No matter if you're in the middle of a software project or starting on a brand new one, this can often be a trying time for an organization that requires everyone to be on the same page. Learn how to build a knowledge transfer plan for IT projects to ensure a smooth start and trouble-free delivery along the way.

So you've decided to hire an offshore team. In the first edition of our Outsourcing challenges blog series, we shared some best practices for hiring an effective offshore software development team. Then, in the second part, we explored how to structure your team for success. Here are the links to those two pieces, in case you've missed them:

In this post, we'll explore the process of building a no-fail offshore knowledge transfer plan for IT projects. We suggest you to consider it as your knowledge transfer checklist for a successful project start. Oftentimes, offshore teams can receive blame for a project, not meeting expectations. However, the cause of missed expectations is often unclear or misrepresented expectations. To ensure this does not occur, you need a clear knowledge transition plan. Having the plan in place helps outline key responsibilities and checkpoints for both the offshore team and the current internal (or consulting) team.

When implementing a knowledge transfer plan for IT projects, the process will look different across different levels of the organization. At the organizational level, all teams need to be identified and their responsibilities must be clearly defined throughout the process. This will be touched on more in Phase 1 and 2 below, but in short, the organization needs to be very exploratory answering questions such as what are our current processes involved with this project, who owns each process and what will need to be produced in order to measure success of the transfer, similar to an OKR (Objectives and Key Results) or a sprint goal.

At the team level, teams will need to have objectives (again, similar to those OKRs and/or sprints) clearly defined so there is no confusion as to their end goal. This will likely involve documentation and regularly occurring meetings (such as stand ups or daily/weekly scrums). It is best to treat knowledge transfer just like any other project or sprint in order to keep teams in rhythm and on task. Of course, this trickles down to the individual, their responsibilities and if they have any specific objectives.

Phase 1: Performing a Deep Dive on Roles and Responsibilities

Before any plans are made or meetings are held with the new offshore team, organizations must first look inward. No, not in a zen way, but instead in a pragmatic way. Oftentimes, organizations will begin throwing work at an offshore team as roles and responsibilities of the prior team comes to light. This causes disorganization, reduces clarity and balloons costs over initial estimates. To ensure this does not occur, it is critical for organizations to meet with the current team.