Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Beginning to Offshore: clichés, outlook and a realistic suggestions

By Bharat Khatau From Dmreview

Many persons opine that you can't simply name a venture and "throw it over the wall" to an outsourcer. Still there is a widespread misconstruction that you set off by making a product pattern for outsourced development.
There cannot be any document, however all-inclusive you think it to be, that one might simply pass to an outsourcer and be sure to get the desired results. The authentic, efficient product spec, the document used as the source of design, will be the result of a course of progressive scrutiny and analyses, often discernible by a succession of documents:
• Request for proposal (RFP)
• Proposal or statement of work (SOW)
• Business requirements specification and a functional specification
Outsourcers will desire to undergo this process, and so should you. You may be skilled in writing product specs for your own development grouping. But, flourishing outsourced development engages more than defining a product spec. Success necessitates fastidious description of the way your company and the outsourcer will interrelate - and the right character leading those interactions.
Firstly, your and outsourcer’s purpose must be to make your opening project a success. This goal is a precondition for reaching your other targets for outsourcing, like cutting costs or getting to market sooner. One approach to succeed is choosing the appropriate pilot project - one acquiescent to success - so you can create a relationship and learn how to work most efficiently together. First-rate projects for triumphant pilots rivet least risks to the business strategy or core product. They are fairly easy to define and break down, and have little reliance. For example product development, testing, APIs, interfaces or bug fixing.
Regardless of simplicity or complexity of the project, to thrive you must communicate - not only about the daily particulars and strategic tricks, but at the managerial level, regarding strategy. Justifiably, numerous corporations are disinclined to disclose business strategy. But remember: the more an outsourcer comprehends the milieu, the better prepared it will be to resolve problems, suggest counsel that can get you more for your investment and help you to accomplish your long-term purpose.

The article sponsored by A-1 Technology Inc, dealing in offshore outsourcing and software development outsourcing