TopCoder Question1 & Question4

Q1:

TopCoder is a software company which eager to review a particularly complex software development through crowdsourcing. TopCoder hired a global community of more than 225,000 programmers to compete to design software for TopCoder clients. In order to run the firm successfully, the senior managers are required to have some unique capabilities. The main capability that the senior managers need to develop is a high level of communication skill. Based on the crowdsourcing model, the work is separated and programs are coding by different teams. The managers need to communicate with each team to ensure the work status. If I were a senior manager, I would like to combine each team together, and let the coders know each other at first, then they should report their work to me so that I can get notification about the work status and ask them about details or solve some problems. Meanwhile, they can share their creative ideas with each other. This process needs communication skill. The senior manager not just manage the entire firm, but also communicates with the programmers to catch some information about their work.

It differs from traditional business. TopCoder shifted its business model of helping other software firms to solve clients’ problems by developing a competition-based business model. It is much difficult to develop a competition, process a program, and offer clients’ need. Different teams compete each other, and they all want to win out in the end. We can see it is more difficult to manage a traditional firm.

Q4:

Google Docs(https://www.google.com/docs/about/) is a word processor that allows users to create or edit documents online with others at the same time. It works as the normal word document, but it based on website, and more than one user can join in the same page and edit together. Documents, presentations, and tables can be created by Google Docs, and those documents are automatically saved on Google servers, and the edit history can be kept so that users can view it. It is easy for people to share information with each other.

Reference: Lakhani, K. Garvin, D. Lonstein, E. (12, May 31). TopCoder (A): Developing Software through Crowdsourcing. Retrieved Feruary 28, 2016, from Harvard Business School.