“I believe it is incumbent on the Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) and/or System Integrators (SIs) to understand the regulatory and compliance-related issues that their customers face,” noted Manjula Talreja, VP of Global Cloud Business Development at Cisco, in this exclusive Q&A with Cloud Expo Conference Chair Jeremy Geelan. “Of course these issues are different in each industry and in each country.”
Cloud Computing Journal: The move to cloud isn't about saving money, it is about saving time - ...| By Udayan Banerjee | Article Rating: |
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| January 23, 2013 10:00 AM EST | Reads: |
1,477 |
- Is off-shore agile a special case of distributed agile?
- Can the term offshore agile and outsourced agile be used interchangeably?
- If you have done distributed agile, then can you claim to understand off-shored agile and outsourced agile?
- Similarly, if you have mastered off-shored agile you say with confidence that you understand distributed agile and outsourced agile?
- Lastly, if you have done outsourced agile could you easily extend your learning to distributed agile and off-shore agile?
And, I am sure you would have guessed that I think the answer to all these questions are NO.
Is off-shore agile a special case of distributed agile?
If you take the literary meaning of the words off-shore and distributed then it would appear that off-shore is indeed a special case of distributed. But, if go by the de facto understanding then off-shoring is definitely not a special case of distributed software development.
Off-shoring implies setting up a (software development) facility in a different country (India?) to take advantage of the cost arbitrage (practice of taking advantage of a price difference between two or more markets).
Distributed development implies spreading a complex piece of (software development) work across multiple location to take advantage of available expertise.
Off-shore Development = Driven by cost saving
Distributed Development = Driven by availability of expertise
Remember Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours rule which states that the key to success in any field is a matter of practicing for around 10,000 hours. That translates to about 5 years of regular full day work!
So, over a period of time off-shore facility gains expertise and cost arbitrage ceases to be the main reason for off-shoring. And then …
… in about 5 years time off-shore development becomes distributed development.
Is off-shoring same as outsourcing?
This is easy to answer!
Outsourcing implies giving the work to another party.
Off-shoring need not involve another party, it can be your own facility.
Similarly, outsourcing need not involve off-shoring. It can be done from:
- Same location,
- Same city,
- Near shore facility … and off course
- Off-shore facility
This is when you can visit the 6th principle behind the agile manifesto!
..the most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation…
The four types of outsourcing primarily differs by how much time / cost is involved to setup a face-to-face meeting. In other words a trade-off is involved. On one side it is the 6th principle … and on the other side … you should be clear what it is.
That brings us to the 5th principle behind the agile manifesto.
…build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done…
This leads us to the key difference between in-sourced off-shoring and out-sourced off-shoring. When separate organizations are involved how do you build a trusting relationship? How long does take to build such a relationship?. How do you build a contract which both parties think as fare?
Therefore … what are the distinct characteristics of …
… Distributed Agile Development?
- Splitting the problem and distributing the work
- Coordinating and synchronizing iterations done across distributed locations
- Ensuring smooth communication among the distributed locations
These challenges remain for off-shoring but there are others which go beyond.
… Off-shore Agile Development?
- Setting up infrastructure
- Knowledge transfer
- Bridging the expertise gap
Both for in-sourced and outsourced off-shoring these challenges apply. But for outsourcing there are additional challenges.
… Outsourced Agile Development?
- Preparing a win-win contract
- Building trusting relationship
Points to Ponder
- Does this discussion apply only to agile software development or is it applicable for any software development?
- How do you know if your tailored process remains to be agile?
Related Article
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Published January 23, 2013 Reads 1,477
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More Stories By Udayan Banerjee
Udayan Banerjee is CTO at NIIT Technologies Ltd, an IT industry veteran with more than 30 years' experience. He blogs at http://setandbma.wordpress.com.
The blog focuses on emerging technologies like cloud computing, mobile computing, social media aka web 2.0 etc. It also contains stuff about agile methodology and trends in architecture. It is a world view seen through the lens of a software service provider based out of Bangalore and serving clients across the world.
The focus is mostly on...
- Keep the hype out and project a realistic picture
- Uncover trends not very apparent
- Draw conclusion from real life experience
- Point out fallacy & discrepancy when I see them
- Talk about trends which I find interesting
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“Regulations and compliance are key trust topics with regards to cloud solutions and technology,” noted Sven Denecken, Vice President, Strategy and Co-Innovation Cloud Solutions, SAP AG, in this exclusive Q&A with Cloud Expo Conference Chair Jeremy Geelan. “But it is also more than security of access – it is portability of data and a clear definition of where the data resides.”
Cloud Computing Journal: The move to cloud isn't about saving money, it is about saving time – agree or disagree?
Sve...
Many organizations want to expand upon the IaaS foundation to deliver cloud services in all forms – software, mobility, infrastructure and IT. Understanding the strategy, planning process and tools for this transformation will help catalyze changes in the way the business operates and deliver real value.
IT has more opportunities than ever before with the growth in users, devices, data and secure cloud services. This creates not only a more enriching experience for users, but more opportunities for businesses. The key to capitalizing on these opportunities is to have the right tools in place to help scale operations. In his Day 3 Keynote at 12th Cloud Expo | Cloud Expo New York [June 10-13, 2013], Intel's Rob Crooke will describe the range of products that Intel provides to support different usa...
One of the cloud’s biggest draws is the capability to virtualize computing resources, allowing it to be consumed with the click of a mouse. But behind that simple click is an enormous infrastructure challenge that has recently been cited as a major cause for slower enterprise adoption. Enterprises can better prepare for this shift and take full advantage of future computing benefits. Between architecture design and migration planning, the road can be long, so what do you do with your talent?
I...
In the old world of IT, if you didn't have hardware capacity or the budget to buy more, your project was dead in the water. Budget constraints can leave some of the best, most creative and most ingenious innovations on the cutting room floor. It’s a true dilemma for developers and innovators – why spend the time creating, when a project could be abandoned in a blink? That was the old world. In the new world of IT, developers rule. They have access to resources they can spin up instantly.
A hyb...
INetU, the industry's experts in complex hosting and a global provider of business-centric managed cloud and application hosting, has announced that Cloud Architect Rich Hand will be presenting "Private Cloud, Public Cloud - Is There a Third Option?" at the 12th International Cloud Expo taking place June 10-13, 2013 in New York City.
As more enterprise IT departments move into the cloud, many executives are evaluating whether to adopt a Public or Private cloud. The cost benefits of the Public ...
“I’m careful when using terms like Big Data, because it can mean so many things to different people,” explained Eric Hanselman, Chief Analyst at 451 Research, in this exclusive Q&A with Cloud Expo Conference Chair Jeremy Geelan. “There is huge value in analytics that companies can use to pull intelligence from a collection of data sources that are available in their businesses. The inexpensive storage that cloud services can offer make a great environment to pull together siloed data.”
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