Improving validation activities in a global software development

Global software development challenges traditional techniques of software engineering, such as peer reviews or teamwork. Effective teamwork and coaching of engineers contribute highly towards successful projects. In this case study, we evaluate experiences with validation activities in a global setting within Alcatel's switching and routing business. We investigate three hypotheses related to the effects of (a) collocated inspections, (b) intensive coaching and (c) feature-oriented development teams on globally distributed projects. As all these activities mean an initial investment compared to a standard process with scattered activities, the major validation criteria for the three hypotheses are: (1) cost reduction due to earlier defect detection and (2) less defects introduced. The data is taken from a sample of over 60 international projects of various sizes, from which we have collected all types of product and process metrics over the past four years.