Managing Time Zone Differences for Seamless Software Outsourcing

Software development outsourcing means tapping into a global talent pool and taking advantage of the highest degree of expertise and skill sets in different countries or even continents, in many cases. But working with an outsourced team in another part of the world can also be challenging. How do you handle time zone differences to coordinate with your outside experts effectively?

While it can be a challenge, coordination with your nearshore or offshore team is certainly possible. Here’s how to manage time zone differences in software development outsourcing.

The Challenges of Time Zone Differences For Software Outsourcing

There are several challenges associated with dealing with time zone differences in IT outsourcing. Let’s examine the potential issues you might encounter.

Coordination and Scheduling Difficulties

It’s often difficult to coordinate meetings between your in-house team and offshore development team because you may have different working hours. How do you schedule calls to touch base? These difficulties can result in a lack of coordination, as well as delays and miscommunication.

Collaboration and Communication Barriers

With misaligned time zones, it can be difficult for your in-house team to connect with your outsourced team. Scheduling meetings can be a challenge, and daily communication may not be possible if your working hours don’t overlap. If urgent issues arise, you may not have communication channels in place to address and resolve them immediately.

Asynchronous communication also creates the potential for misunderstandings and confusion for both teams.

Impact on Productivity and Work-Life Balance

Working with software development offshore teams across different areas can impact employee productivity and work-life balance. Given that the partnership may involve irregular work hours, there is the potential for burnout and decreased morale for members of both teams.

Strategies for Managing a Time Zone Difference

So, how do you handle time zone differences? Here are some strategies for managing misaligned working hours in software development outsourcing.

#1 Flexible Work Arrangements and Shift Management

First, it is essential to be flexible when dealing with any time zone difference. Remember that members of your offshore team and your in-house team alike need to maintain work-life balance and will need to have flexible work arrangements.

Depending on the specific time zone difference or differences involved, you may be able to establish shifts where members of the offshore team have overlapping work hours with your internal employees. By managing and aligning different shifts, you will ensure that you achieve adequate coverage while balancing everyone’s workloads.

#2 Effective Communication and Collaboration Tools

There are different types of time zone management tools to help ensure effective communication and collaboration. Both teams should use a variety of communication channels for different purposes, such as video conferencing and chat platforms.

The time difference between your in-house team and the offshore team may mean that most communication is asynchronous, so choose the tools that most effectively support this. Understand that face-to-face meetings via video conferencing software may not happen frequently, while tools like Slack and project management tools such as Trello or Jira will prove essential in ensuring that everyone is on the same page, even from different corners of the world.

#3 Establishing Clear Expectations and Deadlines

In any software development project, it’s critical to establish clear expectations, deadlines, and benchmarks. This is especially important when there’s a significant time zone difference between your in-house team and the offshore development company because you will have less of an opportunity to connect in real-time.

By defining project milestones and deliverables, as well as establishing clear expectations and deadlines, you will be able to stay on top of outsourced project management across time zones.

#4 Building a Culture of Trust and Accountability

Establishing trust when engaging in software development offshoring is an important practice. Even when connecting across multiple time zones, you can build a cooperative, communicative culture, one that fosters accountability and transparency.

Establish a remote open-door policy that demonstrates your desire to support members of all teams involved. Frequently deliver feedback, including both positive comments and constructive criticism. This helps build rapport and trust.

Best Practices for Overcoming Time Zone Challenges

In general, there are some best practices to adhere to when dealing with any time zone difference or differences, whether you’re working with full-time professionals, outsourced team members, or any other remote context. This includes understanding the core dos and don’ts of software development outsourcing to ensure smooth and productive collaboration.

Use World Clock Meeting Planner

There are tools to help you align meetings and check-ins across time zones, such as World Clock Meeting Planner and World Time Buddy. Using these tools, you can ensure that you’re scheduling meetings at times that are convenient for everyone.

Regular Check-Ins and Progress Updates

Even with the time zone difference, it’s important to have regular check-ins and progress updates with offshore software development teams. Of course, you will need to align your schedules—those world clock tools we’ve discussed can certainly help—to ensure that you are accommodating the needs of everyone involved.

Cross-Cultural Training and Awareness

To facilitate stronger bonds with other team members, you should conduct cross-cultural training and awareness. This will help the teams communicate and collaborate more effectively with each other, which is important but difficult when working together across different time zones.

There are many factors that affect cultural sensitivity in the workplace. You’ll need to be cognizant of work styles and expectations in different cultures and countries, local holidays, professional standards and expectations, and so on. It can be helpful to create a guide to diverse cultures to help you understand one another and collaborate with understanding.

Encouraging Autonomy and Empowerment

One of the most important steps you can take to operate effectively with your partner team is to afford all members involved—those on your internal and external teams alike—autonomy and independence. There are numerous studies that show this increases productivity and it also shows that you trust your professionals to do their jobs and do them well. It also empowers all professionals involved in the project to take initiative.

The ability to self-manage is always important, but it’s especially critical when it comes to working across time zones. It substantially reduces the need for frequent check-ins and will increase productivity.

Of course, autonomy and independence can only occur in an environment where everyone understands their roles and responsibilities and is armed with the knowledge and sense of purpose to carry them out. Nor does an environment that is conducive to this type of self-management mean that you shouldn’t have meetings and constant communication and collaboration with everyone involved. But it does set you up for success in the longer term.

Conclusion

While time zone differences can present challenges in software outsourcing, with a solid communication and collaboration strategy in place, you can successfully navigate these obstacles and work together with your partner. Even when you’re in different parts of the world, it’s possible to build a strong partnership and complete successful projects.

If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out some more outsourcing articles.

FAQs

How can time zone differences impact an offshore development team?

Working with an offshore team can involve time zone differences, which can lead to challenges such as difficulty coordinating schedules and collaborating effectively. It can also lead to issues in productivity and work-life balance.

What are some strategies for managing time zone differences in software outsourcing?

To manage time zone differences in software outsourcing, businesses should establish clear expectations and channels of communication, embrace flexibility, and encourage autonomy, among other strategies.

How can a company create a supportive work environment that accommodates time zone differences?

In any arrangement involving remote work, companies must be cognizant of the fact that their team members may be in different time zones. To get everyone on the same page, as well as create a stronger sense of collaboration, you should build a positive remote work environment that focuses on trust, accountability, and cultural awareness.