follow the sun support model presentation

We've got a true, "follow the sun" model, allowing access to support engineers [.] The model you choose, develop, and refine should be the one that works best for you and your customers. They also divide their support to cater to two groups of customers: participants (employees at companies) and client administrators (HR teams administering equity and compensation). The handoff process can become the weakest point in your model due to technical, cultural, and communication style differences across each team., This is where Lucid can really help you shine. ITSM Support Model ITSM is built on the core belief that IT is a concept that needs to be delivered as a service. 0000002842 00000 n culture and language). We have showed earlier that using the concept of calendar efficiency, FTS gives lot of room for decreasing the development time. On-Call Rotations and Schedules | Articles | PagerDuty 2013. 0000002691 00000 n Customers who aren't in your timezone won't have to wait for you to wake up to receive service. 0000010855 00000 n Agile methodologies fit well with follow the sun models because all work is completed within set iteration cycles. Heavy overload still improves the efficiency by just 12% but it is not an effective long term strategy due to employee burnout. We identified three main themes, namely challenges and best practices, location selection and hand-offs management. You will want to standardize on the technology and tools you use to support your agile methodologies and implement, monitor, revise, and manage your follow the sun model. The handoffs can be applied to any software development task. Cloud support model with customer responsibility. 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. There is a common product repository which allows each site to be in sync with their work at the end of each workday. Read on to learn what a follow the sun model is and how to implement it at your company. Free and premium plans. Modes of communication in FTS approach may be asynchronous or synchronous. One of the ways to evaluate the efficiency of FTS is to compare the time taken to execute a project using traditional software development approaches vs FTS. With many sites all working on the same project, the daily handoff can become a bottleneckespecially if the other team doesnt understand the problem or if their work introduces a new problem. But as you grow, you begin to standardize, build out streamlined processes, and build teams. Let's talk about providing 24-hour support without overwhelming one location and forcing staff to work overtime. 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. Your plan needs to include specific roles, processes, and training necessary to meet customer expectations. To do this from a single office theyd have to aggressively staff up. Slide 1 of 5. The focus is on using automated tools which simplify the repetitive tasks. This is where FTS potential gains a lot, as is evident in the bottom rows of the table. [7] Monica Yap. Please reload the page and try again, or you can contact Zendesk for support. A typical ITSM process can involve something as simple as an employee asking for a new laptop. Agile also provides an opportunity for every team to maintain a sustainable pace of development i.e. 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. Some key assumptions in deriving the above principles are listed below: Follow the sun approach involves daily handoff of the work which suggests that there will be some reduction in the project duration. It is defined as the percentage of all of the calendar time (e.g., 24 * 7 = 168 hours available per week) that is used productively for work, so, a 40-hour workweek utilizes 23.8 percent of the calendar workweek, showing that there is a lot of room for calendar efficiency improvement. According to the FTS model concept, production and maintenance can be separated between locations in different time zones. A detailed analysis needs to be done in order to understand the advantages to be gained in time. Follow-the-sun support model is a very common paradigm for enterprise support companies wanting to deliver round the clock critical support for business critical applications. FTS approach has only a handful of documented cases of industrial success because of its nature. This research [15] introduced a routing model, which supports the selection of geographical locations for Follow-the-Sun software development. In addition, there is research about location selection and the effect of the number of selected locations. HWn1WLKZE 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. Let's review the diagram below. We have discussed how technology tools and infrastructure play an important role in the successful implementation of FTS. There is only one site that owns the product at any point in time. IEEE, 2005. Lastly, we showed that there was a study which researched hand-offs management. Agile seems to be the best and most suitable for FTS based approaches because the principles of Agile anf FTS complement each other. Every time you learn you have a new customer base, you find someone to support them. For me, staying connected with clients in every corner of the globe was always important. A follow the sun model keeps everyone on the same page, working towards the same project end goal., Lets walk through some best practices for setting up a follow the sun model., While a follow the sun model means teams in multiple locations could be involved, its important to define what the home base is for each project you take on, whether that is your site or another one. This facilitates easy job hand-offs and fits nicely within the FTS model. Another consideration is the way you use technology. %PDF-1.7 % 0000066419 00000 n 0000013868 00000 n She is a leading digital transformation evangelist for the pharma and life sciences industries. In Management of Engineering and Technology, Portland International Center for, pages 24582466. Provide tools: Get your system set up with the right tools so your customer service teams can collaborate and communicate easily. A research carried out by Yap [7], a globally distributed software project team (UK, USA, and Singapore), followed the FTS approach under the Extreme Programming (XP) model (an Agile methodology Follow the sun software development: New perspectives, conceptual foundation, and exploratory field study. System Sciences, 2009. Some other day to day tasks enabled by software include logging time spent by developers, issue tracking, real time reporting, code reviews, and documentation. Their teams are based in Honduras, Romania and the Philippines. December 20, 2021. Managing and continuing recruiting and growing regionally helped implement the FTS model for all departments and reinforced the ability to provide top-notch customer service. Initial handoffs mainly consisted of daily work summaries, which were later augmented by knowledge transfer activities. Stats around ticket volume by time of day will be your new best friend. The purpose of this article was to present a comprehensive study on the FTS model for software development. With this model, none of your locations are neglected or receive better customer service. Because it is always daytime somewhere in the world, you need a way to support customers around the globe no matter what time zone they are in and without too much delay. Although this seems like such an intuitive idea to work with, it is not practiced widely, misunderstood often and has had few documented industry success cases. Free and premium plans, Customer service software. We're committed to your privacy. IBM Software Group Rational softwareRational User Conference 2003 Presentation Overview Changing Times - The trend towards globalisation . 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. [10] Eoin Conchir, Helena Holmstrom Olsson, Par J Agerfalk, and Brian Fitzgerald. The constant workflow increases response time and reduces time to market. Having multiple subteams on deck to keep a project moving along 24 hours a day empowers your entire IT department to set realistic short-term deadlines, avoid working overtime, and complete roadmaps more efficiently., Think about what your IT team is really trying to accomplish on your roadmap for the next year. The top three best practices that were found in research are agile methods, the use of technology for knowledge sharing (e.g. Figure 2: Calendar Efficiency in different Working Modes [1]. 0000064539 00000 n If possible, these meetings could be conducted during the hand-off so that the team can better communicate and share knowledge with each other. What could shorter department turnaround times mean for what youre trying to achieve globally? For more information, check out our. Several workflows seem to be using the FTS model, but in reality this is not always the case. Make your own animated videos and animated presentations for free. 0000065768 00000 n hb```b``b`2^21 Pc3HbL=6(TMA`2 DeI&6P)be7fLS;X|Oim5kQT,.Fj=,gwK,7# 5 are applied in practice. In theory, FTS can increase time to market by approximately 60%, which seems attractive. The FTS approach utilizes distributed team members spread across time-zones to achieve a single project outcome with the main objective of gaining speed and reducing the time-to-market of a project [13]. Typical challenges such as coordination, communication and culture differences presents a bigger challenge to FTS than GSD, as FTS involves daily hand-offs. 0000067119 00000 n Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. 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. Stand-up meetings: Hold stand-up meetings right when shifts are switching from one site to another, so your employees can give the new reps an overview of what's happened, and any outstanding issues that need to be addressed. Non-stop development can become a serious advantage when you need to reduce time to market or offer your clients better production, development and deployment terms. However, since we are talking about the FTS model, we already imply that our teams are most likely disproportionate and may need to be more interchangeable regarding specific tasks. Handoffs management in follow-the-sun software projects: a case study. video calls) and process documentation. The three teams consist of 2 micro-teams (composite persona [17]), with at least one person from each location. HWY1S%lI^t#ByFwOC+aPvrsjL y&[vx_TsrbV_[tQoMPDv2[%Xq?>R ,&$[f5_vv=EW\p6{`A7ejw@aAs]9#~;.#%hw AVC$+p( Use Lucidscale to create a higher-level overview of your architecture diagram thats ready to present to stakeholders. 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. Outline your company's customer journey and experience with these 7 free customer journey map templates. If the sun is shining over a region, be it San Francisco, Paris, Hong Kong, or Sydney, business is being conducted there. A customer service platform with mobile access might allow you to stagger your shifts between home and work, and to cover different time zones, without having to hire a remote representative. In California, teams start in waves at 7am, 8am, and 9am (PST). 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. 0000067044 00000 n Here are some major challenges that management should anticipate: FTS is much more complex than the shift method since the teams working on the project are normally disproportionate. As a result, the benefits of FTS tend to be concentrated around isolated phases rather than having an overall impact on the development cycle. In an Agile based methodology, all major development activities (design, code, test and integrate) are carried out in every iteration cycle. The main criteria to go for FTS is the reduction in the development time or time-to-market. In case of any issues with the blog, please contact: guledalprashanth@gmail.com or berd.kreynen@hotmail.com. Do I qualify? endstream endobj 134 0 obj <>stream "Follow the Sun" Support Model for Business Intelligence Follow the Sun: Introduction (1 of 3) The Sun's apparent path across the sky for each day of the calendar year - from sunrise roughly East to maximum altitude (or "culmination") exactly South to sunset roughly West - has been observed and thought about for at least the last 5000 years. Essentially, it's 24/7 support, no matter where the sun is up, without needing any customer service department to work late shifts. Note that it will only suit some business models. 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. From our experience, I would like to point out the major ones: Under no circumstances should the FTS model be reduced to the distant custom support team. We would like some form of handover application within Microsoft teams to assist with a "Follow the Sun" support model. Well explain how to calculate and reduce turnover in your organization. Figure 4: Agile is a perfect choice of software development methodology for FTS. However, if you implement a follow the sun customer support model, keep in mind that you'll want to make sure you have the right tools to ensure each site communicates with one another and can take effective notes on cases that need to be handed off. It may take more time than anticipated to ask questions and receive answers. 0000063267 00000 n Infosys concluded that applicability of FTS was limited and highly specific to the nature of the task at hand. Then, use a calendar to map out how many employees will work each shift in each time zone and how many hours are worked each week all together. For example, you may need skilled bilingual managers and associates to help with international communications. The second case study involved three distinct projects with development sites in the United States and India, and met with drastic failure. Nurture and grow your business with customer relationship management software. 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. 42nd Hawaii International Conference on. [3] Frederick P Brooks Jr. Since hand-offs are such an important aspect of Follow-the-Sun software development, recent research studied hand-offs management. There exist several case and field studies over the years, which resulted in challenges and best practices of FTS. Combine all of this with an efficient follow the sun framework, and youll be delivering best-in-class service to all of your users. This is a BETA experience. Another documented case of FTS application was by Infosys [20] in 2005 where FTS was applied to small subsets of the project cycle. It is a model in which work from one site is handed over to another, which is many time zones away (for example, U.S.A to India), in order for the work to be advanced while one team rests for the night. 0000016106 00000 n With this intuitive, cloud-based solution, everyone can work visually and collaborate in real time while building flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, and more. A follow the sun model can help your organization provide 24/7/365 support to customers across the globe, regardless of time or location. The main reasons to use this approach are that you'll have faster problem solving, consistent levels of customer service, reasonable work hours, and you'll be able to branch into new markets. Its a great way to optimize your support. When compared to traditional global software development, FTS workflow is more difficult to achieve. Additionally, if you have a site for each area around the sun, in different timezones, you'll be able to acquire more leads in that location because you'll be delighting your customers with consistent service. Hand-offs are the central idea of the FTS approach. The effective utilization of code repositories and version control management systems is crucial to the success of the FTS approach. In Agile Conference, 2005. Stars, 16 Agency Leaders Explore The SEO Trends Impacting Their Work In 2023, 15 Smart Ways To Address High Employee Turnover, How Vietnam's Entertainment Industry Can Increase Its Global Reach, 6 Best Practices For CEOs And Professional Leaders Using LinkedIn. Now that youve done all the groundwork of defining workload capability, visualizing infrastructure, and hammering out the handoff process, youre ready to get your new model signed off by stakeholders. However, FTS is not. Formal systems such as discussion forums or internal Wiki sites may prove to be useful. The term calendar efficiency helps in understanding the analysis further. Are the majority simple, transactional issues like password changes and processing returns, or are they more complex technical issues requiring more resources? Support Model - Slide Team This can be achieved in a variety of ways. 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. To this end, the FTS research needs to be done comprehensively, so that companies start adopting it in real-time projects. In fact, a study conducted by the CMO Council found that arranging technical assistance and 24/7 accessibility were the top two ways that companies could improve product experience for users.. IBM Software Group IBM Software Group Rational software Click to edit Track Number on Title Master Reducing Time to Market Using Follow-the-Sun Techniques Alex Cameron EDS Alex.Cameron@eds.com. The FTS approach is based on the principle of handing-off unfinished work to the next location at the end of work day. working only during daylight hours. Researching into Follow-the-Sun Software Development: Challenges and An optimal FTS configuration could raise the calendar efficiency as high as 71.4%. The follow the sun model is based on the following principles: When a follow the sun method is implemented correctly, it will reap the following advantages for you and your business. Mechanisms for transferring work in progress to the next site is the core idea of FTS. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(53, '12501f7c-8e26-4e3c-9642-7afbe078156a', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); The follow the sun customer support model is designed to address customer needs without regard to geographic location or current time. In traditional software development, global teams are less dependent on one another and usually do not pass on the work (hand-off). Its hard to fill swing or overnight shifts. As a management approach, FTS provides your business with several opportunities that, when fully realized, may benefit your business. ). In Global Software Engineering Workshops (ICGSEW), 2013 IEEE 8th International Conference on, pages 1823. Follow the Sun Treinen and Miller Frost [19] published a case documenting two cases of FTS implementation at IBM. A systematic literature review of best practices and challenges in follow-the-sun software development. 1 gives the relevant facts regarding various working schemes. You most likely wont need to open multiple offices, especially at first, but perhaps a small remote office or a representative located remotely in a key area or time zone may satisfy your customers needs. Determine which services will be provided, when they will be provided, and what skill set will be needed to provide those services. Working normal daylight hours keeps employees happy, healthy, and motivated to work while your company is still able to offer round-the-clock service. 128 0 obj <> endobj xref 128 43 0000000016 00000 n A key observation from this study is that even after decade long progress of FTS, its challenges are not overcome yet and it may be relevant to notice that there are no substantial benefits to FTS, thus FTS achievability is an empirical question for which a necessary first step is a consistent definition. 0000007104 00000 n 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. 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. Several reasons such as misinterpretation of specifications, multiple rework cycles, lack of proper coordination and communication between teams, time zone issues and cultural differences were attributed to the projects failure.

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