Offshore Software Development Methodology

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Offshore Software Development Methodology is of prime importance in order to successfully implement the Offshore Outsourcing strategy and reap the benefits of Offshore Software Development in terms of cost effectiveness and business flexibility. The Offshore Software Development process generally commences at the customer's site. A team of system and software analysts led by a Project Manager carry out the initial requirements definition and analysis in consultation with the customer. The design, development, and testing phases are carried out at the offshore development center say in India; and the acceptance testing and implementation are done at the customer’s site.

The general process of Offshore Software Development can form the combination of various below mentioned steps:

1. An Individual is appointed as a representative from both sides for the decided project. This needs to be project based because the projects may vary in fields of application integration services, e-commerce solutions, etc. and hence it might not be practically possible for a single person to handle the same. Say for example that the client appoints a Project coordinator from his side to handle the issues of the project and the company providing the development facility, appoints a Project Manager for the same.



2. The initial practical phase might start with the Project Manager and his team of software engineers visiting the client’s site for gathering the system requirement specifications from the Project coordinator. These will very well specify the required communication protocols, the reporting frequency and format, etc., so that the Project Manager can pass on the same information to his development team sitting in the offshore development center.



3. After this, the Project Manager formulates a detailed project plan, which includes the necessary resources for the project, the duration mutually agreed by the two parties and the deliverables to be achieved. This is to be done only after the client’s design approach, development and testing standards and norms for acceptance, if any, are studied thoroughly.



4. One or more members of the same team stay with the client for the coordination process of the project, while others move to the offshore software development center to proceed ahead with the process of preparing a project prototype, architecture and detailed design for the project. This is to be done for the client’s approval that will be issued if the work to be done is laid on the same parameters as discussed initially for the services outsourced.



5. After seeking the approval of the client, the offshore software development team starts with the actual work. Regular reporting and interaction between the project manager and the project coordinator helps quick and on time clarifications of any doubts on either side. This also helps to maintain the offshore outsourcing quality standards mutually agreed by both the parties.



6. Upon successful completion of the project, it is handed over to the client to carry out the implementation and installation of the same.

In many cases, the various steps mentioned above intersect, squashing the total time. The project as foreseen could include onsite installation and implementation support followed by offshore maintenance. Onsite visits are required initially for bringing the project offsite and at the end for delivering the software. The actual sequence of steps could vary depending on the specifications of a given project.