Outsourcing an offshore IT project: mistakes to avoid.
To succeed in an IT project, you have to manage to get through a lot of pitfalls. If it’s not easy, there are always solutions.
A company that uses IT outsourcing will encounter barriers. With our experience as SSII offshore French, we are propose to revisit the pitfalls that accompany most IT outsourcing projects, offshore or not. This concerns everyone and there are always solutions.
Is your company well structured at the process level?
This is the big advantage of going through outsourcing : the company is forced to adopt a methodology of work strict. In the end, everyone wins. Unfortunately, some people forget this principle a little too quickly. Even, do not take it into account at all. “ Many companies think they do not have to question their process,” says Romain Juillet, co-founder of Bocasay. It is a mistake. Outsource all or part of your IT project to a French or offshore company requires internal organization.
The project “is done alone”
As a result of this poor organization, some customers think that the project works alone. “ Outsource does not mean:” Here’s a project, in a few months “. One of the first questions to ask before outsourcing your project is whether you are internally ready to manage the project , “adds the expert at Bocasay.
Whether the contact is in France or abroad and regardless of the contractual mode, outsource your IT project requires investment from the client . “ He must be involved in his project and cooperative on different levels of advancement,” says Romain Juillet.
Offshore inferiority or superiority complex
This is a pitfall that we see more often than we think. In many cases, one of the first problems encountered is the inferiority complex (of the offshore provider) or superiority (of the client or provider). In both cases, the problem comes from the difference in standard of living between the two countries. One solution: get to know each other. “ You have to take the time to make the offshore teams comfortable and install the right working conditions ,” says Romain Juillet.
What are the questions to ask in order to best prepare an offshore project?
Before outsourcing your IT project, the customer must always ask the right questions. It is a question of the success of the project, but also (and especially) of its capacity to innovate at the end of the project. Here is a non-exhaustive list:
- What are the offshore projects compared to projects done internally?
- What budget is allocated to the offshore project and what are the savings?
- Do you want to test project or do you want to start immediately on an important project?
- Who will take over the management of offshore operations? Does he have enough experience? Is it motivated for offshore ?
- What team size would you like to build?
- What methodology will be in place to manage the team remotely ?
- What training are we considering giving offshore employees on the functional, organizational and technical aspects?
- What tools are we going to put in place?
- Legal framework: is the client the owner of the source code ? The last question is very important. If you doubt this point, do not hesitate to ask the question and recheck on the contract . We are never too careful. What good is a computer project if you do not have a hand on it. Discover all of our news and benefit from valuable information for your IT projects.
