Documenting how many resources are available every month at the start of a new project will help your team determine accurate timelines and avoid team member burnout. Open Scholars Know How to License Their Work for Maximum Impact<br /> 29. The main goal with implementing a follow the sun support model is that people in one location don't receive preferential support. It may take more time than anticipated to ask questions and receive answers. Follow the sun: distributed extreme programming development. mobile handsets, firmware, e-commerce systems, and innovative supply chain management). 0000067875 00000 n Note that it will only suit some business models. Lucidscale connects to major cloud sources like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to pull in data automatically. Agile stresses on the importance of automated testing to reduce time. It is interesting to note that there have been very few documented cases of successful FTS application in the software industry. 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. ppt.gc.ca. 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. Try another search, and we'll give it our best shot. [18] Josiane Kroll, Rafael Prikladnicki, Jorge LN Audy, Erran Carmel, and JudeFernandez. HVKn0Hi[dh;>~K@ HhD^ @)+{J:=,q&U^yZVf|7Gv1$[l3/ S 29= 25~xZOFXO_/Y 9vO,sI:bqgj-1`tIfZ{L#D9t5@R\B/PN=@7c8@T5jF/0'?daCE]7K'e%JtQSe,86^8Gv8[G@2S7 ^fH!7x%7Zo>.Wckhb|j\p{>K"N{cn; When compared to traditional global software development, FTS workflow is more difficult to achieve. After considering your demographics and volume, could you make up some of the support volume by using a mobile app? VX8pt@I:4QLBfbjT,m}66 Open Scholars support emerging Open Learning alternatives<br />In-Class Support in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania! Proceedings, pages 218{224. The geographically dispersed nature requires the use of software applications which facilitate tele-conferencing, VoIP calling, instant messaging etc. Most employees do not want to be at work 12 or 16 hours a day. However, FTS is not. Are you ready to follow the sun?. Lastly, we showed that there was a study which researched hand-offs management. The FTS model has proven its potential for decreasing time to market, accelerating product development and ensuring consistent client communication. Establish goals: Define your goals around your customer's needs in each location you service. Let your superior service and personalized support work as a marketing advantage to find new leads and sales. The follow the sun customer support model is designed to address customer needs without regard to geographic location or current time. 0000013504 00000 n Essentially, it's 24/7 support, no matter where the sun is up, without needing any customer service department to work late shifts. The follow the sun methodology can be a game changer., Teams working towards the same goals and maintaining the same cloud infrastructure can become extremely fragmented when located in different time zones. Opinions expressed are those of the author. 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. By checking this box, I agree to Zendesk contacting me with marketing-related communications about Zendesk products, services, and events. Naturally, the language and culture barriers do not seem like such big obstacles these days. As an agency with many Ukraine-based staff members in February 2022, it was the kind of situation none of us wanted to believe would ever happen. They also need to train employees on how to use the software and then respond to any service tickets upon deployment. One such analysis is done using the calendar time [1] available for production. Plus, with a follow the sun model established, your company will be better prepared to support customers around the world, allowing your business to branch into new markets. Three important companies which documented their experience is summarized below. For example, a baseline work week is 30 hours after taking into account non-task activities. You can turn light-speed production and service delivery into one of the signature advantages of your brand. According to the FTS model concept, production and maintenance can be separated between locations in different time zones. 42nd Hawaii International Conference on. Beside this benefit, there are also other advantages as well which can be found on Fig. The constant workflow increases response time and reduces time to market. Granted, once the pandemic restrictions started to lift, we followed suit with offices. Hence it is important to select a software development methodology which extends over the entire software development cycle and satisfies the special needs of daily hand-offs. This is very important especially for industries whose products become outdated in a very short time (e.g. [19] Treinen, James J., and Susan L. Miller-Frost. A feasibility study of follow-the-sun software development for gsd projects. This will help avoid any confusion on who ultimately owns the process., Take stock of all the team members available to maintain your IT architecture. There are numerous advantages if the FTS implementation is successful which are reduced time-to-market, reduced software costs, increased international relationships leading to better diversity among companies, etc. ](Ohg2jFy0tz H`?d/r_@IEPCZGr H With rising customer expectations around better service in todays macroeconomic environment, its important to lean on customer education programs to boost agent knowledge and productivityand to help your business retain customers. There exist several case and field studies over the years, which resulted in challenges and best practices of FTS. It is commonly used and regarded as the "gold standard" in the field of presentation applications. And that's where the follow the sun customer support model comes in. I have a team that is 12 hours ahead so we're not online at the same time. 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. It was developed so companies can provide round-the-clock customer service, literally following the sun around the globe. 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. video calls) and process documentation. There was a 30 and 60 minutes overlap between locations to enable the daily handover of tasks. 0000007104 00000 n 5 are applied in practice. Lucidchart is the intelligent diagramming application that empowers teams to clarify complexity, align their insights, and build the futurefaster. Follow-the-Sun (FTS) is a strategy in Global Software Development (GSD) focusing on software development twenty-four hours, seven days per week with physically distributed teams. Figure 2: Calendar Efficiency in different Working Modes [1]. [15] Christian Visser and Rini van Solingen. The research focussed on two aspects: the optimal time zone difference and the natural ease of communication (i.e. Your global customers will appreciate that bugs and other issues can be resolved quickly and that they dont have to wait for a team in a different time zone to fix the problem. A follow the sun model can help your organization provide 24/7/365 support to customers across the globe, regardless of time or location. Production sites involved in the software development are many time zones apart. Theres no reason to leap forward with global support if most of your customers are in only one or two regions. 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]. The above principles allow FTS to be used in any knowledge work (not just software development). Essentially, it's 24/7 support, no matter where the sun is up, without needing any customer service department to work late shifts. The model you choose, develop, and refine should be the one that works best for you and your customers. The three teams consist of 2 micro-teams (composite persona [17]), with at least one person from each location. ppt.gc.ca. This model ensures that none of your service locations are neglected or receive preferential treatment, especially if you work at a global company. As described by Carmel [1], the agile methodology is best suited for FTS. Calculation, effects, and prevention tips, Streamline call center BPO management with data-driven WFM, Why great CX is the doorway to success with open banking for financial services firms. The FTS model doesnt seem to be a suitable choice for complete projects, when compared to its applicability for particular phases like - testing where it works very well due to less dependency on hand-off work. 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. The organization which we are using in our example has offices spread worldwide and the Follow the Sun support model works wonderfully well for it. [13] Alex Cameron. 0000063868 00000 n Why 2023 Gold House A100 List Has Starbucks CEO But No Michelle Yeoh, Parent PowerED: Parents Powering Solutions In Education, Conversations Across Generations: Shawn Dove And Peter Storey, Empowering Young Adults Through Tech With Sandee Kastrul Of i.c. Thank you for subscribing to our email communication. Think of the home base as the product owner. Determine which services will be provided, when they will be provided, and what skill set will be needed to provide those services. 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. Presentation Mode allows you to show off the specific parts of your design that stakeholders care about most., There you have it. Where are our customers primarily located? @|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 To this end, the FTS research needs to be done comprehensively, so that companies start adopting it in real-time projects. It must also ensure that all the required information and reports to continue the work are visible and easily accessible. time zone difference and hand offs management), communication and culture. 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. Modern day software development is spread more and more across national and international boundaries. Regardless of where the bulk of customers are located, if you know that youre receiving a lot of tickets outside of your standard support hours, then its time to start thinking about a rotational support model. IBM in 1990s was probably one of the first companies to record the implementation of FTS in its software development teams globally [1]. For example, our customer and partner Zuora offers 24/7/365 support coverage. What could shorter department turnaround times mean for what youre trying to achieve globally? [6] Carmel, Erran, Yael Dubinsky, and Alberto Espinosa. We're committed to your privacy. To help decide whats best for you, your team, and your customers, ask the following questions: When youre small, youre actively jumping to meet the needs of customers. 2. What about the companies your business aspires to emulate? But not every industry really requires that. The "follow-the-sun" model is about providing the support that clients and customers need by way of a global workflow that literally follows the sun. Global software development: never mind the problems are there really any benefits? Determine when your customers need you the most so you can define your goals around their needs. In addition, passing the work to a new group lets people see the problem from a new perspective. Follow the Sun is a customer support method that focuses on providing consistent customer support without regard for geographic location or time restraints. 0000001156 00000 n 0000003713 00000 n Improving global software development project performance using simulation. ITSM Support Model ITSM is built on the core belief that IT is a concept that needs to be delivered as a service. I went down the street to the 24-hour grocery store. Sure, this could mean 24/7/365. According to Carmel [1], FTS has challenges such as coordination barriers, cultural differences, and communication difficulties depicted in Fig. When youve got teams working round the clock, your troubleshooting efforts become more efficient. See how this model can benefit your IT department. Do you also have self-service options like a knowledge database? Well explain how to calculate and reduce turnover in your organization. The major benefit is the development duration or the potential in reducing the time-to-market. 1 gives the relevant facts regarding various working schemes. IBM Software Group Rational softwareRational User Conference 2003 Presentation Overview Changing Times - The trend towards globalisation . If possible, these meetings could be conducted during the hand-off so that the team can better communicate and share knowledge with each other. The implementation of FTS, if not practiced correctly, may result in failures and projects going over budget [10]. I understand I may unsubscribe at any time. [9] Rini van Solingen and Menno Valkema. Provide tools: Get your system set up with the right tools so your customer service teams can collaborate and communicate easily. As a result, the benefits of FTS tend to be concentrated around isolated phases rather than having an overall impact on the development cycle. 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. Keeps Support and the business informed so IC can focus on resolution. As illustrated in Fig. Project collaboration becomes immensely easier when the status of each task (and the progress made on the task) is clearly documented. It is always noon somewhere, right? Entertaining and motivating original stories to help move your visions forward. For more information, check out our. working only during daylight hours. FtVz:-zn>\M~J/CeTb{POj"}"yX-hD]0)u&Z?C4SX0;53mHp 8Q[M#A.l{ GrhhXE3rVY)^a. + endstream endobj 135 0 obj <>stream One of the important concepts evolved in the past decade or so is the Follow the sun (FTS) 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. In You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. A global service model in place to keep every team member connected, consistent and making continual progress on projects, tasks, and bug fixes. endstream endobj 134 0 obj <>stream ICGSE 2009. Start small so that you dont overpromise what you can actually deliver. The iteration period lasts for a short time period (between two to four weeks). Subscribe to the Service Blog below. Do you want to provide complete 24-hour service? 0000013744 00000 n Overall it was found that increasing the number of sites in a daily cycle increased the working speed. If communication issues are not addressed they will create significant challenges in FTS adoption. 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. It was developed so companies can provide round-the-clock customer service, literally following the sun around the globe. There are claims that FTS is being used at General Motors and at OfficeTiger [4] [5]. Shifting to a remote-based model streamlined our FTS approach with the ability to provide client services without opening an office location first. When you use a follow the sun model, round-the-clock IT support is provided by following the sun from time zone to time zone. y&[vx_TsrbV_[tQoMPDv2[%Xq?>R ,&$[f5_vv=EW\p6{`A7ejw@aAs]9#~;.#%hw AVC$+p( 0000064539 00000 n Tools for estimating and planning schedules, allocation of project tasks, sprint management, progress tracking are essential utilities for front line managers. The traditional "follow the sun" model is a type of global workflow in which issues can be handled by and passed between offices in different time zones, increasing responsiveness and reducing delays. 0000063943 00000 n Join 64,500+ Customer-Facing Professionals, Pop up for FREE CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAP TEMPLATES. By submitting my personal information, I consent to Zendesk collecting, processing, and storing my information in accordance with the, By submitting my personal data, I consent to Zendesk collecting, processing, and storing my information in accordance with the, The value of agent education and training during economic slowdowns, What is employee turnover? Fourth IEEE International Conference uyLY@= Two case studies reported on the application of FTS in software development is elaborated below. In Global Software Engineering, 2009. Here's how to deliver an experience that meets people's high and evolving expectations. These difficulties prove that a systematic approach is needed in achieving a quick time-to-market strategy, which in turn leads to the Follow the Sun software development scheme. Slide 1 of 5. It is used mainly for school presentations and businesses. [14] Josiane Kroll, Sajid Ibrahim Hashmi, Ita Richardson, and Jorge LN Audy. PjYIh$ 3lKPt[?7\p rNt[n@rS +@G9z|t- ]P$>(h)tQ c5+${._~;i$ X~,h XOjcL^W? One way to implement a follow the sun approach is to have customer support owned by one site at a time -- wherever the sun is up. Slide 1 of 2. 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. They are summarized in the table below. 0000065768 00000 n Carmel [6] argues that only the nature of some phases of the development cycle such as testing are well suited for FTS. Any issues can be resolved in near real time since theres always a team member ready to take action.. To manage the workflow efficiently the principles shown in Fig. Zuora also employs a daily handoff model, in which open and pending matters are passed along to the next team when one goes off duty. Slide 1 of 2. Inverse schedules on an escalation policy - If you have two or more users that rotate primary and secondary on-call shifts, then you will want to create two on-call schedules and add . The process of hand offs must be smooth and conflict free. This efficiency further increases with the number of locations and shifts. If you dont have international offices, create a plan that uses staggered start times to cover the time zones you are focusing on. 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. This is because work happens almost round the clock, compared to just eight hour efforts in traditional software workflow. [8] Christian Doerr. 128 0 obj <> endobj xref 128 43 0000000016 00000 n The effective utilization of code repositories and version control management systems is crucial to the success of the FTS approach. A follow the sun model can help your organization provide 24/7/365 support to customers across the globe, regardless of time or location. Follow-the-Sun in Action One of our partners, a large mobile advertising and app monetization company that gets 20,000+ tickets each week, leverages the follow-the-sun model with a total team of 85 associates to support their customers around the world. One shortcoming of this article is that we have only investigated the effect of FTS on speed, not on the product quality because of lack of suitable documented references. Do we get enough tickets from each timezone to support a customer service agent. See pricing, Marketing automation software. They do it by starting a team in Colorado at 8am (MST). For others, keeping all major communication and production processes in a single office or at least legislation may make more sense. Customers who aren't in your timezone won't have to wait for you to wake up to receive service. 0000004606 00000 n Which begs another question your team should consider when evaluating options: How would you categorize your customer base, and does your customer service teams approach require variance between all of them? Please select this checkbox if you do not wish to receive marketing communications from Zendesk. Combine all of this with an efficient follow the sun framework, and youll be delivering best-in-class service to all of your users. Believe it or not, the Covid-19 pandemic certainly influenced the decision to bring this powerful idea to life with local client support branches and personnel on every continent. These are reactive in nature. This research [15] introduced a routing model, which supports the selection of geographical locations for Follow-the-Sun software development. 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. 0000002089 00000 n Figure 3: Comparing FTS model with other global workflows [1]. System Sciences (HICSS), 2014 47th Hawaii International Conference on, pages 331339. The follow the sun customer support model means that you have customer service representatives available whenever the sun is up -- so as it becomes daytime for different parts of the world as we orbit around the sun, you'll have various customer service sites beginning their day and handing off their issues to another site. Prezi, for example, has teams in two locations: San Francisco and Budapest. 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. Another consideration is the way you use technology. However, it may be one of the most potent benefits for your business. December 20, 2021. Picture this. 0000002842 00000 n Infosys concluded that applicability of FTS was limited and highly specific to the nature of the task at hand. Another documented case of FTS application was by Infosys [20] in 2005 where FTS was applied to small subsets of the project cycle. [20] ZONE, HOW INFOSYS MANAGES TIME. 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. 'r( bU:nL,/C^=E#$c;kNaw ] ^6JaI-~5%)IScN8D!MZl1?/*8(Y 7 3go>".X@`kDe!K Selecting locations for follow-the-sun software development: Towards a routing model. on, pages 185194. The various composition features of this PowerPoint image like the design, color, text, etc. Most of the current code repositories are cloud based and accessible across geographies. When a task is handed off from one engineer to another, there is an up-to-date, accurate architecture diagram to work from.. 0000002691 00000 n Bugs and production problems are almost a certainty, this means companies need to organise resources and build capability to . trailer <]/Prev 478482>> startxref 0 %%EOF 170 0 obj <>stream The 24-hour knowledge factory: can it replace the graveyard shift? There are several major differences between traditional globally distributed software development and the FTS approach. Knowledge transfer and sharing of project critical information with concerned parties is essential for smooth operation of the project. An optimal FTS configuration could raise the calendar efficiency as high as 71.4%. 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 is quite possible that hundreds of software developers and testers can be working on a project in cycles.
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