Distributed development teams are becoming the norm of today’s software development strategy. In comparison to close physical interaction, distributed teams are faced with the challenge of keeping software projects on track and keeping remote developers involved. New forms of information exchange provide new ways for distributed developers to collaborate. Internet-enabled, repository-centric development tools give developers real-time access to up-to-date development assets. However, it is also important to recognize the human side of distributed teams, allowing remote developers to feel involved with team activities and to maintain a sense of importance. By utilizing available tools and keeping alive the spirit of teamwork, distributed development teams can be as successful as the centrally located teams of the past. A well crafted and orchestrated offshore solution can give project teams the tools and resources they need to continue to work collaboratively whether they’re in New York, Malmö or Bangalore.

Making remote development a success requires the right kind of strategy to address all possible challenges before they manifest as roadblocks. Here are a few winning strategies that Telelogic focused at on the road to success:

Effective management of integrated development processes

In any project, developers must have a clear understanding of software requirement before they embark on implementation and have all other phases of developments tie back to requirements at all times. Today, with improved band-width it is feasible for all team members to share common repositories that house single source of truth all the time. Shared databases provide developers with up-to-date information, thereby reducing ambiguity. We use our own repository-centric development tools to effectively manage all development processes such as Requirements Management using DOORS (for formal requirement specifications, dependencies, responsibilities, and change history), Configuration and Build Management using SYNERGY CM (for source code control, task management, and release activities), Change Management using SYNERGY CHANGE (for new feature requests, defect tracking, and traceability), and Test Management using integrations with Quality Center products (for test plans and test cases management). All the tools that we use are tightly integrated with each other to provide us with seamless bi-directional flow of data.

Effective communication