The extent to which the Caribbean region can compete globally in the area of software development is a widely debated topic. Her,  we outline recent views expressed on the issue, and thereafter, share our thoughts on same.

 

Last week, a furore arose in the Jamaican software development community due to a article published in one of the local newspapers. In the article, Dr Delroy Chevers, a researcher and lecturer in information systems quality at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus, had assessed software development firms in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Guyana. With respect to Jamaica, he expressed the view that although Jamaican software developers possess the skills and competencies to compete with the likes of India, their development frameworks are not as structured or as rigorously implemented, which reflects a lack of maturity, and consequently, whether they will be favourably assessed.

The article also outlined five levels of maturity of software development firms:

  • Level 1: firms that have no policy, procedure or system in place
  • Level 2:  firms have established policies and procedures that are documented and communicated to people
  • Level 3: firms have policies that are documented, communicated and followed
  • Level 4: firms have policies that are documented, communicated, followed, and measured
  • Level 5: firms have policies that are documented, communicated, followed and measured, and engage in activities to find even more improved ways of delivering quality software.

According to Dr Chevers, Jamaican firms and those in the English-speaking Caribbean, tend to be assessed at Levels 1 or 2, whilst United States (US) firms, are considered to be at Levels 3 or 4, in terms of maturity, and Indian firms tend to be assessed at level 5. He was thus of the view, that in order for Caribbean firms to be more competitive, we have to strengthen our systems.

The general view of the Jamaican software development community appeared to be that Dr Chevers position might not accurately reflect what is happening on the ground. Some firms have been assessed at Levels 3 and 4, in terms of maturity – granted that a larger proportion would be at Levels 1 and 2. However, this contention highlights a number of issues in the Caribbean software development space and a few reasons why they might not be competitive.

 

The small software development segment

First, and although it might be unfair, it is a fact: the number of software development firms in the Caribbean is minuscule, when compared with the size of the digital services sector either in individual countries, or in the region as a whole. Further, although a firm might have software developers on staff, software development might not necessarily be their core business, which again reduces the number of firms counted.

Additionally, although individuals might have studied computer science or software development, either formally or informally, they might not be working as developers or in software development, which again, may betray the actual size of the industry. Hence, even if we have 500 people graduating with degrees on computer science or software development, for example, one might find only a small fraction of them actually end up working as specialists in that industry.

 

The small size of the operations

Second, something has to be said about the size of the operations in the Caribbean region, and consequently, their ability to compete. The majority of software development firms in the region are small, unless they are an offshore outsourcing facility. Most firms are likely to have less than 10 developers, and many would be multidisciplinary. In the US or India, 10 developers might be the size of one team, not the entire development cohort within a firm.

This small size would also affect how procedures are implemented. It might not be possible for all of the desired controls to be established, and for responsibilities, such as with respect to checks and balances, to fully separated, which would be reflected in the perceived level of maturity of Caribbean firms.

 

The lack of critical mass

Third and following from a previous point, when you delve deeper into the number of firms providing software development services, to identify sub-segments, such specialising in specific languages, or specific approaches/methodologies, or specialising in systems design, or testing and quality assurance, the number of firms is even lower. Essentially, trying to identify all of those firms and what they do might be tantamount to trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Further, although a Caribbean country might have 20 software development firms, for example, their areas of expertise might be so dispersed, that in any one sub-segment there might be less than a handful of firms, which results in no critical mass. When there are multiple firms in the same discipline, synergies can develop, and there might be sufficient impetus to nurture the supporting ecosystem. However, and until critical mass is achieved, the firms that exist might continue to operate in isolated pockets, and not be able to cohere into an acknowledged and more formidable force.

 

Costs and other competitiveness disadvantage

Finally, and although admittedly, it might be easier to find India software development firms that possess the desired skills and experience fora particular project, than might be the case in the Caribbean region, Caribbean firms – including tech firms – are outsourcing software development work to India. More importantly, the practice seems to be more common than one might think.

The biggest reason why Caribbean organisations are sending software development work to India is because of price: the work can be done more cheaply in India than in the US, for example. Additionally, Indian firms have the scale to execute complex projects and to deliver them in a timely manner. In many instances if you are able to identify a Caribbean firm with the requisite skills, they are likely to be hamstrung by they small size and the price of their service.

 

In summary, Dr Chevers might not have been wrong in his assessment of software development firms in the Caribbean region, but the situation may be more nuanced, which would not be accurately reflected in the blanket statements he was alleged to have made. However, if the region, or an individual country, wants to develop its software development skills and capability, in order to be more competitive, the industry as a whole requires attention. The onus may not rest solely at the feet of individual companies, as to considerable degree, they may already be doing the best they can.

 

 

 Image credit: Elchinator (Pixabay)