subject: Offshore Software Development Services Using Agile Methodology [print this page] For almost a decade now, offshore software development services have operated well. These service providers have been delivering solutions that are innovative and agile. Agile software development is the most adaptive software development methodologies till date. Software programmers follow agile software development methodology to make any kind of project work.
An offshore software development company working with agile software development method lays stress on communications. Proper and timely communications among various people involved in the project is necessary. This is one of the fundamental rules of agile software. People involved in offshore software development services can be scattered all over the world, having difference in their working time. Communication plays an important role in such a set up where one resource when going to sleep, the other resource might be starting the work. Though it can be seen that offshore software development services is opposed to agile software development method from the basics of physical proximity and face to face interactions. Agile software method manifesto points out that face to face communication is most essential, but in offshore software development set-up if such things are not possible, it is stressed to be well connected through mails, chats or video- conferencing. Today, the internet has made such advancements that reaching 10 different people at 10 different destinations at same instance is as simple as taking a meeting in office conference room. You need to connect to the video-conferencing call and people at any place can exchange ideas and add inputs for a projects success.
What once was thought as impossible is easily doable today. Science is such a boon that makes things work. Agile software methodology too can be used in an offshore software development company set-up involved in software development process. There are certain things that need to be looked into while working in an offshore software development service centre while still following agile software development methodology. One of the ways out of any loop-holes that may arise is to have people visiting the client office and vice-versa as much as possible. Though transporting the whole lot of team might be a herculean task, but one person from either side can surely make trips and facilitate the communications. Another thing that is noted in an offshore software development company is the problems arising during integration. A software product that is built in different offshore locations might create problems at the time of integration even though adequate care had been taken while defining interfaces. The solutions lies in continuous integration of the software developed where in all the scattered team resources access to mainline code. Offshore software development companies are sure success with the quality product they deliver at global market.