[thomk]

However if you have architects that design software properly in the U.S. and pass those specifications to outsourced staff, then it's akin to a NYT writer dictating his notes to be typed in and proofread by someone overseas.

My point being; there's an efficient way to utilize cheap labor.

[yonaguska]

Right, but that proofreader might not totally understand nuances in language and how words take on different meanings to different audiences, even if they are the same words used.

Back to the programming reality from the analogy, I've seen outsourcing happen, for businesses that revolve around American customer bases and rules and regulations- now the code is outsourced, but the basic understanding of how business logic related to the real world use was gone. So the offshore team, while technically competent, was not equipped to make decisions about software with the consumer in mind. If you were working on something and it didn't really make sense in a real world sense, as a dev, you could go to your product person and raise concerns. Without the cultural context- those concerns never get raised.

[thomk]

Agreed. So in that case, I would not use an outsourcer for that particular piece. The problem is American developers treat outsourcers like they are American developers. Don't do that.

Treat them like 1) there is a language barrier and 2) they will not know there is a language barrier and they will forge ahead in the wrong direction.

Some of the best developers and PMs I have worked with were born in a country you barely know about, it just took a little time to get to know them and their skillset.

[majormajor]

> architects that design software properly

That's a tall order, the root of a million missed deadlines is that software is notoriously hard to fully design without writing code.

Are you doing something you've done a hundred times before, or are there some twists?

[thomk]

The best way to combat that is to not design anything too far into the future. This is where agile and sprints can be very helpful. It also means you are checking the work of the subcontractors on a regular basis. After a while you will learn how to communicate very well, you'll see the strengths and weaknesses of the staff and you can operate within those constraints.

That is the real work here; discovering acumen. Once you know that, you can hand out work that fits within their wheelhouse.

American developers excel at this because there's less of a communication gap. If an American can not do something he will tell you. If you are wrong about the way you are doing something, an American developer will tell you. Outsourced subcontractors will blindly do what they understood they were supposed to do without questioning anything resembling rationale.

Just know that going in.

You know what else is like that? A computer.

GIGO, etc.