interpreted by US managers as consent - NOT true.
It may mean "acknowledgement that I have heard you" or "I will do it on a best effort basis" or may really mean "Yes".
You need to understand how to know which one they are saying.
Third, make sure that tasks are broken down into steps of no more than 2 weeks.
This will allow you to see the results quickly and take appropriate action if necessary.
In addition to the traditional waterfall methods in development, you may also consider rapid development and agile techniques.
These techniques can be used despite the time differences and distances involved.
Fourth, when getting started, plan for additional personal time for building confidence in both sides; you should plan to be heavily involved to make sure that things are going well.
Last, but not least, the initial projects must be carefully chosen with high probability of success.
Nothing succeeds like success.
On the other hand, if the initial projects fail, it is an uphill task to recover and build confidence in your own organization and the offshore team.
Once you have established a pattern of success for the first few projects and your management processes are in place, you can consider scaling.
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