Working Abroad with ThoughtWorks

by Jane Robarts

ThoughtWorks' global presence and its commitment to create a global community of consultants provides a unique opportunity for ThoughtWorkers to see the world, experience different practices, and work with consultants from a range of backgrounds. I recently returned to Canada after working in the United States, Australia, and most recently India.

As an Agile Project Manager, the opportunity to spend over a year in our Bangalore, India office allowed me to experience the unique culture of India, travel throughout the country, and contribute to our Distributed Agile practice.

At any point in time, ThoughtWorks is working on projects distributed between two or more of our offices, generally on different continents. Similar to normal Agile projects in the principles it applies, Distributed Agile presents a unique set of challenges for the teams, customers, and clients who are physically separated. Agile practices call for constant communication and collaboration, a task made difficult when dealing with teams located in different regions, and often in very different time zones.

Working on a project team involved in a long-term Distributed Agile project allowed me to participate on new innovations in this area and also contribute my own thoughts and ideas. Beyond the excitement of creating a unique working environment, I had many opportunities to enjoy the experiences India offered like trekking the Himalayas, sunning in Goa, and visiting the Taj Mahal. An opportunity not to be missed, the challenges presented by working in another country, and on a project with unique circumstances, allowed me to grow professionally and showed me the true level of ThoughtWorks' commitment to improving its people and its software delivery practices.

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