3 ways we screwed up our offshore development — and how we fixed it

You’d think by now a Silicon Valley tech company like ours would have a clue about managing software development using an offshore development team, but as it turns out we didn’t.

Maybe we should have known better, but growing a business is Odysseian. Monstrous obstacles are unique to each company. No amount of reading and analyzing can prepare you for the task. You have to screw up and learn from it. That’s what we did, and this month, thankfully, our offshoring has become a thing of beauty.

While an article is no sub for experience, I’m hoping you can learn from our mistakes and save yourself a little heartache. Below are three areas where we screwed up our offshoring development, but then an epiphany followed that turned it all around.

1. The world is flat. People aren’t

In literature, there are flat characters and round characters. Round characters are complex, human. By contrast, flat characters are two-dimensional, simplistic. And that’s how we saw our offshore team. Nameless, faceless “codemonkeys,” as a former employee called them. We didn’t treat them like part of the gang. And they returned the favor by seeing us the same way. The result: no connection, no camaraderie, no loyalty. Churn was high, projects abandoned, deadlines missed, money wasted.

2. Foreign, not Vulcan

We treated our foreign team like Spock. All logic, zero emotion. It’s not entirely our fault. Sure, some workers fed into this by putting up a front of dispassionate efficiency. Maybe it’s part of their culture, or their idea of professionalism. Whatever the reason, the relationships did not live long, nor did they prosper.

Missing was the body language, banter, digressions, analogies, brainstorming, laughter – emotional clues that rally teams and propel hearts and minds. Our emails were sterile, as if someone ran our directives through a robotic clarity filter.

When you treat people like robots, you don’t inspire outstanding work, convey your vision, or instill passion. We didn’t lift a finger to build repartee or find common emotional ground. The result: lackadaisical service, delayed shipments, and frustrated customers.

3. The word ‘remote’ isn’t remotely helpful

On his first day of joining our company, Steve, our new CTO, revealed a major flaw in the way we thought about our offshore team. At his first team meeting, Steve asked why the whole team wasn’t involved. We looked around, confused.

Finally someone asked, “You mean the remote workers?” The word “remote” hung in the air, making us feel ridiculous, as if using the word “remote” somehow justified the practice of keeping key tech personnel out of the loop.

When you think about it, the word “remote” isn’t all that good. Consider its meaning. Remote: adj. 1. far removed, distant. 2. fragile, unlikely.

Suddenly, we realized the word had been living up to its name in a big way, a saboteur creating distance and weakening our team. We had succeeded in making our remote workers remote in every sense. Thanks to us, they probably had a remote look in their eyes, considering the remote possibility of success, and if they could point a remote at us and change the channel, they would.

SOLUTION: Retiring the word remote

Steve triggered an epiphany — the feeling that there’s no “remote” team. Just a team. The next day, we had the offshore people attend our standup. We huddled around a Mac shouting into the speaker. The sound was horrible but the energy was palpable. It warranted a hardware run right then and there. Steve ran out for a free-standing speaker and mic, came back and hooked it up. It was the Ultimate Ears Boom, a 360-degree bluetooth speaker that ran us about $200. Voices went from flat and tinny to rich and full-bodied. You just can’t imagine the difference this makes until you experience it. We finished the meeting with new clarity and sense of purpose.

Within days, we were also pair programming with our offshore brethren, wearing Sentey Symph Elite gamer headsets to make communication easy. The 7.1 digital surround sound made us feel like we were all in the same room. Don’t underestimate the importance of these minor investments; they make all the difference.

Where there were once two separate sprints – one local and another for offshore – we now had one shared sprint. Team communication was improved with HipChat and Skype. Our team is ridiculously resourceful, so once the right mindset was in place, they became virtuosos in no time. Tools and processes flowed organically.

So did the in-person visits. Not out of organizational psychology obligations, but because we wanted the hugs and handshakes, to break bread, raise the glass. After all, we’re a team, building a company to change the world. The occasional flight is in order.

Granted, some offshorees resisted being folded into our culture, preferring to remain in flatland. We parted ways with these types, and now we make better offshore hires – pleasantly round characters who are natural long-distance bonders.

Now, our offshore people don the company hoodies with pride. Individual contributions and team victories are celebrated. Distance doesn’t preclude holiday partying or free lunches. At long last, we’re enjoying the benefits of an offshore strategy with none of the pitfalls.

These aren’t new insights. Until they are.

A decade is a long time to get used to a global economy. Nonetheless, a Silicon Valley tech company, capable of easily knowing better, fell into the momentary trap of treating offshore people like machinery for the same reason you might: You’re busy; it’s easier to believe that clearly-worded commands solve everything.

I get all that. But when it comes to building something awesome, you flat out need people who care deeply about you and your vision. You don’t need a “remote” team. You need a team, period.

With your wonderful group of round characters in place, it’s onward and upward, to face the next Odysseian monster. Only this time, the world will be on your side. Literally.

Brad Matthews
 is founder and CEO of San Francisco-based wealth-management advisory platform Trizic.