Transcript The Six Centripetal Forces for Successful Global Software

The Six Centripetal Forces for
Successful Global Software
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Telecommunication Infrastructure
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Collaborative Technology
Telecommunication Infrastructure
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A global software team requires a
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Reliable network
High bandwidth network
Telecommunication Infrastructure
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Private Internal network
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Is created by a combination of leased lines
and/or satellite links.
Widely available at reasonable cost
Alternative to wireline is wireless
connectivity, particularly through high
bandwidth satellite links.
Telecommunication Infrastructure
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A Virtual Private network
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Connects dispersed offices through the internet. Each office is
connected through the internet through it local Internet
service provider (ISP)
Connection is from the software development site to the local
ISP is set up via dial-up or leased lines.
The IP-based network then uses encryption, tunnrling (a
technique in which one protocol is carried inside another)
VPN is less costly than Private Internet Network because it
reduces access and connectivity costs as well as some
equipment costs.
However, there is a trade-off between cost and performance.
There is also a trade off between cost and security.
Telecommunication Infrastructure
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Evolution of the Internet
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1969: The defense department commissions ARPANET to research
computer networking. Later in the year, the first nodes of the system
go on-line at UCLA, Stanford Research Institute and University of
Utah
1971: Fifteen individual nodes of ARPANET go on-line, joining 23
host computers
1972: Operators create the first email program to send and receive
messages across the network. Norway and England become the first
international connections to ARPANET
1988: The first businesses begin to connect to the system for
research purposes
1989: The number of computers on ARPANET breaks 100,000
1990: ARPANET ceases to exist. The network is officially referred to
as Internet
Telecommunication Infrastructure
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TCP/IP
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A protocol is an agreed method of handling a
particular communication task.
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There is a protocol for sending mail, another for
transferring a file, and so forth.
The TCP/IP suite of protocols, which define a
standard method of communications between
Internet hosts, is implemented in virtually all
computer systems, regardless to the hardware or
operating system.
Collaborative technologies
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Collaborative technologies promises to collapse
distance and bring us closer to our colleague
far away.
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Generic Collaborative technology
Time
Same
Different
Different
Video-conference
Audio-conference
E-chart
E-whiteboard
Place
Same
meetingware
E-mail
Voice-mail
Video-mail
Groupware platform
Calendar/schedule
Discussion list
Collaborative technologies
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Formal and Informal Communications
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Formal: help mitigate the inevitable communication
breakdown that occur as a result of distance and
culture
Informal: collaborative technology needs to emulate
the co-located work environment as much as
possible, with its informal mechanisms for resolving
problems (finding, sorting, processing, and
retrieving the information that members need to
solve a problem)
Collaborative Technologies
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Collaborative Technology supports
Deliberation and Workflow:
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Deliberation: The classic problem-solving activities
of identifying the problem, evaluating the solutions,
selecting a desired plan, and monitoring its
implementation.
Workflow: routing objects from one person to
another in need of work, review, or authorization.
Collaborative technologies
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Objectives
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1. Serves as a team memory & knowledge center
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Provides each team member a 360 view
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The team store and shares information and knowledge
across a work unit
All members at all sites are informed regarding task,
status, people, and other dynamic team information
(transparency)
Forster a sense of community
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The “glue” creates and maintains interpersonal
relationships
Collaborative technologies
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Cultural Overlay of Collaborative Technology
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Almost culturally neutral
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Compare to face-face
Away from high context culture to high
informational mode
Collaborative Technologies to Support
Software Engineering CT-SE
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Objectives
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1. Serves as a team memory & knowledge center
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2. Provides each team member a 360 view
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Software engineers need to share many types of project
knowledge, otherwise they may end up fixing the same bug or
working on software components that are out of date as result of
others’ work.
4. Supports coordination activities and workflow
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All members at all sites are informed regarding task, status,
people, and other dynamic team information (transparency)
3. Reduces duplication of effort
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The team store and shares information and knowledge across a
work unit
Need to support team members self-managing tasks via
electronic lateral coordination and via electronic workflow
procedures.
Support Quality Assurance
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Bug tracking, version control, requirement tracking, are essential
to maintaining quality level.
Collaborative Technologies to Support
Software Engineering CT-SE
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CT-SE Functions
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Software configuration management (SCM)
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As a control and enforcement mechanism, it establishes
formalism: used to control processes, set the rules, and structure
the workflow within a team
As a coordination mechanism, it is an effective way to create upfront dialogue among the dispersed sites.
Project status
Notification services
Project scheduling and tasking
CASE and process management
Programming tools
Bugs and change tracking
Team memory and knowledge center