Software without Borders: A Step-By-Step Guide to Outsourcing Your Software Development - Hardcover

Steve Mezak

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0977826805 ISBN 13: 9780977826803

Publisher: Earthrise Press, 2006

Synopsis

When everything goes right, you end up with high-quality software in half the time for a fraction of the cost. But over 50% of offshore outsourcing projects do not achieve their cost-saving goals or timelines . . . or just fail completely. The mistakes and missteps are costly and painful, but NOW you don't have to go there. This book shows you step-by-step how to make software development outsourcing work, from concept to completion.

You'll discover how to:
* Choose the right vendor quickly and confidently
* Stay in control of your outsourced software development projects
* Achieve on-time, on-scope, and on-budget results
* Fiercely protect your intellectual property
* Decide when to create a subsidiary for even greater savings

SPECIAL BONUS: Take the FREE online Outsourcing Readiness Test (Plus many other free goodies, tools, and downloads on the book's website)

Join the thousands already outsourcing offshore. This book will help you every step of the way.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 : Deciding to Outsource
Chapter 2 : Where to Outsource
Chapter 3 : How to Select your Outsourcing Vendor
Chapter 4 : Offshoring, or Creating your Own Offshore Subsidiary
Chapter 5 : Describing your Software for Outsourcing
Chapter 6 : Controlling your Outsourced Software Development
Chapter 7 : Software Outsourcing Metrics
Chapter 8 : Protecting your Intellectual Property
Chapter 9 : Outsourcing your Quality Assurance
Chapter 10 : Five Situations Right for Outsourcing
Chapter 11 : The Future of Global Software Development
Appendix A : The Outsourcing Strategy Decision Matrix
Appendix B : The Outsourcing Readiness Test
Appendix C : Avoiding the Seven Deadly Dangers of Outsourcing

Inside-flaps:
Ready to Do It Right?

Whether the drive to outsource comes
from the top-down or bottom-up, it s
up to you to make it work. So if it s
your first time, or you just want to get it right this
time, look no further. This book is packed with
a fantastic wealth of insight, resources, and
actionable know-how waiting to help you succeed,
starting now.

Ask yourself:
Have I done what it takes
to prepare for offshoring?
If you re not sure, see Chapter 1.

Am I ready to select a vendor?
Before you do, check out Chapters 2 and 3,
and then review 3 Steps to Selecting a Vendor.

Is my software design ready
for outsourcing?
What, precisely, will your software do?
Have you done the architecting required?
What about schedules and a
reliable roadmap for releases?
Get it all together in Chapter 5.

Am I in control of this process?
Is the development process you re using
capable and mature? Got tabs on your team
and vendors? Is your code secure?
See Chapter 6.

Can I measure my results?
Check out the metrics used
by experts in Chapter 7.

And the answers keep coming. Whether you re
looking for technical guidelines, financial
justification, or a development process that will
stand up under pressure, Software without Borders
will save you valuable time.

About this title

About the Author

Steve Mezak founded Accelerance in 2001 to share his expertise in successfully integrating in-house and outsourced development teams (both on and offshore) for dramatic cost and time savings. As an internationally acclaimed speaker and consultant, Steve has shown hundreds of software executives how to use outsourced development as a major strategic advantage for developing their software. Steve brings a wealth of practical information to his clients, helping them review in-house versus outsourced development options and using his field-tested services to deliver risk-free outsourcing.

Steve is a veteran of 6 startups, including Aspect Development, sold to i2 for $9B and Digital Market, sold to Agile Software for $75M. His roles ranged from technical lead to CTO and CEO. He has over 25 years of software development experience moving from writing software code to responsibility for managing software teams and budgets. Steve has a BS in Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and studied at UC Berkeley and City University in London.

From the Back Cover

"Make offshore outsourcing work for you!"

Find Out HOW, Find Out NOW!

When everything goes right, you end up with high-quality software in half the time for a fraction of the cost. But over 50% of offshore outsourcing projects do not achieve their cost-saving goals or timelines . . . or just fail completely. The mistakes and missteps are costly and painful, but NOW you don't have to go there. This book shows you step-by-step how to make software development outsourcing work, from concept to completion.

Join the thousands already outsourcing offshore. This book will help you every step of the way.

From the Inside Flap

Ready to Do It Right?

Whether the drive to outsource comes from the top-down or bottom-up, it's up to you to make it work. So if it's your first time, or you just want to get it right this time, look no further. This book is packed with a fantastic wealth of insight, resources, and actionable know-how waiting to help you succeed, starting now.

Ask yourself:

Have I done what it takes to prepare for offshoring? If you're not sure, see Chapter 1.

Am I ready to select a vendor? Before you do, check out Chapters 2 and 3, and then review 3 Steps to Selecting a Vendor.

Is my software design ready for outsourcing? What, precisely, will your software do? Have you done the "architecting" required? What about schedules and a reliable roadmap for releases? Get it all together in Chapter 5.

Am I in control of this process? Is the development process you're using capable and mature? Got tabs on your team and vendors? Is your code secure? See Chapter 6.

Can I measure my results? Check out the metrics used by experts in Chapter 7.

And the answers keep coming. Whether you're looking for technical guidelines, financial justification, or a development process that will stand up under pressure, Software without Borders will save you valuable time.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Deciding to Outsource

"Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision." - Peter Drucker

If you are familiar with Geoffrey Moore's book Crossing the Chasm, a veritable bible for marketing at startups in Silicon Valley, you will recognize the concepts of "early adopters" and "innovators." These individuals are the target market for products from early-stage and largely untested startup companies.

Why do early adopters buy and adopt a new software product? It is the thrill of trying something completely new with the hope of being rewarded with a significant benefit before competitors even realize things have changed.

Which side of the chasm are you on with outsourcing? Are you one of those crazy early adopters who tried outsourcing years ago, before it became a trend? Or are you one of the "early majority" who realize that it is safe to try outsourcing now that the early adopters have pioneered the way?

Outsourcing is the key to five of six software development strategies you can employ. In this chapter we look at several situations where outsourcing makes good sense, and we uncover the reasons why. Then we identify 17 criteria that you can use to decide which strategy is best for your own situation. These are delivered as part of a decision matrix that will quickly combine your scores indicating the importance of each criterion and then will calculate the totals for each outsourcing strategy.

Suppose the results show that you should use one of the outsourcing strategies for outsourcing your software development. The next question to consider is, "Are you ready?" For the answer, you can take the online Outsourcing Readiness Test, described in more detail in Appendix B. The 20 questions on the test give you a good idea of your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to outsourcing and where you will need help to improve your chances of success.

Finally, the end of this chapter includes a description of the kinds of help available for your outsourcing decisions. A range of consultants and experts are available to help guide you through the outsourcing process.

Edition details

• Publisher: Earthrise Press
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0977826805
• ISBN 13: 9780977826803
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320