Seminar “International Software Engineering: A Case Study of the Honeywell Experience”
On 3 June, USAID, in cooperation with the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering (FECE – UP) and STIKK, organised a seminar on the topic of International Software Engineering.
Prof. Ronalds Birks from Honeywell, and Prof. Shahin Berisha, Software Engineer from the Arizona State University shared their experiences. Globalisation pushed Honeywell from USA to outsource to India, China, Russia and Mexico. Prof. Birks, after working one year in Russia, more than four years in India, and more than five in France, explained how companies which have offices in many different countries in the world are functioning. The company starts working on the project in the USA, in the afternoon the concept is developed in the Czech Republic, the development continues in India, and then goes back to the USA for testing. This efficiency has been developed through years of experience and cooperation, especially with Universities for adjustment of the curriculum with the needs of the labour market.
But success is not the only thing International Software Engineering brings. Besides the language difference and the time zones, a small possibility for face-to-face meetings and difficult process cooperation are challenges that these multi-national projects face. When focusing on Kosovo, Prof. Birks highly valued the level of English and German language knowledge, the geographic position, and the young age of potential employees in the ICT sector.
