Managing Offshore IT

My blog entries on Pre-Sales support activities in software service firms continue to generate comments (and offline queries), most recent of them being from Arvind Kumar Srivastava who agrees  “Pre sales is really an exciting and challenging role. It's a point where Technology meets Business; it involves exercising grey cells, coordination, communication, winning a client and opening the floodgates of wealth for the company u r working for. It also requires loads of patience and perseverance.”

Based on the stream of queries I received, I decided to elaborate on the topic further (published here online: “Viewpoints on Pre Sales, Sales support at Software Service Firms”). This is a working draft that I will continue to revise, so keep your queries and comments coming.

Posted by Mohan Babu K. at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Continue reading "Offshoring and Flattening of the world in the Blink of an eye" »

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A few days ago, an Infosys onsite manager, Sam, pinged me asking if I could meet with him for lunch as he was looking for some mentoring. He was using the slow time between Christmas and New Year to reflect on the ‘year that was’ and plan for the New Year’s resolution. I agreed and during lunch he described how he was confounded by the new expectations from his Engagement Manager who was expecting Sam to pick up on some of the ‘account’ related administrative activities with a clear message: Sam had to look for opportunities to ‘contribute’ to the account team if he wanted to grow in the organization.

Sam’s dilemma was clear: he was billable a full time in the client’s project where he was expected to contribute and manage the project Infosys was executing. And here was his Infosys EM expecting him to step up and take on additional responsibilities related to the account.

Continue reading "Onsite Managers at Offshoring Firms: Contributing back to the firm" »

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I came across an interesting blog entry by Basab on “The Importance of being Articulate” where he builds an argument based on his anecdotal observation of Indian and western business leaders in CNBC where he states “Another difference that is immediately evident is how articulate business leaders are on CNBC in the US compared to their counterparts in India. They are not only better tutored on how to handle the press and TV but they are just plain better speakers.”

There is some merit to the argument he is making though the reasons he states may be debatable. For this thread, we will use the definitions 2. 3. 4. and 5. from dictionary.com

Continue reading "Globalization and The Importance of being Articulate" »

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A few days ago, I was reading an interesting article on “The Basics of Moneymaking” by Ram Charan, which summarizes the essence of  his bestseller “What the CEO Wants You to Know : How Your Company Really Works”

The book, just like this article, tries to succinctly articulate the need for everyone to understand what their  business is all about. I had attempted to do just that in my previous blog [It's that time of the Quarter: Offshoring accounting]

Continue reading "What’s the big deal about big sourcing deals?" »

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I was listening to an interesting program on NPR on the drive to work that featured “Technology for Unmanned Planes Shown at Paris Air Show” The program was about the technology from Athena Technologies, which makes flight-control and guidance systems for unmanned aircraft, and about how we could someday be flying on aircraft without human pilots. After analyzing a few aspects of technology, the reporter brought out an interesting aspect that could be a potential bottleneck in adopting the technology: Pilot’s ego’s. 

This made me reflect on an aspect of offshoring that I did not delve deeper into in my book [Offshoring IT Services] is the dynamics of multisourcing. Infosys teams increasingly get involved in programs and projects for clients that also work with other vendors. Of course there are several dimensions to such interactions. Facilitating review of artifacts, say architecture and design outputs is an example. And here, similar to the Pilot, the ‘Architect’s Ego’ comes to play. 

Continue reading "Multivendor, Multisourcing and Architect Egoes" »

Posted by Mohan Babu K. at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A quick follow-up on my blog on “Offshoring Study trip.” An aspect missed out is the InStep, which is Infosys’ global internship program. The program gives students an opportunity to experience the workings of offshoring first hand.

A recent press release quotes  Josh Bornstein, alumnus of Claremont McKenna College “While applying for full time jobs, my internship experience in India differentiated my resume from other candidates. Infosys gave me an unmatched opportunity to grow and gain expertise in an international business climate. Acquiring experience with a world-class company like Infosys has helped me to adapt to the changing global environment and has given me an edge over my peers. This has held me in good stead in my career at Footprint Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund in India.”

Continue reading "Offshoring Study trip … continued… why not experience it?" »

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With offshoring of IT and Business Services gaining widespread attention among business leaders and technologists alike, can smart, ambitious students be far behind? Surely not. Students of Business and IT are getting into the swing of globalization by planning ‘study trip’ to India … which is almost a must-do; and among the agenda is a visit to the Infosys campus

On a similar thread, I also came across an increasing number of courses on ‘managing offshoring’ offered by universities [A sampling online]. Though I continue to interact with academics and peers on the topic, I have not participated in these ‘study trips’ as my knowledge of offshoring is  primarly empirical, and based on studying industry reports and analysis from academics. So, I sometimes wonder: what do the students do on a 'Study trip' to India?

Continue reading "Offshoring Study trip" »

Posted by Mohan Babu K. at 09:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

In some quarters, India has almost become synonymous with outsourcing. For instance, a recent article in Forbes magazine interviews Raman Roy, who says how
 “In the days leading up to India's '90s outsourcing boom, one of its pioneers remembers starting presentations to prospective American clients by telling them, "You probably think I travel to the office on a bullock cart." ….At a time when India is firmly established on the global map, that line seems outdated, slightly offensive even."

With articles like these appearing in the mainstream media, it essentially means that “Offshoring to India” is not a title that can draw readers’ eyeballs anymore; so what’s the next hot title that analysts, bloggers and business media are fixated over? It is “China vs. India”!

Continue reading "China vs. India For Outsourcing and Offshoring" »

Posted by Mohan Babu K. at 06:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

A few weeks ago I received a royalty check from McGraw-Hill for my book “Offshoring IT Services” which was published a little over a year ago. Just after its publication, I had blogged about my experience in getting a book published, and since then I continue to reflect on the topic, and also muse on some of my observations on this blog.

How successful was the book?  Well, let us put it this way: it did not get on Amazon.com (or any other) “top 10” list. My publisher tells me it is not a ‘bestseller,’ which means it was probably destined to be in the ‘Long Tail’ of technology and management books. The reasons are not hard to fathom:

Continue reading "Offshoring IT Services: Book royalty etc" »

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My earlier post on IT-Business/Domain Knowledge in an offshoring context generated a fair number of insightful comments. Chetan and Michael debate the nexus of IT-Business/Domain Knowledge and business agility. As I was reading these comments, I began reflecting on the other similar debate on the business of offshoring itself, more specifically in the context of Chris Anderson's bestseller “The Long Tail” that I got around to read recently. Taking off from Anderson's popular Wired Magazine article, the book expounds the idea that “some businesses, like Amazon and Google, can make money not just on big hits, but by eating the Long Tail. They can live like a blue whale, growing fat by eating millions of tiny shrimp.” [Tim Wu: The Wrong Tail How to turn a powerful idea into a dubious theory of everything.]

Continue reading "The business of offshoring and the "Long Tail of labor"" »

Posted by Mohan Babu K. at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I came across a blog titled “Is Offshoring the Same as Delegation?” where Ron suggested that  outsourcing and offshoring is just another step on the delegation path. Ron goes on to quote Professor Stephen Gillers of NYU Law, a co-panelist and recognized ethics expert who explains that "with appropriate supervision and disclosure, outsourcing and offshoring are ethically permissible”

This is a very interesting notion since outsourcing is all about extending an organization’s capabilities by reaching out externally, and increasingly globally.

Continue reading "Offshoring and Delegation" »

Posted by Mohan Babu K. at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here is a bit of blatant self promotion: I have been ideating on a few topics around sourcing, offshoring management and leveraging globalized teams to foster innovation.

The first paper was published in the March 2007 issue of Cutter IT Journal focused on “The IT Innovation Process: Necessity or Oxymoron?”  Guest Editor, Claude R. Baudoin, introduces our paper as:

We start with San Murugesan and Mohan Babu K, who look at the shortcomings of the "closed" or internal innovation model and at the culture change required to embrace "open" innovation. Innovative ideas, they suggest, are everywhere: "The Internet and Web, blogs, wikis, and social computing and networking [help] to tap the potential of the world's growing reservoir of human creativity and innovation capabilities." Furthermore, the authors report how some companies that formerly kept tight control over their proprietary IP are now deriving significant financial, strategic, and competitive benefits from the strategic licensing of even core technologies, ideas, and applications. They outline a number of different strategies organizations can use to take advantage of these global capabilities for innovation, placing particular emphasis on the Center of Excellence (COE) model. They present a case study of a real-world COE and conclude the article with some helpful recommendations for harnessing innovation in your own organization.

The second is a more detailed Executive Report [Part of Cutter’s Sourcing & Vendor Relationships Resource series]  titled “Offshoring IT: Making It a Success” Cutter introduces the topic as:
Enterprises are now offshoring many of their IT activities, and this looks to be a trend that will continue. Though offshoring has become a critical component of many businesses and has several benefits, it also poses additional challenges and risks, and achieving success in offshoring is not automatic. This Executive Report presents considerations, strategies, and practices that will help you make your IT offshoring activities a success.

Readers who have access to Cutter research are invited to peruse these reports. You may also ping me directly on this blog or by mail to ideate further… especially around leveraging Offshoring for Innovation, establishing Centers of Excellence (CoE) with global sourcing partners etc.

Footnote: The ideas were firmed up during my interactions with Prof. San Murugesan, who has also been a guest contributor to this blog, and a co-author in the papers.

Posted by Mohan Babu K. at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In my earlier blog I had talked about the increasing significance of Offshoring Managers

Another article on the same theme - Outsourcing pros step up - caught my attention, this time quoting academicians who are spearheading courses and training programs around Offshoring Management.

Prof. Christine Bullen of Stevens Institute of Technology, who was quoted in the article is anchoring a survey, details of which follow. If interested, you may contact her directly. 

Continue reading "Offshoring Research: Volunteers wanted" »

Posted by Mohan Babu K. at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Outsourcing is growing strong and organizations involved in this practice either want to maintain their sourcing level or want to increase it, according to a KPMG’s recent study, Strategic Evolution, based on responses from more than 650 organizations (both customers and services providers) from 32 countries.

Eighty-nine percent of respondents to the study say they plan to maintain or increase their present level of sourcing. “This industry is going to go much beyond where it is today” says Pradeep Udhas, Global Head, KPMG Advisory Services.

Continue reading "Outsourcing: Growing strong despite some weaknesses" »

Posted by Guest Author at 01:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Following is my response to MM's Query descirbed in my blog yesterday.  

Hi MM,

Now, putting me in the spot. ;-) I will try and address some the best I can and. In return, may mask your query and also use in my blog?  

I think you have two key challenges on hand:

a) Process vs. Speed: You state this in two ways: “My approach is, get it working now, and if need be provide a long term solution following that.” …. “They are focused on the process and the response is some what slow.  It would be totally improper for me to state that they are doing it purposefully.  The intention appears to be proper solution and proper solutions take time.  That’s exactly what onsite/customer facing teams don’t have the luxury of.”

b) Communication challenge: You state “The other part of our Indian culture is the way we communicate.  We more or less say yes to everything when asked.  Not everybody does, but I think we are shy of saying no to somebody”

Continue reading "Managing Indian Culture, Part 2: My thoughts" »

Posted by Mohan Babu K. at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I was mulling over Prof Murugesan’s blog entry whether "Sourcing -- should be out or in?" The Prof. adds that the choice seems to depend on "the capabilities and attitudes of people, the business practices used, and the culture and relationships of the participating companies." 

The launching  point for Prof Murugesan’s argument was the article in The December 2006  issue of Cutter IT Journal that starts off arguing that "outsourcing may no longer be an issue primarily of cost, but rather one that involves a more complex set of business issues"

Continue reading "Sourcing: Out and In....Does IT Matter?" »

Posted by Mohan Babu K. at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was at a client meeting a few days ago when the onsite manager said something like “our offshore architect” is helping with the design. To that, the client’s manager, Bob, quipped “we all refer to each other by name here. What about your offshore architect; what’s his name?”

Interestingly, Henry Jenkins makes exactly the same comment on my blog post too.

Continue reading "Musings on Offshore Resources, people and individuals?" »

Posted by Mohan Babu K. at 01:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Couple of interesting articles/blogs I was reading this weekend.

"How to Be an Outsourcing Virtuoso" written by Vinay Couto and Ashok Divakaran in Booz Allen Hamilton's strategy+business  magazine makes for interesting reading. The authors quote Ralph Szygenda, of GM stating “Most companies that are outsourcing for the first time don’t know how to approach it.”  This lack of widely accepted standards for outsourcing is an aspect that few are focusing on.

On a similar theme, S. Sadagopan makes some good points in his Sandhill Opinion column which are worth pondering over. He points out how “Lack of widely accepted standards for outsourcing may complicate the matters”

Continue reading "Weekend reading: Outsourcing Virtuoso and Strategies" »

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For practitioners of offshoring, external perspectives are important, and help thinking outside the box. While researching for my book, I took a conscious decision to reach out to people in the industry and academia, instead of focusing on ideation by internal Infosys “gurus” and thought leaders. Not that there was a dearth of them but just to help me get a broader perspective.

There are over a dozen people who agreed to be quoted, and gave me inputs and abstracts for inclusion in the book. The list includes Mark Kobayashi-Hillary, a British offshoring expert and author of  “Outsourcing to India: The Offshore Advantage” generously agreed to an interview which I adapted and included in the first section of my book that introduces the strategic perspective and “trends in offshore IT outsourcing.”

Continue reading "Viewpoints on Offshoring" »

Posted by Mohan Babu K. at 02:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)