Follow-the-sun is an operating model, not a slogan
Many teams copy the phrase before they build the process required to support it.
It works when
Coverage is clearly partitioned
Escalation paths are explicit
Tooling exposes the same information to every region
It fails when
Regions duplicate work
Handoffs are vague
Priority rules differ by office
Decide what rotates
Not every responsibility should move between regions. Separate real-time support, engineering response, and planned project work.
Measure outcomes
Track response time, reopen rate, and handoff churn. Without measurement, a global support model can hide inefficiency behind the appearance of coverage.
Bottom line
Use follow-the-sun only where the business benefits from continuous coverage and the team can maintain strong operational discipline.
All articles
WorldTime Blog