Managing IT Projects-Onsite Offshore Coordination

Onsite Offshore Coordination

1. Onsite Offshore Coordination

2. Offshore Outsourcing Model – Overview Team Structure and Key Challenges Perceptions and Expectations Most Optimum Practices Contents

3. Offshore Outsourcing Model – Overview Key Characteristics Business organization hires another organization in another country Team is located in time-zone different from the customer One or more team members are located at customer site Promoted by GE in mid 1990s. Jack Welch, former CEO of GE and industry thought-leader, had announced the ‘70-70-70’ plan – 70% of GE’s IT work will be outsourced 70% of the outsourced work will be done offshore 70% of the offshore work will be done in India Today: 43% of IT Services companies in the US outsource their work offshore India tops the list of preferred countries for outsourcing! Primary Benefits of Offshore Outsourcing: Reduce costs Gain access to IT resources unavailable internally *Statistics taken from http://www.statisticbrain.com/outsourcing-statistics-by-country/

4. Offshore Outsourcing Model – Overview Team Structure and Key Challenges Perceptions and Expectations Most Optimum Practices Contents

5. Team Structure Delivery Lead Onsite Coordinator Offshore Team (70-100%) Client Manager Onsite Offshore Client Team Onsite Team (0-30%) Customer Service Provider

6. Key Challenges Delivery Lead Onsite Coordinator Offshore Team (70-100%) Client Manager Onsite Offshore Client Team Onsite Team (0-30%) Customer Service Provider Cannot correlate to the environment at customer site Doesn’t have the exposure that Onsite coordinator has Cannot correlate to the challenges/ limitations faced by Offshore May not be aware of the efforts put in by Offshore to solve a problem Tends to speak the language of the customer Communication gap

7. Offshore Outsourcing Model – Overview Team Structure and Key Challenges Perceptions and Expectations Most Optimum Practices Contents

8. Perception from Offshore Offshore team Customer Onsite Coordinator

9. Perception from Onsite Onsite Coordinator Customer Offshore team

10. CHALLENGE EXPECTATION - OFFSHORE EXPECTATION - ONSITE Requirements are not clear/ stable Provide relevant estimates and inform about any deviation sooner than later Provide requirements as granular and in advance as possible Needed resources (installers, licenses, etc.) are not available Share accurate updates of progress/ roadblocks through the day Make the required resources available to work on a story Delay in flagging risks (No Surprises principle) Share questions and concerns as early as possible Convey the roadblocks/ pain areas of team to customer Avoid over-optimism or fear of escalation from customer Lack of motivation/ focus on Client Satisfaction Strive for improvements in product/ services/ processes Exceed expectations by providing value-added services Fetch customer appreciation! Provide insights to increase customer satisfaction Challenges vs. Expectations (1/2)

11. CHALLENGE EXPECTATION - OFFSHORE EXPECTATION - ONSITE Short interactions during daily standups only Interact with Onsite and provide support during overlapping hours Revert to queries in timely manner Have one-on-one calls with team members for specific tasks/ issues Ask specific questions to understand and help with the situation Lack of Email etiquettes Pay attention to old emails too in forwarded email threads Do not delete old emails – move them to apt folders Do not share internal email chains with customer Consolidate and summarize info gathered through the day instead of forwarding FYI emails Avoid sending large attachments – share them through FTP/ shared folders Challenges vs. Expectations (2/2)

12. Offshore Outsourcing Model – Overview Team Structure and Key Challenges Perceptions and Expectations Most Optimum Practices Contents

13. Most Optimum Practices – Offshore Schedule a daily sync up with Onsite coordinator Adjust the work hours to provide as much overlap as possible towards the end of day Share the details of activities/ progress through the day, so that appropriate good/ bad news can be conveyed to the customer Make maximum but efficient use of messenger and phone calls during the overlap hours Be sensitive to the onsite bandwidth – investigate adequately and present smart alternatives to arrive at a solution quickly Be prepared to accommodate urgent requests from the customer Have adequate test/ demo environments at hand Daily Sync-up Effective Communication Being Proactive

14. Most Optimum Practices – Onsite Start the day as early as possible to increase the overlap with Offshore Sync up with the offshore team first thing in the morning before facing the customer If possible, go through the emails from team before sync up Clarify any doubts about the emails, questions from team over the sync up If a topic needs deeper or specific discussion, do that on a one-to-one call Prepare a list of action items based on the sync up and prioritize as per the impact on the sprint (immediate needs) Try to address as many action items during the day and share the findings/ actionable items through email at the EOD Have adequate test/ demo environments at hand Time Management Collaboration Leadership & Presentation

15. I would like to conclude with… Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together. Paul Ryan The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime. Babe Ruth