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Journal of Information Technology

Case and Application Research
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Global Software Teams:

Collaborating Across Borders and
Time Zones
a
Reviewed by Vijay K. Vemuri
a
Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus.
Published online: 18 Sep 2014.

To cite this article: Reviewed by Vijay K. Vemuri (2002) Global Software Teams: Collaborating
Across Borders and Time Zones, Journal of Information Technology Case and Application
Research, 4:1, 80-81, DOI: 10.1080/15228053.2002.10855994

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 Book Review

Global Software Teams: Collaborating Across

Borders and Time Zones
Erran Carmel
Published: in the year 1999 by Prentice Hall, Inc.
ISBN 0-13-92421 8-X
Paperback, 269 pages, List Price $41
Reviewed by
Downloaded by [George Mason University] at 05:25 27 December 2014

Vijay K. Vemuri
Long Island University, C.W. Post C a m p u s

We are all well aware of the organizational changes brought about by information
technologies. New technology terms like telecommuting, videoconferencing, and Application
Service Providers (ASP) have entered our day-to-day vocabulary. However, concepts such as
team development of software, especially across national boundaries, have not yet entered our
awareness. The book, published in 1999, provides a comprehensive discussion and best
practices for global software teams.

The intended readers of the book are IT managers. Books written for professionals in the field
tend to focus on anecdotes and checklists of things to do. "Global Software Teams" is different
in that the recommendations are based on research findings rather than casual observations.
Instead of checklists, best practices for various factors are provided.

The book consists of four parts: Part 1 looks at the reasons why global software teams exist,
their future, and provides the means to evaluate the success of these teams. Part 2 discusses
the problems facing the management of global software teams. Part 3 develops prescriptions
for successful global software teams. The strategies to overcome the problems in Part 2 are
elaborated. Part 4 deals with outsourcing IS support functions. Two short appendices describe
research methodology and differences between packaged software and IS development.

Part 1, "Why Global Software teams?", provides motivation for establishing global software
teams. Dispersed specialized talent, increased merger and acquisition activities, cost, and time-
to-market are identified as catalysts for the growth of global software teams. Other factors for
continued growth of global software teams are identified. Three cases vividly bring the inner
workings of the global software teams to the readers' attention. This part ends with criteria
needed for assessing the success of a team: timeliness, cost, innovation and quality.

Part 2 of the book, "The Five Centrifugal Forces of Global Software Teams", identifies the
problems associated with managing software teams. A discussion of team communication, .
coordination, cohesion, distance, and cultural differences, with survey results and anecdotes,
introduces the challenges in managing global teams. This part sets the stage for the reader to
know more about how to overcome these problems.
 Book Review

Part 3, titled "The Six Centripetal Forces for Successful Global Software Teams", forms the
main thrust of the book. Covering 110 pages (nearly half of the book), this part elaborates
strategies, tactics, and techniques to overcome the problems identified in Part 2. The author
identifies six forces as crucial in overcoming the problems a team encounters. A chapter is
devoted to each of the solutions. In Chapter 6, telecommunications infrastructure is discussed;
it is equated with the foundation of a house. Telecommunications infrastructure is becoming
less of a concern now because of rapid improvements being made in this field in many parts of
the world. Chapter 7 deals with collaborative technologies to support software engineering. E-
mail, groupware, group calendarlscheduler, and audiolvideo conferencing are like glue that
binds together the team in order to overcome distance, and to enhance communication and
coordination. Objectives of collaboration and best practices highlight the collaboration
concerns and strategies to overcome them. In Chapter 8, developmental methodologies and
their importance in forging a common language of tasks and activities are explored. In
dispersed teams common methodologies can be developed by using a standardized
Downloaded by [George Mason University] at 05:25 27 December 2014

methodology, merging methodologies of various sites or a loose methodology consisting only

of broad guidelines. The chapter, however, does not evaluate these alternatives. The next force:
Architecture and task allocations discusses module, phase-based and integrated task
allocations. The importance of modularizing tasks in independent development of smaller
components is recommended. Chapter 10 deals with the importance of trust and
communication. Protocols and etiquette, taken for granted in centralized software
development, need special attention in global software teams due to obvious differences in
language and culture. The importance of face-to-face contacts in building trusting relationships
is emphasized. Finally, Chapter 11 deals with specialized management techniques. Best
practices for project management, benchmarking, conflict resolution, and incentives
summarize the management techniques.

The focus of Part 4 is on global IS. The concerns of global IS are sufficiently different than
developing packaged software. A highlight of this part is the Holiday Inn case written by
Kumar and Willcoks. The case gives the reader a peek into the evolution of software
development at Holiday Inn, the shift from insourcing to outsourcing, and the problems faced
at each stage.

Although intended for practitioners in the information systems field, the book is refreshingly
different from the usual fare targeted at practitioners. The best practices are inspired by
research findings. The cases in the book highlight the importance of organizing and managing
global software teams and provide a context for the concepts discussed. The book is not a
how-to manual or primer on outsourcing. The reader will get a substantial understanding of
challenges facing global software teams and strategies to overcome them.

The book is a must reading for any IS practitioner currently involved in or contemplating
outsourcing. Academics involved in teaching software development or project management
should take a close look at the book. With an extensive list of references, it can be very
valuable as a supplementary reading in these classes and can provide a path for further study of
outsourcing.

Vijay Vemuri is. an assistant professor of Management Information Systems at C.W. Post Campus of
Long Island University. He received a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include electronic commerce, strategic implications of
information technology and networking infrastructure. His publications are in or forthcoming in the
European Journal of Operational Research, Journal of Information Technology Cases and Applications
(JITCA), and Electronic Markets. He is currently on the global editorial review board and Book Review
Editor of JITCA. He can be reached at vvemuri@liu.edu.