What’s the key to global collaboration? Companies that view offshore teams as partners — seamless extensions of their onshore teams — rather than task- based, lower-cost resources tend to get better results and have more rewarding team experiences. There must be a shared view of the product road map and vision for the future. If you do not have an attitude of equality and transparency and an accountability structure, it will be difficult to maximize the effectiveness of outsourcing, and productivity will suffer while frustration rises.
What are the stumbling blocks? Communication, or rather a lack thereof, is a common stumbling block for many outsourcing relationships, especially given expansive time-zone differences. The best solution is to dictate common development processes, measurement and reporting tools and a common lexicon for everyone to follow. This makes it easier to operate, given cultural or technical differences, and helps to manage expectations for critical issues like delivery time frames.
