Global Software Development Projects in One of the Biggest Companies in Latvia: Is Geographical Distribution a Problem?

摘要

Global software development appears to be the latest trend in software engineering, bringing new opportunities as reaching mobility in resources, speeding time-to-market, obtaining extra knowledge, and increasing operational efficiency. Despite the popularity of the topic, there is a lack of research answering all the questions about how to perform in a distributed environment. This article describes research that aims to develop a framework for global project management and performance. In particular, the research shares information about the variety of collaboration models and project characteristics, and highlights areas of concern and specific risks examined in an observation of 19 distributed projects in a software development company in Latvia. The case study gives an overview of distributed projects emphasizing the specific risks such as organizational and cultural differences, language and time zone differences, lack of personal contact, and troubled communication over geographical distances. The preliminary research concludes that there is a necessity of specific methods and practices for effective project performance in a distributed environment.