Project Customs Lost in Translation 

We build habits to learn how to live in society. We build habits and preferences for how we work so we don’t have to re-think everything we do… so we can build on the past into the future. Many are built on how we work with people and most of those habits and customs serve us well. 

Take offshore development. The basic processes are the same as for onshore. Plan the work and work the plan. But many nuances which are built upon years of co-located projects are so ingrained in our subconscious that they are lost when we move to distributed projects. These are so ingrained that we often don’t notice the loss of good habits and productive customs.

The most common of these customs is building working relationships with teammates. What was once a few words in the hall, talk around the water cooler, a coincidental team lunch - words that built working relationships and passed project details – almost disappear when the team is scattered around the world. Those moments passing in the hall are rarely part of a hectic telecon world where every moment of overlapping work hours is filled with the rush of tasks, deliverables, risks, and escalations.

Over the next couple of weeks take a few moments to remember that the people offshore are just like the people local. Most folks I work with will say good morning the first time they see you every day. How do you greet your offshore partners?

An easy way is with instant messaging. It shows you when a work-partner is at their computer, and you can see their arrival. In a moment you can greet them with a quick hello and a nugget about what’s going on in your location. Be curious and interested.

Every team I have worked with that has pressed there way through a startup of offshore development has admitted that they have learned and grown as a result of it. What you learn will grow even more if you take the moments to build relationships – not just talk about today’s pressing agenda.

Eventually it is people that build successful projects. Giving up your humanity in a sterile environment without person-to-person relationships and being deprived of the moments with people that make life enjoyable is too much to give up just because your team is now spread all over the world. Pick up the phone or instant messenger and have that hallway conversation with your offshore partner – it’s both good for you and good for your project.

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