Outsourcing software development the remote project manager's perspective

Purpose: Our research rather than focusing on the requirements of Western based organisations outsourcing or offshoring software development considers the factors that are relevant for the recipients of this work and in particular the perspective of the remote project manager. To achieve this objective we have undertaken research with three Indian based software development organisations. Our results are focused on the specific issues which were relevant for the establishment and operation of Indian based GSD teams. The perspective is that of the Indian Project Manager and the contribution they and their teams make along with the problems they encounter and overcome. Methodology: Given the nature of this work it was considered appropriate to implement a qualitative inductive approach. To this end the use of a sophisticated grounded theory based strategy was selected and implemented. Findings: Given the inductive nature of our research our findings are structured under three main headings which emerged from the analysis of the data. These headings are Team Selection and Establishment, Team Operation and Level of Attrition. The team selection section presents the key factors and issues this research identified which were relevant for the selection of Indian based software development teams. It goes on to outline how these teams were effectively established. The team operation section considers dealing with distance and the use of communication tools. It also considers the experience of Indian based Project Managers dealing with Western colleagues and clients. The level of attrition section focuses on a very serious problem which was highlighted by our study. This is how can software organisations based in India hold on to their existing staff in what is a very volatile labour market? Limitations: Our findings are based on interviews with five senior Indian software professionals from three organisations. While in the context of our study they are considered preliminary, given the level of detailed analysis which has taken place we consider them of value. We plan to continue to expand on this work by undertaking additional interviews.