Why is meeting face-to-face so important?

Meeting face-to-face is the only way to build trust

  • Budget-in recurring face-to-face meetings between your customer, local team, and offshore team
  • Having strong communication infrastructure like Skype, Video Conf, Phones, high bandwidth, big screens to facilitate virtual team etc
  • Seed visits in frequent intervals across the length of the project
  • Both offshore and onshore teams sitting, working and partying together is a must to ignite relations and build strong trust
  • The highest performing teams are those based on trust

ScrumMaster at both locations

  • Most impediments will need to be worked within the context and environment of each sub-team

Execute 3-4 sprints with entire team at local site

  • When project starts it is wise to have offshore team travel to customer site and work together with onshore team
  • It takes 3-4 sprints of 2 weeks each at-least to build relations
  • Use this to have discussions and formalize Norming and Chartering together and also doing sprint zero activities together like setting up frameworks, initial architecture & design etc.
  • Offshore team will get to build relation directly with client and get to hear requirements directly.