You Can’t Scale Chaos

Software Without Borders

In this episode of Software Without Borders Podcast, Andy Hilliard sits down with Olivier Poulard, Accelerance’s Head of Global Software Engineering Strategies, to unpack one of the biggest myths in global software delivery: that adding more people solves delivery problems. Olivier shares what really drives predictability—clear alignment across people, process, technology, and data—and why so many organizations unknowingly “scale chaos.” Together, they dive into recurring SDLC pitfalls, hidden costs, and proven frameworks to turn fragmented delivery into a cohesive, measurable system. If you lead distributed teams or manage offshore partners, this conversation delivers a playbook for building sustainable, high-quality software outcomes.

Guest Introduction:

Olivier Poulard leads Global Software Engineering Strategies at Accelerance, bringing decades of experience on both sides of the delivery equation—as a global client managing teams of over 1,000 engineers and as a strategic partner architecting offshore and nearshore delivery systems. His practical, systems-level insights help clients design efficient, scalable, and high-performing software operations built on clarity and alignment rather than chaos.

Key Takeaways:

You can’t scale chaos—adding people only multiplies inefficiency without fixing underlying issues.

True delivery success requires alignment across people, process, technology, and data.

Clear, complete requirements (including transition and information requirements) prevent rework and estimation failures.

“Definition of Done” is critical for predictability—teams need shared clarity on what completion means.

Leaders must control scope and observe team dynamics to restore stability before scaling again.

Context switching, unclear requirements, and unmanaged change requests are among the costliest hidden inefficiencies.

Chapter Markers:

0:00 Intro

0:09 Guest Introduction: Olivier Poulard

1:16 Evolution of Accelerance’s Consulting Arm

3:03 The Myth of “Adding More People”

5:09 Aligning Clients and Partners for Real Outcomes

8:18 Why You Can’t Scale Chaos

10:46 The Two-to-Tango Rule in Global Delivery

12:28 Top SDLC Bottlenecks: Ambiguous Requirements & Bad Estimation

18:42 Building Predictable Estimation Models

21:19 The Power of a Strong Definition of Done

22:24 Using Checklists to Stabilize Teams

24:00 The Hidden Costs of Context Switching

27:13 Controlling Change Before It Controls You

29:11 Restoring Predictability Without Stalling Delivery

32:37 Measuring Team Health and Stress Indicators

34:03 Final Thoughts on Effective Partner Collaboration

Keywords:

Software Without Borders, Andy Hilliard, Olivier Poulard, Accelerance, software delivery, global engineering, software development lifecycle, SDLC bottlenecks, outsourcing strategy, agile transformation, software estimation, offshore teams, nearshore delivery, global software operations, leadership in tech