Solution:  Distributed Software Development

Today’s fascination with telecommuting coupled with plentiful network bandwidth means that your software development team may be widely – even globally -- distributed.  New challenges are suddenly part of development including:
    -          communication
    -          complete specification that is understood and clear
    -          peaked skill sets that exist in only one location
    -          different conventions in structure, commenting, etc
    -          different methodologies and software development tools
    -          coordinating builds
    -          coordinating test
    -          “not my bug” debug finger pointing
While code, check-ins, and nightly builds are easily shared over long distances, the understanding of the human and process induced challenges are not. 

The solution to these new challenges is a structured look at the software development practice used at the principle site[s].  These practices must be then be socialized between sites [if applicable] and with those who are telecommuting.  Debate will likely ensue.  The debate must be moderated to assure that it doesn’t get out of hand and that it moves toward resolution.  The conclusions of this structured review should be written and published on the internal intranet. 

In many design teams there are a number of individuals that could easily lead an effort such as this.  Typically they are all busy on some other activity very critical to the central strategic purpose.  ubiLink LLC has experience with this method and can augment your available resource to overcome this challenge.  ubiLink can undertake all or part of the structured review’s steps:  -assessment of value to your firm, - identification of critical software development practices, - socialization of practices, - moderate debates, - publication of results.  All the preceding steps will be done with your engineering staff.  For every day spent by ubiLink, you can budget 2X the number of internal days distributed amongst strongest contributors.