TECODIS. The Experience of Teleworking for Software Developers

Because of the increasing competitive pressures from globalisation, organisations are looking for better ways to face this challenge based on more flexible and effective working methods. Teleworking has been identified as one possible answer to this problem. Management of big software development projects, distributed among several design centres, has also already taken place using well-established applications (eg e-mail, file transfer, remotely accessible databases) but using basic platforms and supported mainly by narrowband networks. These applications have not proved to be effective nor have they been able to avoid the costly relocation of resources. That is to say, either short trips for meetings for co-ordination, review or clarification purposes or medium term (eg weeks or months) relocation for longer lasting tasks that require close involvement of key experts. To achieve a more effective and cost-efficient implementation of distributed software development projects by large multisite and multicultural organisations a new telework project, TECODIS, was launched in September 1995. TECODIS uses a technological platform capable of supporting remote synchronous human-to-human communication After developing its own teleworking methodology and successfully performing sufficient industrial trials under real life conditions, it can be stated beyond any reasonable doubt that TECODIS has managed to prove its case. That is to say, it has been able to demonstrate that telework can be a useful tool to improve industrial software production in a multisite and multicultural corporation. The benefits are shown in the reduction of project lead-time, while keeping cost and quality under control. Although, by any criteria, the experience can be considered a success, it has also revealed considerable minor concerns, and even unexpected fears, amongst some participants about the possible organisational impact and the change of working conditions in general, and in particular on employment. The importance of this message cannot be overemphasised because it came from an organisation that was already familiar with telework and is beyond the scope of any one culture. It is, therefore, a serious call for attention to the need to carefully plan this type of experience, particularly in terms of its possible communication strategy, to avoid the participants feeling threatened by the prospects of an experience that it is already challenging enough in itself.