I’m now a few years older, and a few years wiser; and I’ve found myself in a far off country trying to organise developments in a country 26 hours by plane away.

So, I thought I’d share some of the tips I’ve picked up from the experience so far. And for the sake of lazyness, I’ll write it as an “all time top 5″ list, a-la High Fidelity.

5) It helps if the two ends are culturally similar. I don’t mean culturally similar with regards to race, relgion etc… rather it helps when the two organisations are similar in ethos. Do you both have a similar level of commitment to clients? Do you both work similar hours? Have similar expectations of what constitutes an acceptable level of testing/documentation/speed of development?

4) Try and get the ability to allow both sides to access source. This gives you the ability to check progress… fix bugs and give suggestions that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to early on in the development cycle.

3) You need to clearly define the responsabilities at each end.. which country is responsible for tracking the project state? code deficiencies? documentation etc… Preferably there needs to be one designated person at either end ultimately responsible for deliverables. Without such a person, deliverables have a habit of languishing in the bowels of the development shop without progress.

2) Personal relationships are a key factor to making things work. Having met the other person at the other end of the phone can make up for a lot of process deficiencies. Put some people on a plane to meet the folks at the other end… if you haven’t met the side, your business is likely to suffer. Try and foster relationships not just with the senior members of the other side,  as the developers will likely be more open to going the extra yard for you if they have a face to put the work to.

1) Communicate. Daily if possible. Emails good, IM is better, Phone calls are the best. Make sure each side is aware of what’s going on…