Use of a decision rights governance model for aid in the delivery of globally distributed information technology projects

The ability to deliver information technology (IT) services via globally distributed teams is fast becoming the norm in our constantly changing industry. Making globally distributed teams work cohesively on projects is a priority for most organizations. CIO's are urged to squeeze maximum productivity for significantly reduced IT dollars. Using technically proficient team members in second and third world nations, such as India, allows many companies to take advantage of a lower cost labor pool; hence the advent of offshoring of IT services. Opportunity and access to labor arbitrage does not come without its costs. Differences in time zone, culture, language, technology, infrastructure and technology pose formidable challenges to the management of distributed teams; one of the problems is in assigning decision rights.;Decision rights define who has the authority to decide and take action on a system without further approval. As a part of IT governance, decision rights are used to ensure that the right team members are empowered at the right time with the right degree of authority.;This thesis suggested a new model for oversight and governance of globally distributed teams. It was designed to meet the time zone, cultural and productivity challenges that plague the offshore IT service industry today.;The typical global model is made up of onshore and offshore team members. The research model introduced a new participant in the global IT services delivery process; a 'broker'. This mediator, referred to as a 'broker', was based in the United Kingdom. The broker owned the decision rights over quality for software projects that were outsourced to India; the results are then delivered to North American customers. The research collected and analyzed defect density rates to determine if there was any statistically significant difference in quality levels when assigning decision rights to the broker rather than leaving them with the offshore team. The research was able to conclude that that improved quality levels of software work products created in India was dependent upon the use of a UK-based broker.