Offshore Software Development: The Benefits and Pitfalls of Virtual Teams

By: Chris Robertson

In today's competitive business environment, small- and medium-sized businesses are often edged out by their larger counterparts. Until now, large multinational corporations enjoyed the advantage of having affordable resources spread out across the globe. Their use of offshore software development meant that they could get the custom software they needed at a fraction of the cost of utilizing in house employees. Times have changed, though, and now businesses of every size can regain the competitive edge by outsourcing software development.

As many executives can attest, however, shepherding projects through to completion using virtual teams can have both advantages and disadvantages. Here is an overview of both:

Benefits of Virtual Software Development Teams

There are several direct benefits of virtual teams. Because they are global in nature, you can take advantage of high degrees of expertise while paying much less than the prevailing wage. Since all parties come together for a single purpose, utilizing an offshore software development company also leads to shorter project durations and balanced team resources. Further, because the team members work from various locations, the risks are more evenly distributed.

There are also terrific intangible benefits to using virtual software development teams. You can have access to highly trained specialists who not only use their expertise to further your project, but who can also share their knowledge with others in your company. Your project can also conform to best practices by implementing quality standards. In addition, you gain the benefit of increased flexibility by having the ability to add team members as the project becomes more complex or labor intensive. This can lead to extremely agile software development.

Drawbacks of Virtual Software Development Teams

Virtual teams have unique characteristics. Unlike long-time staff members who work in the same office, the collaboration on virtual teams is temporary and usually limited to specific projects. This can be a benefit, since the team shares a vision and works toward the same goal, but it can also be a project's downfall, since there may be no infrastructure in place to support quality control and intra-team communication. In addition, virtual team members often speak different languages and work in different time zones, which can make effective communication difficult. Cultural differences can translate into project delays when days of worship or national or regional holidays interfere with deadlines.

Overcoming Obstacles and Maximizing Benefits

While there are both advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing software development, the benefits ultimately outweigh the pitfalls. It's not easy, however, to develop the know-how and management style to successfully supervise virtual teams. In order to do so, it's helpful to look to an offshore software development company that specializes in distributed software development in virtual teams. Their consulting services and training courses can help you develop procedures to avoid problems and increase the effectiveness of your processes. They can also assist you in preparing your employees to become members of virtual teams as well as provide the technical infrastructure to ensure success.

Article Source: EZINEPRIME - FREE WEB CONTENT and ARTICLES

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies. For tips/information, click here: offshore software development
Visit Majon's Business and Entrepreneurs directory.

Add this article to your favorite Social Bookmarkers.

Print This Article

Post Comment

Add To Favorites

Email to Friends

Ezine Ready

More Related Articles on Ethics

Why Do People Join Membership Sites - By : Theresa Cahill
Why Do People Join Membership Sites - By : Theresa Cahill
The Impact of MNEs - By : Jonathon Hardcastle
Internet Marketing: A Guide to List Building - By : Ruth Brown
The New Consumption Patterns - By : Jonathon Hardcastle
A Primer and Opinion on Digital Rights Management - By : Aaron Trubic
Encouraging Ethical Behavior - By : Jonathon Hardcastle
Motivate - By : Kadence Buchanan
How To Solve Supply Chain Related Issues - By : David Gass
Little White Lies - Are They Worth The Risk - By : Joe Torrence

Click here for more ARTICLE CATEGORIES

Submit Articles
Member Login
Top Authors
Most Popular Articles
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds

**tla**

Premium Web Directory
PrimeScrolls
MykleidoscopeWorld
Cultured Shock
FlippTripp
MadTomatoe
Love Text Quotes
Pinoy Jokes
Hot Funny Videos
Top MySpace Layouts
Top Friendster Layouts
Top Music Videos
SEO Blog

RSS Feeds:

To subscribe to individual top categories, click here

Email Subscription:

Subscribe to receive email
with our newest content.

FRUITY LINKS:

	EzinePrime © 2006-2007 HubPrime.com Notice: We collect personal information on this site. To learn more about how we use your information, please see our Privacy Policy.
Home \| About\| Contact Us \| PrimeLinks\| Privacy Policy \| Terms of Service \| RSS
by HubPrime™