It Management Context

Offshoring: The ITManagement Context

The success of IT outsourcing lies in the consistent and predictabledelivery of projects and products and includes reliable maintenanceof applications. After the sourcing strategy has been defined andpiloted, operational aspects including managing delivery andprojects and co-ordination between offshore and onsite teamsacquires greater significance. It is important to begin planning anyoutsourcing initiative by facilitating a strong project and programmanagement process. Application of the available Body ofKnowledge supplemented by an appreciation of globalization andmanagement of disparate teams are perhaps the key success factorsin any outsourcing initiative.

87

CHAPTER 4

) The Management Layer

) Global Project Management

) General Body of Knowledge

) Organizational Practices and Tools

) Experience and Knowledge

) Globalization and Cultural Awareness

) The Global IT Manager

) Conclusion

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88 Offshoring IT Services: A Framework for Managing Outsourced Projects

Management of Information Technology projects has received alot of focus during the past decade as new development paradigms,software architectures and systems have emerged. The fast pace ofchange in technology along with speedier adoption by businesseshas ensured the need for a faster turnover of technology applicationdevelopment. Individuals who are tasked with managing ITProjects, especially of Application Development and Maintenance(ADM) initiatives, have a discreet role to play in anchoring the effortto ensure delivery under pressure on time. They need to recognizethe business drivers and ensure that the technology solutions helpthe business units and functional units perform optimally.

While focusing on the operational aspects, managers also needto keep an eye on technical innovations and breakthroughs thatthey can leverage. Project Managers take ownership of most aspectsof software development, beginning with requirement gatheringand culminating in a successful handover. The managers, however,do not work in isolation. They are supported by technical folksincluding architects, designers and developers who build systemsbased on several well established principles while adhering to alife-cycle model and adopting some of the techniques of softwareengineering.

THE MANAGEMENT LAYER

The Management Layer of the Offshoring Management Frameworkaddresses the management imperatives of delivery and develop-ment of IT systems with teams onsite and offshore. Global managersdraw inputs from various sources including general projectmanagement references, books and literature. There is also a widearray of tools and techniques available to them as they manage thedevelopment cycle. Figure 4.1 depicts the highlights of globalizedprojects, extending the basic management practices to addressonsite and offshore management.

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Offshoring: The IT Management Context 89

There are several popular project management processes andworkflow mapping methodologies widely used in the industry.Among the more popular models is the description of the five keyprocess groups in the Project Management Body of Knowledge1

(PMBOK) by the Project Management Institute1 (PMI). The guidehighlights the dynamics of activities of the five process groups namelythe initiating process, planning process, executing process, controllingprocess and the closing process. In our model we extend the processesinto two main zones of operation, namely the onsite and the offshorezones. We will also examine the key inputs for Global Managersincluding aspects of the General Body of Knowledge, Organizational

General Body of Knowledge

Globalization and Cultural Awareness

Exp

erie

nce

an

d K

now

led

ge

Org

anization

al Practices and

Tools

Onsite Offshore

Onsite Co-ordinator Offshore Manager

Initiating

Controlling Executing

nPlannningn

sClossings

Project Manager

Fig. 4.1 Inputs for managing global projects

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Practices and Tools, Experience and Knowledge, and Globalizationand Cultural Awareness. In an offshoring context, the Initiating andcontrolling processes are performed onsite, while the bulk of theexecution is carried out offshore. Planning and Closure processesrequire both the onsite and offshore teams to synchronize their efforts.

The initiating process typically requires authorizing the projector phase which will typically be done by the sponsor or businessowner based onsite. Similarly, the controlling process will befocused onsite where managers ensure that the objectives are beingmet by monitoring and measuring progress periodically. Projectplanning involving defining objectives and selecting the course ofaction, including the technical approach, and other details will gen-erally be the joint responsibility of the client and the offshoring ven-dor’s teams. Some of the planning work may be conducted onsitewhile the research and legwork may be conducted offshore.Similarly, the closure process of formally accepting the work prod-ucts and closing the project will jointly be undertaken by the onsiteand offshore teams. Though we have highlighted the offshore andonsite focus of activities, the actual separation of tasks may dependon factors like the nature of technology, duration of the project, off-shoring maturity etc. The following are the key roles that mayevolve in the management layer—both onsite and offshore—dur-ing project execution and delivery:

■ Onsite Activities❑ Onsite co-ordination: Software service companies that

execute offshore projects generally designate one or moreonsite-co-ordinators to manage client interfacing activities.These individuals act as a liaison between the client’smanagement and technologists and the offshore team. Theclient may also designate co-ordinators or supervisors fromamong its line-management to take ownership of specificprojects or delivery initiatives.

❑ Onsite Account Management: Onsite account managerstake on the responsibility of managing multiple projects

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for the client, acting as a single-point of contact for all esca-lations of project issues. They also manage the billing,financial and other contractual issues. At the client’s endthe account management may include billing and otheradministrative activities.

■ Offshore Activities❑ Offshore Delivery Management: Delivery managers are

responsible for co-ordinating with onsite account managersto ensure that project teams deliver the required outputsadhering to organizational standards and client require-ments. Delivery management acquires greater significancein case of large accounts or at clients where the vendor isexecuting multiple projects; the offshore Project Managersmay also take on delivery management roles in certaincases.

❑ Program and Project management: Offshore ProjectManagers take the bottom-line responsibility of ensuringsuccessful execution of projects. The term ProgramManagement, though sometimes interchangeably usedwith Project Management, is generally used to denote theexistence of larger projects managed by multiple managers.

Service delivery firms have designated roles of client facingteams including Resident Project Managers, Onsite Co-ordinators andEngagement Managers who are essentially responsible for the onsite-offshore co-ordination and delivery of work products and may alsotake on the responsibility of sales support, billing and other accountmanagement tasks. Clients and organizations sourcing IT work tooffshore vendors may have well defined contractor managementteams that are increasingly becoming offshore savvy. In manyinstances, IT managers at client organizations are also beginning totake on the responsibilities of managing global teams, especially asthey begin to interact more with onsite co-ordinators and accountmanagers.

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Management of IT projects, even at the best of times, can be chal-lenging. Statistics on project failure rates ranging from 50 to 70%abound in the industry folklore. Another interesting aspect of soft-ware development is the fact that the best (top 5% or so) programmersare about ten times better than average programmers. They tend to belogical and creative and can churn out solid code more efficiently thantheir peers and generally tend to bring out-of-the-box thinking intothe programming process. Identifying and nurturing good program-mers and teams and ensuring overall success of project delivery is achallenge. Figure 4.2 depicts a simplistic hierarchical structure at thelowest level: Project Managers work with teams of developers,technical specialists and architects. Most projects are initiated by artic-ulating the different roles and responsibilities of individuals withinprojects. Project Managers manage the workflow and life cycle,Technical Architects and Module Leaders manage the technicalaspects of development, senior developers may be assigned to design, manage unit testing, configuration and quality aspects, and

Project Manager

Architect

Designers

Team Leader Team Leader

Developers Developers

Fig. 4.2 Traditional Project Structure

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developers and technical specialists may be assigned to design anddevelop individual modules.

Management of teams and the traditional reporting hierarchiesare extended by offshoring. Adding offshoring to the technical andfunctional aspects of IT project management can exacerbate thechallenges faced by managers. However, as the benefits of sourc-ing far outweigh the risks, managers need to learn to confront andaddress the challenges. The management of outsourced projectsincorporates some of the best practices of general project manage-ment including planning, controlling, costing and scheduling,with a special emphasis on co-ordination between onsite andoffshore teams. In addition, offshoring forces structure intoprojects and programs that may have been undertaken in an ad hocmanner, bringing a level of accountability and engineering focus toapplication development.

Figure 4.3, highlights a hierarchy similar to what we saw earlierwith the additional focus on onsite/offshore development. TheProject Manager continues to focus on the dynamics of managingtechnical teams, developers and architects where the bulk of devel-opment may be done offshore. In addition, a team onsite workingwith clients will have to be co-ordinated to synchronize theactivities with the offshore team. The ratio of staffing onsite andoffshore teams is a significant aspect of planning. Service deliveryorganizations attempt to staff teams in the ration of 70:30, skewedtowards offshore development to leverage the low cost benefits ofoffshoring.

Project and program management in the context of an out-sourcing initiative includes a group of people from both the clientand vendor organizations tasked with ensuring that the plannedeffort stays on track. The actual composition of teams across geo-graphic boundaries onsite and offshore may depend on a numberof factors including the technologies, client-vendor relationship,risk tolerance etc. However, regardless of the compositions of theteams, the management of offshore and onsite teams encounterchallenges that may follow a pattern.

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GLOBAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

We have looked at some aspects of managing global projects andthe different roles onsite and offshore involved in synchronizingapplication development and delivery. This perhaps brings us to abasic question that most leaders planning and staffing for globalteams grapple with: who are global managers and what attributes shouldthey possess? Let us begin the discussion with a brief case in point,highlighting a recent advertisement.

Several key attributes stand out in the advertisement.Leadership of strategic sourcing along with a knowledge of ITOutsourcing models seems to be a key theme. Highlighted along-side are regular project management attributes including functionaland business expertise and skills required to maintain client rela-tionships and develop teams. Knowledge management and an

Project Manager(Offshore)

Architect Team Leader

Designers Developers

OnsiteCo-ordinator

Developers

OnsiteOffshore

Fig. 4.3 Team Structure: Onsite/Offshore mix

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CASE IN POINT: OUTSOURCING PROJECT

MANAGERS WANTED

The following is an extract from a recent online advertisementfrom a leading organization calling for Offshore ProjectManagers.

Title: IT Outsourcing Project Manager/Analyst

Skills: IT, Project Manager, Manager, Analyst, consulting, pro-ject, program management, management, modeling, systems,analysis, lifecycle, development, security

Job Description: Work as a leader with the IT strategic sourc-ing team to provide clients with consulting services relating toorganizational transformations. Manage functions, includingproviding strategies, solutions and support based on IT projectmanagement experience and knowledge of IT Outsourcemodeling. Oversee the proposal process, and provide assess-ments on acquisitions as it relates to company strategic plans.Maintain responsibility for providing functional, technical, andbusiness expertise necessary to solve complex and strategicclient problems. Develop intellectual capital and new serviceofferings, and support the growth and management of thebusiness consistent with the IT strategic sourcing team. Serve asa recognized leader in the team, and act as a role model for thefirm’s core values. Develop staff and executive people programsacross the team, and maintain client relationships. Managebusiness systems, including rate management, assignment,and contract management.

BOX 4.1

�

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understanding of organizational practices also seems to be a keyattribute. In essence, a manager with the right grounding of techni-cal and managerial skills and an understanding of the basics ofcommunication and cross-cultural management is the key to thesuccess of global projects.

Global managers draw inputs from various sources includingthe general project management reference, books and literature.Application development managers also have a wide array of toolsand techniques available to them as they manage the developmentcycle. Figure 4.4 depicts some of the key sources of input. The factorsdescribed here are the same highlighted in Figure 4.1, albeit with adifferent view highlighting a tighter coupling. We will continue ourdiscussion by examining the highlights of each broad area.

General Bodyof Knowledge

Experienceand

Knowledge

Org

aniz

atio

nal

Prac

tices

and

Tool

s

Globalizationand CulturalAwareness

Fig. 4.4 Inputs for a Global Manager

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General Body of Knowledge

There exists a vast body of knowledge on general management thatmanagers can tap in order to further their knowledge and referencewhile planning and executing projects. Universities and academicinstitutions regularly provide refresher courses on functional areasincluding finance, marketing, operations management, technologymanagement, business strategy and, increasingly, on globalization.Books, magazines and journals dedicated to the field of study, alongwith inputs from professional bodies can also provide insight tomanagers. The Internet and web search engines are gainingpopularity as tools of research and information gathering alongwith bulletin boards, discussion groups, newsgroups and otheronline forums that also act as bouncing boards for ideation.

Globalization, offshoring and outsourcing, along with emergingtrends in internationalization, are entering the radar screens ofmanagement thinkers and academicians. There is a lot of literaturecurrently emerging from both the business and academic publica-tions on practices related to project management spanning globalboundaries. Best practices are also emerging from the field and fromservice delivery organizations that are observing and developingpractices that can be replicated elsewhere. Consulting organizationsand analyst firms of various genera are beginning to provide offer-ings tailored towards offshoring including insightful whitepapers,templates and other reference collaterals.

Inputs from PMI’s research is another source of reference formanagers. The PMBOK Guide is a collection of knowledge areas per-taining to the different aspects of project management. (Ref: Box 4.2).The BOK is not specific to the best practices of InformationTechnology and is a reference for generic management practices thatcan span a wide array of domains and vertical areas where a struc-tured management of project workflow is a key success factor.Trends and practices from offshoring management, co-ordination ofonsite and offshore delivery and other intricacies are yet to extendinto the formal BOK.

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT KNOWLEDGE AREAS

FROM PMBOK

There are nine key areas covered in the PMBOK Guide, alsoknown as “Project Management Knowledge Areas” that dealwith the different aspects of managing projects and include:

● Project Integration Management: This is the stage wherethe project plan is described and signed off by the stake-holders. The other operational aspects of projects includingplanning of execution and change management and escala-tion procedures are also articulated. Among the key inputsthat go into a successful project plan include planning andbrainstorming, historical information on past projects, orga-nizational policies and inputs from clients. Significant mile-stones, along with deliverables may also be included in aproject plan. This is also the phase of the project where thekey objectives of projects are articulated.

● Managing Scope: This activity is tightly coupled with theproject planning described above and involves articulatingall the work that will be required to be done to successfullycomplete a project. The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) isone of the key activities performed while defining the scope.WBS is the breakdown of the project into tasks and activitiesto a sufficient level of granularity to enable a manager toassign individual tasks to team members. This breakdown issometimes called decomposition.

● Time Management: It is essential that every managerfocuses on timely completion of projects under a budget.There are several mathematical and project managementsoftware tools available to aid managers as they worktowards timely completion. Techniques such as CriticalPath Method (CPM), Program Evaluation and ReviewTechnique (PERT) and other simulation techniques areextremely popular.

BOX 4.2

�

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONTINUED…

● Managing Cost: This area of project management is closelylinked to the Time Management described above, especiallysince the effort estimated generally drives the time and cost.An area of focus in cost management is budgeting and costcontrol that is significant for software services companies thatnot only have to keep an eye on the total cost of project butalso ensure that they are deriving specified margins from theproject initiatives.

● Quality Management: Quality assurance does not requireextensive elaboration, but is an area in which many projectslack. As the projects progress and deadlines tighten, one ofthe easiest areas to cut corners is when it comes to quality,which is really sad since the entire effort of the project can bewiped away if the work is perceived to be of poor quality anddoes not meet the basic norms. Planning for quality assuranceand control along with working with stakeholders on definingthe ‘cost of quality’ is among the tasks of a manager.

● Human Resource Management: People are the key tosuccessful execution. This is perhaps more true for the ITindustry which hinges on the talents and skills of individuals.Ensuring that the project is staffed by individuals withoptimal skills, motivating teams and creating and managinga cohesive team culture are among some of the key respon-sibilities of a manager.

● Managing Communication: Ensuring timely and appro-priate generation, collection and dissemination of projectinformation is a key focus area. Challenges of managingcommunication between individuals and teams may bemagnified due to complexities of culture and geographies.Selection of appropriate tools and defining an acceptablemode of using them is one of the key success factors behindmanaging global communications.

BOX 4.2

�

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Other specialized bodies of knowledge that managers regularlyrefer to include financial planning tools and techniques includingcost/benefit analysis, Return on Investment (ROI) tools. They alsoget inputs from other functional areas and groups includingHuman Resources Management. Managers also rely on Estimationtechniques and tools. In the software engineering world, there arealso several formal estimation methodologies like ConstructiveCost Model (COCOMO), Functional Point (FP) or Use Case Points(UCP) that can be used to get more accurate estimates. Estimationsalso play a significant role in negotiating the resources, timelinesand budgets for projects.

ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES AND TOOLS

Most large software and service organizations have stronglydefined proprietary processes and tools that they expect their

PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONTINUED…

● Risk Management: Projects will have to deal with anelement of risk pertaining to different aspects. Managersneed to identify, analyze and respond to real and perceivedrisks and plan for monitoring and controlling elements.

● Procurement Management: This area focuses on pro-curement planning, sourcing, contract administration etc.Although this is not a key focus area for software applicationdevelopment projects, managers may sometimes have towork on procuring software, hardware and other infra-structure. Managing logistics of international, local andregional travel is another aspect that may come to play inglobal projects.

BOX 4.2

�

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managers to be conversant with. Some companies even use suchproprietary processes as a differentiator in the marketplace, theprocesses also play a key role in enabling managers. Use of the righttools and methodologies ensures consistent delivery and helpsfaster and better integration with the systems being developed.Identifying the right tool or mix of toolkits along with adequatetraining and access to best practices is also essential to consistentlydeliver quality output. Organizations use tools and templates fordifferent aspects of project management including:

■ Project Planning and Tracking: Ensuring that the differ-ent milestones of projects are successfully completed anddelivered to the customer is a manager’s responsibility;along with that they also need to ensure that the client isbilled for the work delivered and that the (net profit) mar-gins accruing to the organization are on target. Tools fortime and effort tracking including time entry, trackingschedules and milestone can either be custom built oracquired commercially off the shelf. There are several proj-ect tracking tools in the market including products likeMicrosoft Project, etc. Many organizations also develop cus-tom workflows over such commercial products to addressspecific planning and tracking needs.

■ Contract Management: Service companies depend onmarket intelligence and experiences to help win contractsand bids. In order to manage large portfolios of projects theyneed sophisticated tools to manage project proposals,opportunities and the workflow involved in such activities.Client organizations also integrate sophisticated contractmanagement software into their financial reporting andmanagement systems.

■ Tools for Managing Communication, Workflow etc.: Thekey challenge in managing projects is in ensuring consistent,clear communication across the organization and teams onsiteand offshore. Emails, instant messengers, blogs and other

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internet based tools have gained popularity during the pastfew years. Responsible use of such tools is a key managementimperative.

■ Templates and Historical Data: Large organizations havean extensive collection of templates for requirement gatheringand for the other aspects of the software Life Cycle. Matureorganizations also build an extensive repository of historicdata based on the experiences of their consultants. Suchhistoric data helps in planning, forecasting and in developingsolutions faster and better.

■ Quality Assurance: Automated testing, validation and veri-fication tools can aid productivity and help deliver qualitycode. Tools can also aid in bug reporting, defect tracking, issuetracking, scripting and test automation. Configuration andcode management, version and source control is another areaof opportunity for the adoption of right tools.

■ Globalization and Cross Cultural Management: Manag-ing globalized IT projects needs an awareness of trends in theglobal marketplace with a grounding in managing crosscultural aspects of geographically dispersed teams. We willexamine aspects of team management in global settings infurther detail later in the book.

Tools and templates help organizations capture the best prac-tices of past projects which in turn act as a point of reference forfuture projects and facilitate the speedy, consistent gathering ofrequirements. Templates are especially useful for service organiza-tions that regularly capture requirements from clients acrossdomains and verticals. For instance, the requirements of a health-care customer may be totally different from that of a financialorganization. The use of templates will help analysts and managersaddress the key issues that most projects may face. Along with thetools, best practices in the form of design patterns, architecturalstyles, templates and BOK are also widely used and advocated.

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CASE IN POINT: INFOSYS2 TOOLS AND PROCESSES

Infosys’ processes and in-house tools help managers and projectteams work towards consistent end-to-end delivery. Though Ihave a good understanding of the processes and practices atInfosys, it will not be fair for me to describe it since Pankaj Jalote3

has already articulated some of the key processes and method-ologies at the company including the Process Database (PDB),the contents of the Process Capability Baseline (PCB), ProcessAssets and BOK system. The book explains the project processalong with a highlight of the organization-wide process andincludes sections on Requirement Change Management andEffort Estimation and Scheduling and also talks about Infosys’Quality Planning, Metrics and Statistical Process Control (SPC).Some of the key highlights of Infosys’ tools and processes tofacilitate its proprietary Global Delivery Model (GDM) include:

● Strong quality and project management processes thatensure consistent delivery

● World class knowledge of management practices and sys-tems that facilitate knowledge sharing and cross-pollinationof ideas among teams.

● Processes for interaction and communication within teamsmake it possible for globally distributed groups to interfaceand collaborate seamlessly

● Tools that monitor projects to track defects and benchmarkthem against estimates

● Tools, such as Influx, for scoping, requirements gatheringand impact analysis

● Tools to monitor efforts, schedule adherence and slippages● Process assets systems and tools to efficiently store and

manage project documents and data● Specialized tools to track individual service projects like

application maintenance

BOX 4.3

�

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The above discussion was intended to highlight some of the majorareas where tools and templates are essential for the success of execu-tion. This is by no means an exhaustive list and is merely indicative ofthe wide array of tools and best practices available. We will continueto examine the use of tools and technologies and other aspects ofmanaging global projects in further detail in forthcoming sections.

Experience and Knowledge

Mentoring and learning from peers is another valuable technique tobuild strong management skills. Mentoring helps foster the organiza-tional culture and builds an environment of knowledge sharing sinceinexperienced employees are not afraid to make mistakes when beingwatched by their experienced colleagues. Executives also realize thatformal and informal mentoring in organizations is one of the mostefficient and cost-effective ways of achieving corporate growth.

Large software service organizations employ dedicated teamsof individuals who benchmark the best practices in projectmanagement, review tools and recommend them for internal use.They also pilot such tools and techniques and assist in training andenablement of project teams. Project Managers at such service

CASE IN POINT: CONTINUED…

● Tools to monitor automatic scheduling of audits based ondetailed guidelines, followed by tracking of audit results,non-conformance reports and corrective actions

● Tools, such as PRISM, to automate the workflow for seniormanagement reviews, in line with engagement schedulesand plans

BOX 4.3

�

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CASE IN POINT: KNOWLEDGE SHARING AT INFOSYS

Organizations in highly dynamic and innovation-focused indus-tries such as telecommunications and networking have long usedKnowledge systems and repositories. KShop (Knowledge Shopportal) at Infosys is one of the many innovative tools the organi-zation uses to facilitate greater reuse of the best practices existingin pockets. Based on principles of Knowledge Management, thesystem reduces risk and helps build the robustness necessary tothrive in a changing environment. KShop serves about 20,000requests a day, translating to an average of about one documentfrom the portal reused every two work minutes. Content of vari-ous formats from sources across the organization are vetted, peerreviewed and added to the database. Another focus of KShop hasbeen to minimize the overhead associated with creating content.For example, KShop generates project snapshots on the fly fromexisting Infosys project databases, thus minimizing the need formanual compilation of these snapshots. By institutionalizing bestpractices existing in pockets, facilitating greater reuse andhelping better virtual teamwork, Knowledge Management atInfosys raises the ability to deliver greater quality and achievefaster time-to-market. Within a relationship, knowledge manage-ment processes operate at three levels:

1. Project Level: Teams have a project management co-ordinator for each project and specific knowledge manage-ment related goals within projects. Periodic project reviewscover project management as well.

2. Account Level: Customer Accounts at the company havea knowledge management roadmap drawn out for them.Teams within accounts draw heavily on the InfosysKnowledge management systems. Knowledge sharing isstrengthened by a range of methods such as orientationtraining programs, online discussion boards and collabora-tive environments within projects.

BOX 4.4

�

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organizations have the benefit of gaining from experiential learningof their peers and colleagues. While managers at smaller serviceproviding organizations may not have the same edge in terms offormal training and access to tools and frameworks, there exists asufficient body of knowledge, published case studies and referencematerial capturing the best practices across the industry.

Globalization and Cultural Awareness

IT Project Managers around the world are coming to realize theimpact of globalization in offshoring development and mainte-nance operations. It is increasingly becoming significant formanagers to be aware of trends in the global marketplace, alongwith a good grounding on aspects of managing cross-cultural andgeographically dispersed teams. Managing global teams alsoinvolve emphasis on cultural awareness, nuances of language,communication mode and use of technologies to facilitate remote

CASE IN POINT: CONTINUED…

3. Organization Level: The KShop portal hosted on theintranet encourages organization-wide knowledge sharingand management ethos. This also ensures that the teamshave access to the best practices and the collected learningfrom client organizations.

The company recently joined the elite group of Knowledgefocused organizations by appearing in the Most AdmiredKnowledge Enterprise (MAKE ) listings. Others who have madethe list include technology focused organizations such asLucent, Nokia, Cisco and British Telecom.

BOX 4.4

�

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communication. The offshore application development modelhinges on reducing costs by managing people in different corners ofthe globe. This also means that project plans will attempt to mini-mize cross-country travel during the course of the development lifecycle. In order to effectively manage geographically distributedteams, Project Managers need to be extremely empathic towardsmembers of team who are remotely located.

CASE IN POINT

During my stint at a telecommunications company inColorado, I had an opportunity to work in a multicultural andmultinational team, though we didn’t really formally call outthe multinational aspect. This was the height of the dot.comera and our company had sponsored H1 visas for nationalsfrom several countries. There were a few Americans includingour business unit manager, a couple of Indian and Koreanconsultants, an Australian and a Canadian. Although everyoneon the team was fluent in English, the accent and colloquiumsused by individuals took a while to get used to. Our team meet-ings would invariably lead to a few interesting side-discussionsand friendly jibing on news and happenings ‘back home,’ be itIndia loosing a Test Cricket match to Pakistan or Australiantourists stranded in England and the like. The manager veryeffectively used such jibing sessions to create a sense of teamcamaraderie and ensured that those of us from ‘collectivistcultures’ (Indians and Koreans) did not feel left behind. As themonths progressed, the team began to work as a cohesive unitand produced stellar output without the use of sophisticated‘tools and techniques’ of international business managementand culture.

BOX 4.5

�

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THE GLOBAL IT MANAGER

Organizations continue to build IT project management competenciesand have also begun to realize the need for a cadre of global managerswho can manage offshored and outsourced projects. Service Deliveryorganizations are also scaling up their global project managementcompetencies and are grooming managers to take on such responsi-bilities. There are several checklists for selecting effective globalmanagers published by international business gurus. A case in pointis Matsushita’s SMILE selection technique that stands for Specialty,Management ability, International, Language, Endeavor resonateswell with international business planners. Similarly, Erran Carmel4

articulates the unique qualities with the acronym MERIT, uniquequalities that allow the global software manager to handle multi-cultural and dispersed components. The five unique qualities areMulticulturalist, E-Facilitator, Recognition promoter, Internationalistand Traveler. Successful global organizations take a base frameworkfrom the published literature and build aspects suitable to theirspecific needs on top of it based on their organizational culture andthe global context in which they operate. It also follows that managersof global IT projects need to wear multiple hats depending on thecircumstance and exact nature of the projects being managed. Apartfrom project management and technical knowledge, a global managershould possess key traits that include:

■ Project Management Skills: Global IT managers are firstProject Managers since they deal with projects and programsthat in turn form a part of the overall offshoring and global-ization strategy. In the previous section, we examined someof the key inputs for global project management includingthe general body of knowledge, organizational practices andtools, experience and knowledge and globalization andcultural awareness.

■ Strong Communication Skills: Managers spend a lot oftime communicating with their team members, across

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teams and vertically with senior management reportingstatus and ensuring sponsorship. The need for a globalmanager to possess strong written and oral communicationcannot be understated.

■ Technical and Domain Knowledge: A good part of amanager’s job involves managing aspects pertaining tocommunication across and outside teams. Knowledge of thetechnologies and business problems acquires a greatersignificance in a globalization context where impedimentslike time, culture, language and accents can creep intocommunication; if the manager can at least assert a commonground in terms of the technologies and business domains,the process of communication will be more streamlined.

■ Open to Travel: Travel across geographies is an essentialaspect of managing global teams. Amanager may be expectedto spend considerable time on the road to ensure ‘face time’with teams. The manager should also facilitate travel of teammembers and be on top of other logistics including beingupdated on visa regulations, travel advisories, guidelines and governmental regulations etc. Interestingly, motivatingtechies to travel is a topic that I covered in a column of mine(Ref: Box 4.6)

■ Cultural Sensitivity: Global managers need to have a goodunderstanding of the aspects of cultural differences and sub-tleties of communicating across cultures. This is a significantarea of focus since the success of communication in a globalcontext will hinge on the rapport between parties communi-cating; and such a rapport will flow from mutual understand-ing of the individuals who may be from different ethnic,cultural and regional backgrounds. Managers can draw onmany sources of information including international businessmanagement practices while preparing themselves to manageglobalized teams.

■ Outsourcing Experience: Technologists who have expe-rienced working with onsite and offshore teams during the

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course of their work may already have an understanding ofsome of the fundamentals of teamwork across culturalboundaries. Many of them may take on client-interfacingroles and travel to client locations during the course ofproject execution. Such experiences equip them with theskills required to interface with peers from other culturaland ethnic backgrounds. By coupling the experientiallearning’s reinforced by formal training such individualsmay be good candidates to take on management of global IT delivery.

■ Updated on Geopolitical Trends: This is a trait that someinternational management experts also refer to as ‘interna-tionalist.’ Environmental, governmental, political and otherexternal events in the business landscape can directly orindirectly impact projects. By being aware of changes in the marketplace and the global geopolitical environment,managers will be in a better position to anticipate and planfor risks, empathize with team members from differentregions and help facilitate teamwork.

In this section we examined some of the key attributes ofoffshoring managers. Earlier in our discussion on offshoring, weexamined the dynamics of managing offshored projects, the yin-yang between offshore and onsite teams and between client andthe sourcing organization. Project Managers may be appointed byeither side of the offshoring spectrum to manage aspects of a projector delivery of a vendor’s projects. While focusing on the project taskon hand, managers may have to step up and work towards the bigpicture. This may mean that a manager at a vendor organizationworking for a client’s project needs to take on the responsibility ofbeing an ambassador of the client; likewise, a client’s managershould empathize with the vendor’s delivery team and facilitatethem as much as possible.

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ARTICLE: OF TECHIES AND TRAVEL

Face-to-face interactions and travel for work still remains theprime focus in the field of technology consulting, even with theadvent of tools and technologies of modern communicationlike cheap VoIP phones, videoconferencing, etc. During themid-nineties, before the advent of widespread outsourcing and‘global delivery,’ staff-supplementation, that is body-shoppingwas the most popular model. Companies that wished toaugment their IT workforce would contract a body-shop thatwould, literally, go halfway across the world to look for suitablecandidates, process their visa and paperwork and make surethey landed at the client’s place.

Towards the end of the nineties, management and tech-nology gurus began to predict a total shift in paradigm withthe advent of newer technologies to enable remote meetingsand communication. This theory got a boost with tighteningimmigration and security laws in the West after 9/11. Thecurrent trend of global outsourcing and geo-political changesnotwithstanding, travel continues to be an integral part of atypical IT worker’s landscape. Though travel is not as wide-spread as in the mid-nineties, Indian professionals continue tocrisscross the globe.

The glamour of travel to exotic lands aside, there is ahuman angle to all the travel. Let us take two extreme cases.The first involves a mid-level guy, let’s call him Raj. He hasbeen angling for a foreign trip for a while and was elated whenhis manager asked him to get ready to travel to Canada for afortnight’s technical requirement analysis for a client’s project.He throws a party for his friends, packs his suitcase and headsfor the airport with his family there to see him off on his maid-en foreign trip. After Raj bids adieu to his folks and is ready tocheck-in, there is an announcement on the public address

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ARTICLE: CONTINUED…

system, asking him to report to the customer relations officerwho says there is a message from his company asking to calltheir hotline. On calling the number, he is told that the clienthas shelved the project and he has to scuttle his travel plans.Raj is mortified by this turn of events and drives back homewith his family.

Another case is that of a manager, let’s call him Kumar,who manages three projects out of a multinational company’soffshore centre in Bangalore. Having been in the industry fornearly a decade, Kumar has literally been-there, seen-it, and isnot exactly keen on getting yet another immigration checkstamped on his passport. Kumar also has a few personal issues,including the expected addition to his family, because of whichhe is not excited by the prospect of traveling. However, the‘problem’ is that he is one of the few people in his division tohold a ‘coveted’ US H1-B visa. Every time an onsite requirementcomes up, his bosses look to him. After dodging the bullet acouple of times, Kumar feels that he is really under the gun andis torn between his personal obligations and the expectationsof his employer.

There is one common thread running through both thestories that travel remains a highly contentious issue, beyondthe control of most individuals. Though individual developers,architects and managers remain in control over most aspectsof their work lives and careers, aspects related to travel remainout of their control. There are probably several reasons for this.Most travel requirements are driven by a client’s needs. Travelis generally billed to individual projects, in turn paid for by theclient. To further complicate the matter, are issues related tointernational travel, including visas and immigration control. Itis not surprising to find individual techies bemoaning theirtotal lack of control over travel.

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CONCLUSION

In this chapter, we examined some of the intricacies of theManagement Layer of OMF and the three key areas of input forGlobal Project Managers including the PMBOK, organizational toolsand techniques and the significance of continuous learning andknowledge building. Managers draw from myriad sources as theymanage cycles of projects with increasing complexities. Managers ofoffshored IT projects should be comfortable in managing technologyand possess strong technical and project management skills along

ARTICLE: CONTINUED…

I posed a question on issues related to travel to severalmanagers at Indian companies known to me and most of themjust shrugged their shoulders and accepted these anecdotes asa way of life for techies. Many also indicated that larger soft-ware houses are beginning to make serious effort to mitigatethe need for constant travel by prodding wider adoption oftechnologies including video, voice and teleconferencing.

They, however, also conceded that adoption of suchtechnologies is still at a nascent stage. Individuals and clientsstill seem to prefer the comfort of an eye-to-eye meeting andthe ‘touchy huggy feeling’ of shaking a hand and explaining asystem problem to an architect and to see him/her design thesystem.

Till more of us technocrats and managers begin to pushfor adoption of remote meeting technologies, the Kumars andRajs will continue to be on tenterhooks.

(Originally published as a column in IT People section ofExpress Computers)

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NOTES

1. The Project Management Institute (PMI®), a premier professionalbody dedicated to the study of emerging practices, has developed anextensive collection of best practices, also called A Guide to the ProjectManagement Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide).

2. Infosys [http://www.Infosys.com]

3. Software Project Management in Practice, Pankaj Jalote

4. Global Software Teams, Collaborating across borders and time zones[Author: Erran Carmel, PHI]

General: In this discussion, and in the rest of the book, the term“client” or “user” is used interchangeably to imply the end user orthe client of the service delivery organization. Vendor is a term wewill use interchangeably with the Service Delivery organization.Depending on the offshoring model, especially in case of subsidiaryand Joint Venture models, the ‘client‘ and ‘vendor’ may be differentdivisions in the same organization.

with an understanding of general management practices and tech-niques. In addition, they should have strong oral and written com-munication skills, contract negotiation and management background,organizational skills and an awareness of the nuances of offshoring. Inthe rest of this book, we will continue to examine key tools and tech-niques with an emphasis on managing IT service delivery projects ina global environment.

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