Distributed Agile Patterns-Using Agile Practices to Solve Offshore Development Issues

As offshoring is becoming mainstream, companies are moving towards using agile methods. Offshoring has many advantages such as reduced development cost, proximity to market and round the clock development, it has created new challenges for the application of agile practices as the teams are now distributed. Companies are adapting and modifying agile practices in order to overcome these challenges. However, little effort has been put into identifying common practices, which are being repeatedly, used to solve frequent problems in offshore development. In this research, we have studied from literature over 200 cases and have interviewed professionals participating in distributed offshore teams. Based on the observations, we have designed a solution known as Distributed Agile Patterns, which will address the common issues in offshoring scenario. Fifteen distributed agile patterns have been identified and classified into four categories based on the type of problem they solve. A reflection workshop was conducted where professionals were invited to review the pattern catalogue and help us verify and validate the catalogue. Based on their feedback, the catalogue was finalised. The purpose of the catalogue is to serve as a guideline for practitioners to use to aid them in adoption of agile practices in offshoring.