Question | Answer |
Training and Teambuilding
- Tailored Training | Co-locate team members from multiple sites for training with
standard (e.g. UML) and project-specific parts (e.g. simplified version of the target
system) |
Training and Teambuilding
- Co-located Analysis Phase | Bring team members from multiple sites together to
jointly review the high level architecture and requirements and develop functional
specifications |
Selecting the Right Communication Media
- Distributed Pair Programming | Virtual pair programming via application sharing |
Maintaining Cross-Site Relationship
- Onsite Management Visits | Project manager visits the remote sites for detailed
status meeting to ensure progress and resolve issues |
Maintaining Cross-Site Relationship
- Cross-Site Delegation | Delegate is sent to another site to learn from domain or
project knowledge, and to act as bridge between sites |
Maintaining Cross-Site Relationship
- Unfiltered Communication | Line manager meets directly with the developers from
remote sites with no planned agenda to help solve problems that the developers are
experiencing |
Project Team Practices: Establish and Prepare Team - Selected | GSE requires flexibility, good social skills, etc. Team members should be
screened for personality and the team carefully built over time for maximum cohesion |
Project Team Practices: Establish and Prepare Team - Prepared | Train teams for distributed development, e.g. communication, good
practices for collaboration |
Project Team Practices: Establish and Prepare Team - Culture Awareness | Being aware of cultural differences, including both national and
organizational culture, intercultural training |
Project Team Practices: Establish and Prepare Team - Team Mentor | Assign a mentor with GSE experience to a new team to allow for on-
the-job learning |
Project Team Practices: Bring Team Members Together - Early Bonding | Emphasize on building the team from the start of the project, trust
and personal connections need to be built early |
Project Team Practices: Bring Team Members Together - Short Engagements | Short-term assignments at the other location enable team
members to get to know remote team members and build up domain knowledge |
Project Team Practices: Bring Team Members Together - Team Space | Local team rooms should accommodate visiting team members,
flexibly design team space |
Project Team Practices: Align Physical Team Meetings with Process - Together | Make sure the team physically meets frequently enough, e.g. every 6-8
weeks for 10 days, alternate locations |
Project Team Practices: Align Physical Team Meetings with Process - Iteration Connect | Synchronize length of iteration with frequency of physical
meetings, as busiest communication phase is at transition between iterations |
Project Team Practices: Align Physical Team Meetings with Process - Completion United | Bring development team together including testers and
stakeholders at a single site for project completion (about 3 weeks) |
Project Team Practices: Virtual Communication - Smart Meetings | Agree on time slots during the week where team members are
available for spontaneous contact, ensure frequent communication |
Project Team Practices: Virtual Communication - Team Connector | Designate a team member at each site to manage the flow of
information |
Project Manager Practices: Project Identity and Communication Strategy - One Project | Create a clear project identity across sites, same goals and priorities for
all sites |
Project Manager Practices: Project Identity and Communication Strategy - Communication Strategy | Create a communication plan: who to inform,
stakeholders interests, communication means |
Project Manager Practices: Project Identity and Communication Strategy - Common Information Infrastructure | Set up information structure for the global
team for easy information exchange |
Project Manager Practices: Development Process and Environment - Living Process | Establish shared development process, and keep the process up to
date (revisit at each iteration) |
Project Manager Practices: Development Process and Environment - Common Development Environment | Implement one single common development
environment which is used at all sites, worldwide 24/7 support required |
Project Manager Practices: Appreciate Team Commitment - Flexibility | Balance the team members' additional effort for communication beyond
work hours by giving them flexibility outside common team time |
Project Manager Practices: Appreciate Team Commitment - Full Credit | Make sure all team members get equal credit for project success,
independent of their role and physical location |