Management of Globally Distributed Component-Based Software Development Projects

Abstract

Globally Distributed Component-Based Development (GD CBD) is expected to become a promising area, as increasing numbers of companies are setting up software development in a globally distributed environment and at the same time are adopting CBD methodologies. Being an emerging area, the management of GD CBD has evolved primarily on an ad hoc basis. At present, little is known about how to successfully organise and manage GD CBD. To fill this gap, this research explores the management of GD CBD and reveals factors that contribute to success in GD CBD projects. Data are drawn from several successful GD CBD projects at LeCroy, SAP and TCS, compared with one unsuccessful project at Baan. The results suggest that inter-site coordination, appropriate tools and technologies, social ties, knowledge sharing and components management are the main factors that contribute to success in GD CBD. Lastly, a framework assisting managers to organize and manage CBD in GD environments is offered.Julia Kotlarsky graduated in 1996 as an engineer in Industrial Engineering and Management from Technion, the Israeli Institute of Technology. In 1997-1999, during study for her master’s degree, she received the highest level of fellowship at the Technion and worked as a teaching assistant for a number of undergraduate and graduate courses at the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management. At the same period she worked as a lecturer in ORT College. During her graduate studies at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, The Netherlands, in 2001 she received a Marie Curie Scholarship from the European Commission for visiting Henley Management College, Henley-on-Thames, UK, where she had a visiting position for five months. In 2001-2003 she also visited Florida International University in Miami, USA, the University of Technology Sydney in Sydney, Australia, and the Management Development Institute in Gurgaon, India. She conducted research in leading companies, which included SAP, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Baan and LeCroy Corporation. Currently she is a lecturer in Information Systems at Warwick Business School, UK. In 2003 she won the Philip Law Scholarship from the European Case Clearing House for writing a teaching case about globally distributed development of component-based software. She has published in International Journal of Production Research, European Journal of Information Systems and has given a number of papers in refereed conferences. Julia is working in the area of management of globally distributed software development projects. Her interests include component-based design, knowledge sharing, and the social and technical aspects of the management of globally distributed software development projects