In the new world economy, global delivery models have become a way of life for most major corporations. Mergers and acquisitions, corporate globalization, technology breakthroughs, and the quest for low-cost solutions are just a few of the reasons behind this phenomenon taking shape.
When dealing with global IT projects, you quickly discover an inherently complex array of factors that must be managed to ensure success. These factors include some of the most basic elementsscope, cost, quality assurance, risk, and communication. In addition, distributed deliveryspecifically global deliveryadds more complexity and poses additional challenges to achieving overall success. Many organizations implement a distributed model as a means of dealing with the issues. However, without having the systems, methodologies, and support mechanisms in place, the path to success is undefined.
In determining how to mitigate the challenges posed with global IT projects, we researched best practices in project management and technology solutions, and developed a customized project management system based around an array of applications including Microsoft SharePoint Services. The example we cite in this article helped streamline and mitigate the challenges behind the development of applications and is ushering in a true 24-hour development lifecycle by providing synchronization between development centers.