Electronic products can be designed in one place and manufactured in another. Software products are a different story.

The design and development process could happen in multiple locations, at the same time, or asynchronously. Some startups might say they are a fully remote team; others would say they have the core team in-house and outsource maintenance and side projects overseas.

When you look closer at them, they have the same problem: unclear requirements.

I’ve found a very small number of engineers moving slowly after reading and understanding the requirements. And I’ve seen many companies complaining that remote teams are not moving fast enough because they don’t understand the requirements.

The software industry has a lot to learn from other sectors: an iPhone can be assembled in China after it was designed in California because once the Chinese factory turns on the first machine, the iPhone design doesn’t change.

Leo Celis

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