Reflective Report

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Practical Application
Software development involves a number of approaches and methods and therefore there
is a need of rigorous planning (Bergmann, 2002). It becomes even complicated and
rigorous when the software is designed for a global organisation because a number of
factors needs to be taken into consideration (Castro, et al., 2001). Assignment 1 was a
group report for a global software development program at Nike. The assignment allowed
us to synthesise our classroom learning into a practical scenario. The assignment helped
me understand the best possible strategies that can be applied in accordance with an
organisational context. We worked as a team to complete the assignment but the
contribution of every single member was crucial in the assignment as everyone was
completely responsible for the part allocated to them.

In the assignment, I was given the responsibility to analyse the methodologies adopted
for the strategy. I had to critically analyse three most popular software development
methodology and choose the one that fits the best for Nike. To start off the assignment, I
conducted a research to find out the best methodologies being adopted in the global
context in contemporary scenario. Based on my research, I was able to identify three
most poplar approaches that could be relevant in a global software development case.
However, I needed to propose one methodology that could be relevant to Nike. There is
no one-fits-for-all software development methodology (Carmel, 1999) and adoption of a
methodology is largely dependent on the organisational context (Highsmith, & Cockburn,
2001). What applies for one company might be completely irrelevant for the other (Pinci,
& Shapiro, 1991). Therefore, I needed to critically analyse the pros and cons of each
methodology and attempt to establish an alignment with the one closely fitting in Nike’s
context. I needed to justify as to why agile development was the most suitable software
development methodology at Nike and I did it by analysing the current organisational
strategies of Nike and how they align well with the principles of agile development
methodology and how other two cannot be applied to achieve best possible and optimal
results out of the software development.
Motivation and Justification

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Development of a strategic plan for software development requires expertise and
experience. There is a great difference between what is taught in the classroom and what
is applied in the pragmatic scenario. This exercise meant to make us aware on how to
apply to theoretical learning in the practical scenario so that we can develop better and in-
depth understanding of the concepts and when we enter in the practical scenario we do
not struggle to work on the projects. The software development strategy is something we
will come across quite frequently and we need to develop our skills in identifying and
planning right strategies for the clients we will be working for. There are a lot at stake
when a global organisation is adopting information technology and even a small mistake
can lead to several problems and therefore the more we practice on the strategies we will
be able to make mistakes.
Our approach towards the assignment was to carry out extensive and rigorous research so
that we can have depth of understanding on the topic. For my part, I browsed through a
number of scholarly and non-scholarly articles to get an idea on the methodologies being
adopted in global software development. There are a number of methodologies being
adopted worldwide but all of them are not applicable in the context of Nike. The adoption
of methodologies is completely contextual and therefore I had to carry out research and
see if there is an alignment with the three methodologies and Nike’s strategies. I avoided
random selection of three strategies and choosing and recommending one of the for Nike.
In such a scenario, it was quite possible that I end up recommending the strategy that
might work but not the best for Nike. In order to eliminate any such possibilities, I also
researched on the strategies adopted by Nike and tried to match them with the
methodologies. Based on that I was able to decide the best software development
methodology for Nike.
Reflection
This exercise has been a great learning experience to me. The practical application of the
software development approaches and methodologies helped me understand how to align
them with the strategies of the organisations. Earlier, I was taught only the concepts in
classroom and I always wondered how they will be applied in an organisation. There
were many concepts in the software development which one cannot understand easily in
the classroom and this exercise gave me an opportunity to understand those concepts

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perfectly without making much efforts. All I needed was to carry out extensive research
on methodologies available and their alignment with the strategies of Nike. This exercise
has given me confidence that I will be able to implement software development strategies
for different other companies easily.
This exercise has also debunked some of my perceptions in relation to software
development. Earlier, I used to think that pragmatic application of the theoretical
concepts will be difficult but after completion of the exercise I can safely say that the
practical application can be more clear and understanding. However, I do understand that
there is great difference between mock application and real application. The complexity
of a project may vary from case to case. I would attempt to focus more on the practical
application than theoretical learning. The exercise was a group effort in which the team
members helped each other to complete it successfully. However, every team member
was assigned with the particular part of the assignment but everyone helped each other to
complete the task. I helped other members to understand the concepts of my part.

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References
Bergmann, R. (2002). Experience management: foundations, development methodology,
and internet-based applications. Springer-Verlag.
Carmel, E. (1999). Global software teams: collaborating across borders and time zones.
Prentice Hall PTR.
Castro, J., Kolp, M., & Mylopoulos, J. (2001, January). A requirements-driven
development methodology. In Advanced Information Systems Engineering (pp.
108-123). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Highsmith, J., & Cockburn, A. (2001). Agile software development: The business of
innovation. Computer, 34(9), 120-127.
Pinci, V. O., & Shapiro, R. M. (1991). An integrated software development methodology
based on hierarchical colored Petri nets. In Advances in Petri Nets 1991 (pp. 227-
252). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

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