Objectives
- Overcome lack of internal capacity
- Rapidly supplement local resources
- Supply specialised skills that are innovative, creative and of a high calibre
Benefits
- Onsite management and consolidation of project work by BBD, leaving the client free to focus on core activities, yet still provide them with operational control
- Staffing flexibility
- Cost and efficiency savings through increased productivity
Overview of the solution
Digital transformation, Industry 4.0 and Society 5.0 are increasing the demand for revolutionary software
development, further impacted by the general lack of ICT skills in the industry, which makes it difficult to rely solely on centrally-housed development teams.
BBD leveraged our international footprint across Cyprus, India, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa and the United Kingdom by implementing a distributed development model that addresses the scale limitations within local talent pools, with our continuously growing team.
Having partnered with the client for nearly two decades, we have utilised the distributed development model for the last four years. Our distributed teams gives us access to larger talent pools, encompassing scarce and sought-after skills.
BBD differentiates itself from more traditional offshoring models through a distributed development approach, with the remote teams complementing the onsite BBD teams. This core focus on people and communication is what has enabled the success of the BBD distributed development model, with all locations considered part of one team.
To ensure a hands-on approach, the client-based delivery manager is held accountable for all team activities, irrespective of which geography they’re situated in.
Approach
BBD has been one of only a few development partners for all the client’s online and mobile apps for customer engagement for the last eight years.
The client wanted responsive UI development, with a specific requirement for software engineers who were skilled in front-end HTML5 and JavaScript technologies, along with a Java microservices middle tier. These are scarce skills to come by, hence BBD identified candidates who were equipped for these roles.
Facilitating the day-to-day global logistics of our distributed development model requires an emphasis on pulling the whole team into daily stand ups and client meetings. Utilising technology to our advantage, scrums are held with project teams using VC, to keep up-to-date and stay on top of any challenges. Teams determine which comms work best for their requirements and utilise cloud tools such as Skype for Business, Rocket.Chat and Microsoft Teams to ensure team members can stay in contact, sharing screens when necessary. Open source tools are also used to support continuous integration and deployment. BBD took full advantage of our distributed capabilities and remote teams to maximise on time zone differences. This ensured that any problems were dealt with efficiently, as these would be resolved by the time the client started their day.
While BBD co-ordinates all logistics and is the central point of contact for the teams, the client does get involved and engages with teams across all geographies. Where necessary, the teams would fly to another location for induction or knowledge transfer.
Impact of BBD’s partnership
Our co-shoring operating model enables us to take control of delivery, leaving the client free to focus on their core business. This working solution, driven by our distributed development approach, gives the client the ability to scale quickly, so they can deliver timeously and in a cost-effective manner.
Supplementing and extending the technical expertise required also means new teams can expediently be started to focus on new business initiatives.
The client has won best mobile app in Africa for three years in a row, by continuously improving their customer experiences, with BBD striving to provide enhanced functionality, ease of use and speed with each new version launch.
View all case studies
