Today many organisations have decided to move their IT development offshore to reduce costs and increase competitiveness. Work is sent to places such as India, China and Russia. The cost savings in these countries is considerable but the headline saving is only a small part of the equation. Running projects offshore is very different to running them at home. Having spoken to many project managers over the past year, it has become clear that the same issues are arising time and time again. Understanding these before you start an offshore project will help you to be better prepared. These are six of the key areas to consider and where most of the issues lie when offshore outsourcing.
Understanding the Culture
This is possibly the most complex area and takes time to understand. Western norms of doing business cannot be applied in places such as India and China. Without a good understanding of the culture it’s easy for things to go wrong. This is where it can be useful to go on a cultural training course. A good course will tell you what to expect, how to react and plan strategies to deal with different ways of working.
Selecting the Right...