| Offshore software development, India! : | | | | Leased line or ISDN connections to the |
| Making the choice and making IT work! - | | | | Internet are essential. |
| Advantage | | | | |
| | | | Excellent English language skills. |
| This article is designed to assist companies | | | | |
| who are looking for Offshore Software | | | | Experience and references. Check with a few |
| Development partners In India in particular | | | | of the references and ask for their |
| or in low cost countries in general. The | | | | experience and advice on how you should work |
| paper covers the mechanics of finding an | | | | successfully with the company. |
| offshore software development partner, | | | | |
| setting up the relationship and ensuring a | | | | Visit the company and establish a good |
| successful and long-term partnership. | | | | relationship with the offshore software |
| | | | development partner. Make sure they |
| Benefits of Offshore Software Development | | | | understand your needs and quality demands. |
| India | | | | |
| | | | Also, check that the offshore software |
| Some of the advantages are listed below: | | | | development company has adequate equipment, |
| | | | stable finances and good management. |
| Significant cost savings, up to 80% in | | | | |
| certain cases. | | | | How to start a offshore software development |
| | | | relationship |
| The outsourcing company is able to release | | | | |
| resources for high value-added and priority | | | | In the most successful cases, according to |
| work and can concentrate on their core | | | | our experience the outsourcing company and |
| competence, designing, business knowledge | | | | the offshore software development company |
| while delegating technical tasks, | | | | builds a strong long-term relationship. Often |
| maintenance, research or routine tasks to the | | | | the outsourcing company sends 1-2 people to |
| offshore software development company. In | | | | visit the offshore company to start a |
| some cases the offshore software development | | | | personal relationship with the programmers |
| company can add significant technical | | | | they are going to work with. This also helps |
| knowledge also. | | | | to understand the cultural problems and |
| | | | settings and can therefore help to build much |
| While it can be quite difficult to recruit | | | | more confidence than is possible to build via |
| the expected competence in Western countries, | | | | email communication. |
| it is a completely different scenario in | | | | |
| India, where there are many qualified | | | | Starting with a small pilot project might be |
| programmers with good academic training. | | | | the best way to start and establish a long |
| | | | term relationship.. Some of our clients have |
| For temporary peaks the Outsourcing company | | | | given the same task to different offshore |
| can avoid expensive new recruitment or the | | | | software development companies and then after |
| high cost of local consultants and instead | | | | evaluation selected the best one. |
| use lower priced consultants in the offshore | | | | |
| software development company. | | | | Project Management - Offshore software |
| | | | development |
| Consulting and programming capacity is | | | | |
| available at short notice without increasing | | | | To safeguard the development process there |
| long term personnel commitments. | | | | has to be established practices where the |
| | | | offshore software development company keeps |
| Outsourcing company also reaps the knowledge | | | | the the outsourcing comapny informed about |
| gained by the offshore software development | | | | the progress on a regular basis. Both parties |
| and consulting assignments. | | | | need to follow a communication methodology |
| | | | wherein they acknowledge mails immediately |
| Some clients outsource their programming | | | | and also ensure that emails are not lost or |
| needs by getting programmers from India for | | | | left unanswered. This email communication |
| short or long term projects to work onsite | | | | plays a vital role as most of the dialog |
| with their own design team. Others send whole | | | | between the engineers and the client is done |
| or parts of projects directly to India for | | | | via this mode. We have found that |
| offshore software development in India. | | | | communication between the offshore software |
| | | | development partner and the outsourcer |
| Offshore Software Development India, | | | | through document sharing intranet sites like |
| Disadvantages | | | | or certain chat-group-ware like ICQ to be the |
| | | | best means of ironing out technical problems. |
| Following are some problems, which may occur | | | | Please check out This doesn't replace Email |
| if both parties are not aware of how the | | | | but is a very good compliment to Email. |
| offshore software development process should | | | | |
| be set up. | | | | It is also important that clear |
| | | | specifications are made. Based on the specs, |
| Language and cultural barriers | | | | engineers from the offshore software |
| | | | development company ask questions and get |
| Time differences | | | | answers to get a full understanding of the |
| | | | project. Good specifications result in good |
| Technical communication problems | | | | quality software and considerable savings in |
| | | | time taken to complete projects. In the case |
| Skill mismatches | | | | of research or in cases when the offshore |
| | | | software development company actually |
| Quality discrepancies | | | | produces the specification, this process of |
| | | | course has to be modified to suit actual |
| Security problems | | | | requirements. |
| | | | |
| Lack of a repeatable process | | | | We believe a project should start with a |
| | | | meeting or an email-dialog* between the |
| Bad management and hierarchical inflexible | | | | parties, to define the business problem and |
| organizations | | | | the software solution. This meeting will also |
| | | | include setting project goals, milestones and |
| All of these can be avoided, by choosing the | | | | time frames |
| right offshore software development partner | | | | |
| and working with proper and proven project | | | | For small projects email dialog might be |
| management processes evolved during the | | | | sufficient. |
| earlier offshore development assignments. | | | | |
| | | | Next, the offshore software development |
| Sometimes the Outsourcing company overlooks | | | | company should submit a proposal. At Savitr |
| these risk factors, thinking that the cost | | | | Software Services Private Limited we work |
| savings is so high that these risks are well | | | | with both non-binding and binding estimates, |
| covered. But in reality this can be a major | | | | fixed price or running hours. What is chosen |
| trap. | | | | depends on what the client is comfortable |
| | | | with and the type and nature of project. |
| Offshore Software Development India, The | | | | |
| Ideal projects | | | | Generally one contact person should be |
| | | | defined on each side, to facilitate clear |
| Not all projects are ideal for Offshore | | | | coordination. Also, proper methods for |
| Software Development. Any task involving | | | | testing should be defined in the initial |
| proprietary knowledge, which can not be | | | | meeting or discussion. |
| safeguarded with agreements, are not suitable | | | | |
| for Offshore Software Development. Very | | | | Software Piracy and theft |
| technical and complex tasks can also be bad | | | | |
| projects, since the amount of communication | | | | The government of India looks at software |
| needed may be so high that the cost advantage | | | | exports as one of its key growth areas and |
| is eaten up by having to explain everything. | | | | has set up an environment, which very |
| Very small projects may also be unsuitable, | | | | strongly discourages any and all forms of |
| since the time to prepare the specification | | | | software piracy and theft of software in |
| might be more than the cost advantage. | | | | India. One such measure that has been |
| | | | incorporated and instituted in India is the |
| But apart from these exceptions, most | | | | Indian Federation Against Software Theft. |
| projects or subprojects are suitable for | | | | INFAST is responsible for policing and |
| Offshore Software Development in India. Some | | | | tracking down any software theft, and |
| of the possible areas could be: | | | | formulating policies, which act as a strong |
| | | | deterrent for personnel and companies. |
| Platform porting projects (like porting from | | | | |
| DOS - Windows, Windows 3.11 - Windows 95/NT, | | | | India is also a signatory to the GATT trade |
| UNIX -> NT. | | | | agreement and has agreed to the international |
| | | | laws against software piracy. Make sure your |
| Application conversions | | | | offshore software development partner signs |
| | | | an Intellectual Property Right Pledge and a |
| GUI design | | | | confidentiality statement / non disclosure |
| | | | agreement as part of the initial stages of |
| Database applications, migration and porting | | | | your partnership |
| | | | |
| Web enabling legacy systems and client server | | | | Conclusions - offshore software development |
| applications | | | | India |
| | | | |
| Web development, designing, programming etc. | | | | If you are careful in your selection process, |
| e Commerce - projects | | | | we believe that you can and will achieve |
| | | | great success with offshore software |
| Components like ActiveX, VCL, Objects, | | | | development projects. Here are some key |
| Reports, and Modules. Object Oriented | | | | guidelines, which will help you: |
| Programming is very suitable for offshore | | | | |
| software development projects. | | | | Find a good software development partner, who |
| | | | has a proven record in offshore software |
| Technical Documentation, end user | | | | development activities over several years |
| documentation and manuals | | | | |
| | | | Choose suitable projects |
| Software QA and Testing | | | | |
| | | | Possibly send a pilot project to the offshore |
| Remote Linux / Unix administration | | | | software development company and evaluate the |
| | | | result |
| Remote database administration | | | | |
| | | | Work towards establishing a long term |
| Remote software maintenance and feature | | | | relationship |
| enhancements | | | | |
| | | | Visit your development partner (if possible) |
| How to find an Offshore Software Development | | | | |
| partner India | | | | Establish good management practices |
| | | | |
| Make sure the offshore software development | | | | Don't expect too much from the start. |
| partner you are looking for fulfills at least | | | | Offshore Software Development in India is |
| some of the following characteristics: | | | | profitable in the long run; not just for |
| | | | one-time projects. |
| Good communication equipment and facilities. | | | | |