Follow-the-sun
Encyclopedia
Follow-the-sun is a type of global workflow
in which tasks are passed around daily between work sites that are many time zones apart. Such a workflow is set up in order to reduce project duration and increase responsiveness. Thus, the work is "following the sun" and never stops.
For example, at the end of the day, a systems support team in Silicon Valley
will pass its work tasks to a support team in Bangalore, India, which, at the end of its day, passes its work on back to Silicon Valley.
This workflow is effective in software support and help desk
operations. It is also discussed in software development, but is more difficult to achieve because of coordination costs.
or spare processing power.
Workflow
A workflow consists of a sequence of connected steps. It is a depiction of a sequence of operations, declared as work of a person, a group of persons, an organization of staff, or one or more simple or complex mechanisms. Workflow may be seen as any abstraction of real work...
in which tasks are passed around daily between work sites that are many time zones apart. Such a workflow is set up in order to reduce project duration and increase responsiveness. Thus, the work is "following the sun" and never stops.
For example, at the end of the day, a systems support team in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
will pass its work tasks to a support team in Bangalore, India, which, at the end of its day, passes its work on back to Silicon Valley.
This workflow is effective in software support and help desk
Help desk
A help desk is an information and assistance resource that troubleshoots problems with computers or similar products. Corporations often provide help desk support to their customers via a toll-free number, website and e-mail. There are also in-house help desks geared toward providing the same kind...
operations. It is also discussed in software development, but is more difficult to achieve because of coordination costs.
Follow-the-moon
A related concept is follow-the-moon, which is scheduling work to be performed specifically during local night-time hours in order to, for instance, save on datacenter costs by using cheaper night-time electricityPeak demand
Peak demand is used to refer to a historically high point in the sales record of a particular product. In terms of energy use, peak demand describes a period of strong consumer demand.- Peak load :...
or spare processing power.
Other terms
- Round the clock
- 24-hour development
- 24-hour knowledge factory
- 24/7 or 24/365 productivity