International software development teams: Process and national culture

While large scale international collaborations have primarily focused on complex scientific and engineering challenges, software is inevitably a part of the process and final product. This paper draws from the experience of ITER, the worlds largest collaborative effort, and raises questions about the problems of joint projects: why these collaborations introduce a new layer of complexity into the development process; what stages in the software development process might be most affected by international differences; What consequences, if any, these differences may have on the project's outcome; the role management needs to take to ensure productive collaborations.