Re: Agile working with offsite teams

[quills -at- airmail -dot- net]

Agile with off-site teams speaking different languages is an oxymoron 
in concepts.

Agile REQUIRES good communication and unity to function successfully. 
Of course it also requires an understanding of the process by ALL 
parties.

If everyone doesn't really understand the Agile process it soon 
devolves back to a waterfall development, though with smaller 
increments and goals that are manageable, more or less.

If you take a team that is already not able, for whatever reason, to 
communicate well with each other, and is not dedicated to 
transmitting the information to each other, and include all concerned 
parties, and you include language comprehension problems..., well, 
let me just wish you luck.

The burden of information gathering will still reside with you. You 
will have to keep asking them what it means, and if they have any 
changes.

Scott

At 5:24 PM -0400 9/4/08, John Posada wrote:
>  > knowledge of SCRUM is so far entirely theoretical, I'm hoping to be able
>>  to use the experience of this list as a guide; can anyone offer any
>>  suggestions, warnings, or similar experiences from which I might learn?
>
>I've done an extensive amount of work here at EMC on projects that
>were composed of teams from around the world.
>
>Without specific questions, I cannot offer specific answers, but I can
>list issues that have an impact on how well things go.
>
>- Depending on where the teams are, you have the time difference
>issue. Finding a time slot to have a status meeting can be a
>challenge..you may have to dial into meetings at 5am or 6am. Picture
>one product with people in NY, Mass, Chicago, and CA, Cork Ireland,
>two different Indian locations (different time zones), and two in
>China...now, schedule a weekly status meeting.
>
>- Since you are working with residents of different countries, you
>have the differences in holidays...for example, India doesn't care
>about the 4th of July and if you are in the US, you probably don't
>care about Ganesh Chaturthi. You may have to wait until they come back
>from their holiday.
>
>- Regardless of what you may think is a universal right, not eveyone
>has access to broadband everywhere.  You send a 3mb file for review
>and it takes someone in another country 45 minutes to download it.
>
>- Different nationalities handle conflict differently. You may not
>know that members of another nationality are having a problem until
>it's too late.
>
>- Conference calls are always an adventure. Wanna be amused? Listen to
>the conversation between two developers, both in their native country,
>each of whom speaks a different language and both speak English
>poorly, trying to converse with each other.
>
>I've also done several initiatives in Agile with scrums, and this
>brings a whole 'nother set of issues.
>
>--
>John Posada
>Senior Technical Writer
>NYMetro STC President
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