Managing "resources" and client expectations ...not just an Offshoring challenge
I was at a networking event recently where IT managers and Project Managers (PM) were talking about core issues and challenges. For IT managers, the challenges were strategic -- aligning IT focus with business strategies and roadmaps -- and operational. For the Managers from the “sell” side of sourcing (vendor organizations), the challenges were primarily “resource” focused.
During the icebreaker, when the facilitator asked us to name one challenge, it was interesting to see a variation of same problem repeatedly stated:
“The client’s team needs five additional .Net developers, but….” Or
“The team has been looking for a strong Tandem expert for nearly a month”
And it was not just managers who were lamenting over the challenge. It was interesting to see a senior architect from a consulting firm state his top challenge was to help the client find good J2EE Architect, who had a background in SOA, integration and mainframes….again a resourcing challenge.
These ‘challenges’ were similar to a query posed to me by a member of the audience at the recent PMI Dinner event where I was giving my invited talk: “do you get into situations where client expects you to have all the skilled people they need because you are such a large organization?”
My answer began with Yes, but…I went on to explain that this is a challenge that most, if not all, software service firms face. And the challenge not unique to offshoring. There are tactics managers use to mitigate such ‘challenges’
- Planning and forecasting: this is a basic technique adopted by most managers who try and keep an ear on the ground on impending requirements and feed back to their firm’s planning. Such planning also mitigates the element of surprise when a request materializes.
- Managing expectations 1: Software vendor’s PM’s who are the front-line client engagements are also responsible for managing expectations. This includes setting the right expectations and ensuring that they can walk-the-talk when it comes to it. For example, in multi-vendor scenarios having the courage to walk away from client requests for people with obscure skills when managers realize that the competing vendor may be able to satisfy the client’s needs (easier said than done, right?)
- Managing expectations 2: Another dimension to managing expectations is in helping the client redefine the ‘resource’ requirement. Admitted, this would require a deeper level of client relationship. For example, if the client is asking for a “good J2EE Architect, who had a background in SOA, integration and mainframes,” one could probe further on the nature of the task and requirement. It may turn out that a “good J2EE Architect, who had a background in SOA” could guide another senior mainframe developer in developing the solution for the client.
Now, you could get me started on where I would find a “good J2EE Architect” AND a “senior mainframe developer” and whether this is a more expensive solution for the client. Well, I did say that it was about managing the expectations, right?
Also agreed that the few eclectic thoughts in this blog focus just on the tactical end of the spectrum. On the strategic side comes a whole gamut of landscape and environmental scanning, enterprise planning, forecasting, training and talent management and development, recruitment etc, topics on which entire books have been written.
For those curious, senior management at Infosys is certainly aware of the challenges. For instance BG Srinivas in his blog entry from Davos talking about “It’s time to refocus on the employee” says
“While talent management per se is the key issue businesses grapple with, organizations are made by people. Irrespective of the fantastic systems and processes that organizations build, it is the individuals who make it happen.”
