Blue Monitor engagements are typically delivered by a global team with 20 to 30 percent of the team members located at the customer site and 70 to 80 percent of the team located at our offshore development centers. The onsite team interacts daily with the customer to define requirements, review prototypes and manage scope changes. The offshore team ensures quality execution at a low cost, as well as access to our technology competency centers. Onsite and offshore teams collaborate on common systems, linked by our global network.
This model is distinct from other companies, which use "offshore factories" with very little coupling with the client because specifications are "thrown over the wall." Our tightly coupled model allows Blue Monitor team members to intensely participate with the client during the working day and then have a prototype built overnight, since the working day in India is nighttime in the West. This 24x7 iterative process is well suited to new technologies and has been adapted to e-business needs.
HOW FAST IS " ZERO TIME "
Real benefits happen when clients move work offshore fast to get the optimal 70/30 split.
How Fast is "Zero Time" anyway? Gaining true return on investment has become the number one criterion for technology projects. Accelerating time-to-benefit is a major requirement for gaining real ROI. Blue Monitor has helped large global customers gain the advantages of offshore deployment, producing double-digit savings in as little as 6 - 8 weeks. Based on our clients' experiences, we have provided some guidelines explaining how to realize the benefits of offshore outsourcing rapidly.
What are the key ingredients for gaining the"Zero Time" benefit? It starts with top management support and commitment, backed by a vision of the organization's goals and focuses. Specifically, the organization must set realistic goals; delineating which roles it and the offshore provider will play in developing and supporting technology initiatives.
The next step is "selling" the offshore strategy to those who will be impacted: internal IT staff and technology users from the operating units.
Is project selection and goals critical? Once the relationship between client and provider has been established and validated, step two is setting the right expectations. Set realistic project goals, or divide projects into manageable pieces that can be completed on schedule. Otherwise, over ambitious goals will jeopardize the credibility of the outsourcing effort, and in most cases, delaying time to benefit.
Is vendor selection critical? Yes. Choose a vendor with a track record of success, plus a core competency for project management. Selecting vendors solely on the basis of price may not necessarily provide the experience, skills, or maturity necessary for delivering benefits fast.
How important is the customer/provider relationship? Extremely Important. The fastest times-to-benefit occur when customers choose a partner whom they trust. The goal is finding a provider with whom the client can team to deliver a project for mutual benefit: the client and provider alike have stakes in each other's success. In this scenario, mistakes and other challenges are treated as learning opportunities that make teams more effective, rather than occasions for assigning fault.
What must the outsourcing provider do? The provider must have a full program management team and carefully structured transition process in place to deliver real results fast. Starting with complete action plan covering detailed project milestones, the outsourcing provider must have the necessary supporting processes in place, ranging from knowledge transfer and system documentation to change management and communications. The latter is especially important to counteract, or prevent the emergence of rumor mills that would otherwise obstruct the project.
What must the customer do? The first step is securing top management support for communications. This is critical in order to mount the next challenge: gaining staff level buy-in. Extra care must be taken with potentially sensitive issues such as job security, career paths, and skills development to ensure that internal staff is adequately motivated to share their knowledge with the outsourcing provider. Ideal candidates should have significant presence in the company's country of operation.
How should projects be managed? Ideally, projects and relationships should be managed on a network, distributed across the organization, with knowledge treated as a common resource. Otherwise, teams end up working at cross-purposes and often fail to benefit from each other's experiences.
