The model you choose, develop, and refine should be the one that works best for you and your customers. Christian Doerr, However, one slight difference is that Agile stresses on face to face communication, whereas in FTS inter-site communication between production sites is maintained at the bare minimum by using automated tools. Although there were very less successful cases, some companies still showed positive intent in applying FTS model. It was developed so companies can provide round-the-clock customer service, literally following the sun around the globe. However, FTS is not. IT architecture and the people who program and maintain the architecture can make or break a companys daily operations, particularly for companies with a global presence. While you wont all be in the same room for these meetings, video conferences are fairly easy to set up and schedule. This in turn increases productivity. There was a 30 and 60 minutes overlap between locations to enable the daily handover of tasks. The impact of number of sites in a follow the sun setting on the actual and perceived working speed and accuracy: A controlled experiment. The truth is, follow-the-sun support is simply a method meant to satisfy customersregardless of time or location. A novel approach to distributed concurrent software development using a follow-the-sun technique. They also divide their support to cater to two groups of customers: participants (employees at companies) and client administrators (HR teams administering equity and compensation). Three important companies which documented their experience is summarized below. You most likely wont need to open multiple offices, especially at first, but perhaps a small remote office or a representative located remotely in a key area or time zone may satisfy your customers needs. We've got a true, "follow the sun" model, allowing access to support engineers [.] Follow the sun software development: New perspectives, conceptual foundation, and exploratory field study. System Sciences, 2009. Non-stop development can become a serious advantage when you need to reduce time to market or offer your clients better production, development and deployment terms. The Follow-the-Sun (FTS) strategy is a type of global development with the purpose of reducing the duration of the project development and hence, increases productivity. FTS approach has only a handful of documented cases of industrial success because of its nature. There is only one site that owns the product at any point in time. The follow the sun model is based on the following principles: When a follow the sun method is implemented correctly, it will reap the following advantages for you and your business. 0000063868 00000 n Sorry something went wrong, try again later? But in reality not many companies are following this methodology due to a few documented successes and a significant lag in FTS research. Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. You will want to standardize on the technology and tools you use to support your agile methodologies and implement, monitor, revise, and manage your follow the sun model. FTS could provide significant benefit in dealing with these aspects. We're committed to your privacy. IEEE, 2007. Ultimately, the processes kept running, the staff were not forced to work overtime, and none of the offices were overwhelmed, and that is key when it comes to a successful business model. The ability of project management tools to integrate with development tools can help reduce the duration of project cycles in FTS. The sun never sets for businesses that rely on remote support, and global support, for customer service. Lucidchart is the intelligent diagramming application that empowers teams to clarify complexity, align their insights, and build the futurefaster. However, since we are talking about the FTS model, we already imply that our teams are most likely disproportionate and may need to be more interchangeable regarding specific tasks. It is quite possible that hundreds of software developers and testers can be working on a project in cycles. This process could take weeks if only one team in one time zone is working on the project. 0000068636 00000 n However, if the communication within the system is poor, it may also end up in chaos, production delays and sufficient losses for the company. Agile seems to be the best and most suitable for FTS based approaches because the principles of Agile anf FTS complement each other. The FTS model has proven its potential for decreasing time to market, accelerating product development and ensuring consistent client communication. As a result, the benefits of FTS tend to be concentrated around isolated phases rather than having an overall impact on the development cycle. Follow-the-sun paradigm background reading. By submitting my personal information, I consent to Zendesk collecting, processing, and storing my information in accordance with the, By submitting my personal data, I consent to Zendesk collecting, processing, and storing my information in accordance with the, The value of agent education and training during economic slowdowns, What is employee turnover? A systematic literature review of best practices and challenges in follow-the-sun software development. [3] Frederick P Brooks Jr. Multiple teams may be working on the product over a certain amount of time, but one defined team is responsible for overseeing the process from start to finish. For me, staying connected with clients in every corner of the globe was always important. Establish goals: Define your goals around your customer's needs in each location you service. We have also elaborated in depth about the real world examples where FTS was applied. It must also ensure that all the required information and reports to continue the work are visible and easily accessible. Agile methodologies fit well with follow the sun models because all work is completed within set iteration cycles. 2 traditional software development stresses on minimal job hand-offs, whereas FTS focusses on day-to day job hand-offs [1]. 0000065843 00000 n The geographically dispersed nature requires the use of software applications which facilitate tele-conferencing, VoIP calling, instant messaging etc. For example, another Zendesk customer, Prezi, has teams in two locationsone in San Francisco and one in Budapest. This means that efficiency in task hand-off is of paramount importance to the success of the FTS approach. Businesses can reduce the amount of time it takes to progress from ideation to planning and development when a team is working on the project on a 24-hour schedule. After considering your demographics and volume, could you make up some of the support volume by using a mobile app? This means that one team takes over the task when the first team is over. This infrastructure must always be available on demand and accessible. 2006. But other companies may determine Finally, communication is a key component for successful follow the sun implementation. Open Scholars Know How to License Their Work for Maximum Impact<br /> 29. By staggering their support personnel start times across these key time zones, they are able to meet the service level-agreements theyve set for their customers. Organization Support: Role Incident Liaison (IL) Description For severity 1 incidents only. Many companies. Managing international teams may be a challenge. To make collaboration and handoff even easier, engineers and process owners can @mention each other to focus attention on specific shapes of the diagram. There is also research that studied the impact of the number of sites on working speed and accuracy in Follow-the-Sun software development [9]. Try another search, and we'll give it our best shot. 0000016106 00000 n One of the principal benefits of the FTS model is the opportunity to speed up processes and reduce time to market. As someone who has been working with the top 100 pharma companies, I know that preparation and planning are key. Slide 1 of 5. 0000065082 00000 n This model ensures that none of your service locations are neglected or receive preferential treatment, especially if you work at a global company. In case of any issues with the blog, please contact: guledalprashanth@gmail.com or berd.kreynen@hotmail.com. If you dont have international offices, create a plan that uses staggered start times to cover the time zones you are focusing on. In addition, passing the work to a new group lets people see the problem from a new perspective. Because of these reasons FTS is best suited for Agile. The various agile methodologies such as Scrum, Lean, Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), DSDM etc., share much of the same characteristics and practices and are widely practiced in Globally Distributed Software Development. Another culture would not offer their help unless they were asked while the third considered that presenting the problem was a sufficient invitation for willing team members to jump in and help. For example, you may need skilled bilingual managers and associates to help with international communications. The handoff process can become the weakest point in your model due to technical, cultural, and communication style differences across each team., This is where Lucid can really help you shine. Bugs and production problems are almost a certainty, this means companies need to organise resources and build capability to . One of the important concepts evolved in the past decade or so is the Follow the sun (FTS) software development. Your team needs to deploy a brand-new, process-defining software to all the computers and devices on your companys networks. To say that life during the global pandemic has recentred our focus on health is an understatement. FTS is a special case of GSD which aims to achieve a 100% workday in software projects. A follow the sun model can help your organization provide 24/7/365 support to customers across the globe, regardless of time or location. Note that it will only suit some business models. The most popular online Visio alternative, Lucidchart is utilized in over 180 countries by millions of users, from sales managers mapping out target organizations to IT directors visualizing their network infrastructure. The specifics of this model require team managers to have constant control over the workflow because delays may result in the poor coordination of teams. That means customers requests and communications are coming in quickly and oftenand these businesses must meet that demand. Each production site works during the day as a subteam and it needs within-site coordination. If all the IT teams within your company use a follow the sun model, the project could be completed in days. Agile has several characteristics which support FTS adoption [6]. For instance, I could post for the other team to monitor a ticket I have opened. When I got there, the guy was locking the front door., I said, 'Hey, the sign says you're open 24 hours. A follow the sun model keeps everyone on the same page, working towards the same project end goal., Lets walk through some best practices for setting up a follow the sun model., While a follow the sun model means teams in multiple locations could be involved, its important to define what the home base is for each project you take on, whether that is your site or another one. Communication through emails and Slack with 16+ hour gaps between responses can lead to deployment missteps, security breaches staying open longer, and IT engineers completing redundant work., With a follow the sun model, on the other hand, daily handoffs of projects and tasks build better communication lines between global offices and their network engineers. The FTS approach utilizes distributed team members spread across time-zones to achieve a single project outcome with the main objective of gaining speed and reducing the time-to-market of a project [13]. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 9(1):53-69, 1992. They meet their global support goals by working together, providing a combined 18 hours a day of coverage. Formal systems such as discussion forums or internal Wiki sites may prove to be useful. To this end, the FTS research needs to be done comprehensively, so that companies start adopting it in real-time projects. Follow-the-sun schedule - The follow-the-sun schedule is used by teams that may work internationally in different time zones, and ensures full 24/7 coverage. In creating a support structure based on this schedule, they examined the business units they needed to support and each region. The second case study involved three distinct projects with development sites in the United States and India, and met with drastic failure. Or, consider the approach at Solium, which provides an equity management platform that performs real-time trades 21 hours per day. So how can companies of different sizes utilize that to their advantage? To manage the workflow efficiently the principles shown in Fig. Some sites could feel isolated and out of the loop. Thank you for subscribing to our email communication. In Keeps Support and the business informed so IC can focus on resolution. Read on to learn what a follow the sun model is and how to implement it at your company. A survey of major approaches for accelerating new product development. In Global Software Engineering Workshops (ICGSEW), 2013 IEEE 8th International Conference on, pages 1823. Lucidchart is the intelligent diagramming application that empowers teams to clarify complexity, align their insights, and build the futurefaster. Here's how to deliver an experience that meets people's high and evolving expectations. ). Please select this checkbox if you do not wish to receive marketing communications from Zendesk. It may take more time than anticipated to ask questions and receive answers. If youre using a customer service platform with great analytics, youll be able to make data-driven decisions about the right time to expand globally. If you plan well and start slowly to see what works and what doesnt, you can more easily scale your efforts and ramp up services until you meet your goals and satisfy customer expectations. 0000001156 00000 n With so many architecture models out there for you to base your system designs on, what makes a follow the sun model stand out? In addition, team members in the Beijing office start at 7am, 9am, 1pm, and 2pm CST (China Standard Time). Figure 4: Agile is a perfect choice of software development methodology for FTS. on, pages 185194. A key observation from this study is that even after decade long progress of FTS, its challenges are not overcome yet and it may be relevant to notice that there are no substantial benefits to FTS, thus FTS achievability is an empirical question for which a necessary first step is a consistent definition. The research focussed on two aspects: the optimal time zone difference and the natural ease of communication (i.e. And customers in one location do not get preferential or more support than any other location. We would like some form of handover application within Microsoft teams to assist with a "Follow the Sun" support model. Since these aspects above are reported to increase efficiency, it was also concluded that when these aspects are taken into account the duration of the project is reduced. A typical ITSM process can involve something as simple as an employee asking for a new laptop. There exist several case and field studies over the years, which resulted in challenges and best practices of FTS. 0000067044 00000 n Understand and optimize your cloud infrastructure today with Lucidscale. Time to market is the amount of time it takes from the moment the product is conceived until the product is available for use or sale. This Presentation graphic is eloquent and useful for the IT students, IT researchers, and IT specialists from various fields. If the sun is shining over a region, be it San Francisco, Paris, Hong Kong, or Sydney, business is being conducted there. Sure, this could mean 24/7/365. Several workflows seem to be using the FTS model, but in reality this is not always the case. Technology Tools and Infrastructure to Support FTS. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, Anniversary Edition, 2/E. Apart from the usual difficulties faced in globally distributed software development, FTS also has the additional challenges of managing daily job hand-offs. These are reactive in nature. As illustrated in Fig. [11] Siri-on Setamanit, Wayne Wakeland, and David Raffo. Granted, once the pandemic restrictions started to lift, we followed suit with offices. When you keep everyone on the same page, service ticket times go down, security gets stronger, workflows become more seamless, and customers receive a better technical experience. In an Agile based methodology, all major development activities (design, code, test and integrate) are carried out in every iteration cycle. Advances in Software Engineering, 2009:3, 2009. @|Q%q_2.gINPQ1Aq!>(ob@d9I8j3.a(fdb@n@8nZk;aza azv(;@ r endstream endobj 129 0 obj <>>>/Metadata 126 0 R/Outlines 108 0 R/PageLayout/SinglePage/Pages 123 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences<>>> endobj 130 0 obj <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]/Properties<>/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/Tabs/W/Thumb 109 0 R/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 612.0 792.0]/Type/Page>> endobj 131 0 obj [/ICCBased 142 0 R] endobj 132 0 obj <> endobj 133 0 obj <>stream Federal Republic of Germany, 2017. Several reasons such as misinterpretation of specifications, multiple rework cycles, lack of proper coordination and communication between teams, time zone issues and cultural differences were attributed to the projects failure. Stats around ticket volume by time of day will be your new best friend. This is very important especially for industries whose products become outdated in a very short time (e.g. The first one involved a software development project consisting of teams in the United States and Australia and met with high degree of success. In other words, Follow the Sun is a 24/7 customer support approach for local and international clients. uyLY@= When a task is handed off from one engineer to another, there is an up-to-date, accurate architecture diagram to work from.. trailer <]/Prev 478482>> startxref 0 %%EOF 170 0 obj <>stream FTS feasibility study: In 2013 there was a feasibility study of FTS in the industry [18]. 0000002842 00000 n hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(53, 'dfcc1cf6-fca7-455f-9c43-26ff2fba10ed', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Get expert insights straight to your inbox, and become a better customer success manager. ICGSE 2009. Start off by asking key questions. We have discussed how technology tools and infrastructure play an important role in the successful implementation of FTS. It is a model in which work from one site is handed over to another, which is many time zones away (for example, U.S.A to India), in order for the work to be advanced while one team rests for the night. Please reload the page and try again, or you can contact Zendesk for support. IBM Software Group Rational softwareRational User Conference 2003 Presentation Overview Changing Times - The trend towards globalisation . 0000068561 00000 n Quarterly Executive. (2006). Organization . For this model to work, all sites must be using the same tools and development methodologies (planning, bug tracking, version control, reporting, and so on). That means you need global customer service. I am talking about the follow-the-sun model, or FTS for short. That's why as the assets are transferred to the next team, you need to ensure that detailed workflow documentation and technical tasks do not require further clarification. 7. . Handing off work from site to site balances the workload and makes it easier for you to offer consistent levels of service at all times. As a management approach, FTS provides your business with several opportunities that, when fully realized, may benefit your business. Nurture and grow your business with customer relationship management software. -- Created using PowToon -- Free sign up at http://www.powtoon.com/ . This way, the problem remains a priority and is worked on until the customer is satisfied. This research [15] introduced a routing model, which supports the selection of geographical locations for Follow-the-Sun software development. With this intuitive, cloud-based solution, everyone can work visually and collaborate in real time while building flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, and more. Tools to support data security and encryption such as VPNs are also important. The various composition features of this PowerPoint image like the design, color, text, etc. Do we get enough tickets from each timezone to support a customer service agent. In order to understand and use FTS, some key principles on which FTS is based are mentioned in this section. [20] ZONE, HOW INFOSYS MANAGES TIME. Computer, 42(1):66-73, 2009. The traditional follow the sun model is a type of global workflow in which issues can be handled by and passed between offices in different time zones, increasing responsiveness and reducing delays. Slide 1 of 2. With this intuitive, cloud-based solution, everyone can work visually and collaborate in real time while building flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, and more. It is interesting to note that there have been very few documented cases of successful FTS application in the software industry. A daily dose of irreverent and informative takes on business & tech news, Turn marketing strategies into step-by-step processes designed for success, Spotlighting bold Black women entrepreneurs who have scaled from side hustles to profitable businesses, For B2B reps and sales teams who want to turn complete strangers into paying customers, Get productivity tips and business hacks to design your dream career, Free ebooks, tools, and templates to help you grow, Learn the latest business trends from leading experts with HubSpot Academy, All of HubSpot's marketing, sales CRM, customer service, CMS, and operations software on one platform. For example, in the United States, some of your employees could start the day at 6:00 a.m. to support the Eastern and Central Time Zones. By following the sun, the issue is worked on until it is resolved. Additionally, if you have a site for each area around the sun, in different timezones, you'll be able to acquire more leads in that location because you'll be delighting your customers with consistent service. One of the ways to evaluate the efficiency of FTS is to compare the time taken to execute a project using traditional software development approaches vs FTS. In its early days, this customer service approach only seemed feasible for big companies that had the resources to open and staff multiple offices around the world. Are you ready to follow the sun?. Consider these basic steps and questions you need to ask before diving into a follow the sun methodology. Many companies are looking for efficiency in software development in terms of quality and development time. The implementation of FTS, if not practiced correctly, may result in failures and projects going over budget [10]. Research in Follow-the-Sun software development has been done since 1990. Companies large and small are able to provide 24-hour service without putting the burden on one site and requiring employees to work late shifts or overtime. These difficulties prove that a systematic approach is needed in achieving a quick time-to-market strategy, which in turn leads to the Follow the Sun software development scheme. 0000002728 00000 n Is a follow the sun model right for your IT and cloud teams? Lastly, we showed that there was a study which researched hand-offs management. To visualize, we created the diagram below: Global customer support might not be necessary for every company, but it's important to begin using a global customer service model if you have international customers who are submitting tickets while you're asleep. Follow the Sun is a support model which works best for service desks that work around the clock, i.e 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. In this post, we'll learn what the follow the sun customer support model is, the benefits, best practices, and how you can decide if it's the right model for your business. It's a model that provides support for clients at all times of the day or night, every day. Do you also have self-service options like a knowledge database? Stars, 16 Agency Leaders Explore The SEO Trends Impacting Their Work In 2023, 15 Smart Ways To Address High Employee Turnover, How Vietnam's Entertainment Industry Can Increase Its Global Reach, 6 Best Practices For CEOs And Professional Leaders Using LinkedIn. Modern day software development is spread more and more across national and international boundaries. Free and premium plans, Content management software. What about the companies your business aspires to emulate? [8] Christian Doerr. Typical challenges such as coordination, communication and culture differences presents a bigger challenge to FTS than GSD, as FTS involves daily hand-offs. y&[vx_TsrbV_[tQoMPDv2[%Xq?>R ,&$[f5_vv=EW\p6{`A7ejw@aAs]9#~;.#%hw AVC$+p( This can be done by evaluating when your customers need you most, and carefully considering how to meet them where they are. Carmel [6] argues that only the nature of some phases of the development cycle such as testing are well suited for FTS. ITSM Support Model ITSM is built on the core belief that IT is a concept that needs to be delivered as a service. Figure 1: Follow the Sun approach follows a 24h task hand-off based approach to software development.
