follow the sun support model presentation

Bugs and production problems are almost a certainty, this means companies need to organise resources and build capability to . Let's talk about providing 24-hour support without overwhelming one location and forcing staff to work overtime. Believe it or not, the Covid-19 pandemic certainly influenced the decision to bring this powerful idea to life with local client support branches and personnel on every continent. IT architecture and the people who program and maintain the architecture can make or break a companys daily operations, particularly for companies with a global presence. They are summarized in the table below. IEEE, 2005. With rising customer expectations around better service in todays macroeconomic environment, its important to lean on customer education programs to boost agent knowledge and productivityand to help your business retain customers. They meet their global support goals by working together, providing a combined 18 hours a day of coverage. 5 are applied in practice. So how can companies of different sizes utilize that to their advantage? Handoffs management in follow-the-sun software projects: a case study. A novel approach to distributed concurrent software development using a follow-the-sun technique. Since these aspects above are reported to increase efficiency, it was also concluded that when these aspects are taken into account the duration of the project is reduced. Hence it is important to select a software development methodology which extends over the entire software development cycle and satisfies the special needs of daily hand-offs. In this distributed model, the CIA [8] (the triad of Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability of service and data) assumes paramount importance. 0000007912 00000 n Results are generally from case or field studies, resulting in identified challenges and best practices to improve the methodology. Additionally, it will help you determine the processes you currently use and if your customer support is robust enough -- do you offer email, phone, and live chat support? If all the IT teams within your company use a follow the sun model, the project could be completed in days. However, FTS is not. The traditional follow the sun model is a type of global workflow in which issues can be handled by and passed between offices in different time zones, increasing responsiveness and reducing delays. are manually changeable. When a task is handed off from one engineer to another, there is an up-to-date, accurate architecture diagram to work from.. Naturally, the language and culture barriers do not seem like such big obstacles these days. [1] Erran Carmel, J Alberto Espinosa, and Yael Dubinsky. HVKn0Hi[dh;>~K@ HhD^ @)+{J:=,q&U^yZVf|7Gv1$[l3/ S 29= 25~xZOFXO_/Y 9vO,sI:bqgj-1`tIfZ{L#D9t5@R\B/PN=@7c8@T5jF/0'?daCE]7K'e%JtQSe,86^8Gv8[G@2S7 ^fH!7x%7Zo>.Wckhb|j\p{>K"N{cn; Follow the Sun is a customer support method that focuses on providing consistent customer support without regard for geographic location or time restraints. Organization Support: Role Communications Manager (CM) Description Coordinates emergency communication strategy across teams: customer success, marketing, legal, etc. Many companies. The number of sites had only a small impact on the accuracy. Initial handoffs mainly consisted of daily work summaries, which were later augmented by knowledge transfer activities. There exist several case and field studies over the years, which resulted in challenges and best practices of FTS. Typical challenges such as coordination, communication and culture differences presents a bigger challenge to FTS than GSD, as FTS involves daily hand-offs. %PDF-1.7 % This means that one team takes over the task when the first team is over. It is always noon somewhere, right? The follow the sun model is a service and support method that is designed to address and satisfy customer needs without regard to geographic location or current time. When youve got teams working round the clock, your troubleshooting efforts become more efficient. Your global customers will appreciate that bugs and other issues can be resolved quickly and that they dont have to wait for a team in a different time zone to fix the problem. Free and premium plans, Sales CRM software. Software tools used for actual FTS implementation must include both managerial and technical aspects, to adapt to the changing requirements of the software development process. One of the important concepts evolved in the past decade or so is the " Follow the sun " (FTS) software development. Still, it did, and that is where our plan and ability to coordinate staff remotely across the world helped keep all the processes running. 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.. As described by Carmel [1], the agile methodology is best suited for FTS. For example, you may need skilled bilingual managers and associates to help with international communications. User interface data decision support system model with arrows and icons. The traditional "follow the sun" model is a type of global workflow in which issues can be handled by and passed between offices in different time zones, increasing responsiveness and reducing delays. Inverse schedules on an escalation policy - If you have two or more users that rotate primary and secondary on-call shifts, then you will want to create two on-call schedules and add . In Global Software Engineering (ICGSE), 2010 5th IEEE International Conference on, pages 165174. The FTS model has proven its potential for decreasing time to market, accelerating product development and ensuring consistent client communication. 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. We're committed to your privacy. 0000004606 00000 n When you keep everyone on the same page, service ticket times go down, security gets stronger, workflows become more seamless, and customers receive a better technical experience. As well, such expansion can always have a positive impact in terms of brand development and brand promotion. Improving global software development project performance using simulation. Its also a great record to have on hand to show various stakeholders just how much your department can accomplish in any given window of time., Visualizing your cloud infrastructure in a centralized location that is accessible to all global team members will create an accurate and consistent picture of your follow the sun model from day one. In addition, there is research about location selection and the effect of the number of selected locations. It was developed so companies can provide round-the-clock customer service, literally following the sun around the globe. Proceedings, pages 218{224. 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. The success cases in the Industry using FTS are rare, in part due to the lack of well-founded knowledge on applying FTS [9]. Linear sequential approaches such as the Waterfall model seem to be inefficient for the FTS approach. 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. Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. 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. With this intuitive, cloud-based solution, everyone can work visually and collaborate in real time while building flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, and more. To fulfil this need, most firms try various strategies such as working overtime, skipping steps and setting aggressive deadlines. If youre a small company looking to provide global support, consider what steps you can take now to achieve your longer-term support goals. Another consideration is the way you use technology. In this section we give a number of research themes within Follow-the-Sun software development research. 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. 0000015792 00000 n Note that it will only suit some business models. FTS has many challenges associated with it and it also faces same challenges of GSD as it is a part of GSD. Employees hand off work at the end of each shift to the next site that is beginning a new shift several time zones to the west. 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. An optimal FTS configuration could raise the calendar efficiency as high as 71.4%. Essentially, it's 24/7 support, no matter where the sun is up, without needing any customer service department to work late shifts. In its early days, this customer service approach only seemed feasible for big companies that had the resources to open and staff multiple offices around the world. Follow the sun is also used by software development teams that are spread out across global sites. FTS is a global software development strategy. That's why as the assets are transferred to the next team, you need to ensure that detailed workflow documentation and technical tasks do not require further clarification. Handing off work from site to site balances the workload and makes it easier for you to offer consistent levels of service at all times. [17] Amar Gupta, Rajdeep Bondade, and Nathan Denny. Do you also have self-service options like a knowledge database? But these steps will add to the increase in cost due to burnout and fatigue [2]. Calculation, effects, and prevention tips, Streamline call center BPO management with data-driven WFM, Why great CX is the doorway to success with open banking for financial services firms. Infosys concluded that applicability of FTS was limited and highly specific to the nature of the task at hand. 8. Global business processes such as call centres or help desks are not counted under the FTS umbrella. This model ensures that none of your service locations are neglected or receive preferential treatment, especially if you work at a global company. Determine which services will be provided, when they will be provided, and what skill set will be needed to provide those services. 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. Deriving Mutual Benefits from Offshore Outsourcing: The 24-Hour Knowledge Factory Scenario. (2007). However, manually building the documentation from scratch could be a daysor even weekslong processan unnecessary burden when youre trying to implement a new model., We can help you visualize your cloud infrastructure in just a few seconds. Tools to support data security and encryption such as VPNs are also important. A global service model in place to keep every team member connected, consistent and making continual progress on projects, tasks, and bug fixes. Organize the data by cloud, region, compute instance, and more., Having this tool in your arsenal transforms project management and puts you in a better position to respond to security risks and downtime., Every piece of your infrastructure is laid out right in front of you, and you can easily filter diagrams based on the task at hand, removing unnecessary details, and even @mentioned specific users to direct them to the specific part of infrastructure that needs action to be taken. If you dont have international offices, create a plan that uses staggered start times to cover the time zones you are focusing on. With so many architecture models out there for you to base your system designs on, what makes a follow the sun model stand out? 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. The follow the sun model is certainly not a new concept - nor is it unique to corporate travel management or the travel industry. Learn how to use a follow the sun model for your IT and cloud teams. 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. Though the teams faced initial setbacks due to cultural differences and technical glitches, by re-orienting their thinking they could successfully implement agile practices across all locations on a single working codebase. Is a follow the sun model right for your IT and cloud teams? Do we get enough tickets from each timezone to support a customer service agent. We have also elaborated in depth about the real world examples where FTS was applied. The Follow the Sun model allows brands to spread customer support over multiple time zones, which provides the necessary support that customers might need at odd hours of the night, or if they themselves are living in a different time zone. Documenting how many resources are available every month at the start of a new project will help your team determine accurate timelines and avoid team member burnout. Thank you for subscribing to our email communication. What could shorter department turnaround times mean for what youre trying to achieve globally? Lucidchart is the intelligent diagramming application that empowers teams to clarify complexity, align their insights, and build the futurefaster. With this intuitive, cloud-based solution, everyone can work visually and collaborate in real time while building flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, and more. Multiple teams may be working on the product over a certain amount of time, but one defined team is responsible for overseeing the process from start to finish. Ultimately, the processes kept running, the staff were not forced to work overtime, and none of the offices were overwhelmed, and that is key when it comes to a successful business model. Network Security in Theory and Practice. 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. 2006. N#"$(591 = |% z#i{vXP!M^\`NVBq We would like some form of handover application within Microsoft teams to assist with a "Follow the Sun" support model. Because of its uncommon nature, FTS is also least practiced in the industry and has very few documented examples of success. In addition, passing the work to a new group lets people see the problem from a new perspective. At any given time only one team owns the product unlike other global configurations in which multiple locations can own different parts of the product. fraternity rush schedule, highest cc characters grand cross, empresas adoc courier services,

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