Abstract :
Necessitated by economic and market forces, the last two decades have witnessed a quantum leap in global dispersion of software development work, signifying the emergence of global software development (GSD) as an important driver of business value. Whilst most companies have jumped on the GSD bandwagon, evidence suggests that firms do not (or are not able to) systematically harness the full potential of GSD, resulting in sub-optimal value capture. This can often be attributed to a tactical approach towards GSD, absence of a realization that managing GSD is an acquired competency, and to insufficient insight into the structure and dynamics of GSD.
