Sanskrit, the secret of India's outsourcing success. 17

SteveR will for

Hi Steve,

after in story

better

My thought was that maybe it would guarantee I put the correct information down. You are right, I don't know how to formally specify software, and this has only become a problem since we began outsourcing. Frankly, I haven't seen a formal spec since 1988!

My group all sit in the same "bullpen" at work and we can easily and quickly resolve any issues that come up, communicating by Instant Messaging, thrown balls of screwed-up paper, etc. In contrast, a question-answer round-trip to India and back takes ca. 10 hours due to the need to sleep.

building

and

Yes, but my thought was that the tests would support the incomplete spec.

here to

Well, actually, we started from only ten requirements. So we began with very little. The plan was that instead of developing here, we'd design here, and outsource development.

Well, yes; that's a flipside. There is a lot of configuration documentation.

Isn't that inherent in the design of interfaces? Besides, wouldn't the compiler get all those?

Well, I don't really know what the extensions are yet, so perhaps I mispoke, but there is nothing I can currently envisage that wouldn't fit.

the of (whatever to

You describe my situation accurately! Unfortunately, it seems to me that the REAL requirement discovery was synergistic with development.

Meeting N

Us: the system now makes lightly-browned toast Them: but we need waffles too!

Meeting N + 1

Us: waffles or toast is available according to user preferences Them: and coffee right?

And so on.

Max