Thoughts about the Annual Conference in April 2013

Published on January 18, 2013 by Guest Blogger

I was recently notified of the dates of our 3rd Annual Offshoring Strategy Conference to be held in Bangalore on 11-12 April 2013. On each of the previous two occasions, the amount of learning reported by our staff who attended the conference, as well as by our speakers and other attendees, irrespective of their level of experience and prior exposure to outsourcing, was indeed notable.

What struck me particularly at the last conference was the level of commitment and investment that had been made by the operators of the more successful outsourcing engagements. Having spoken at the last two conferences, I myself look forward with excitement to fresh discussions at the third edition. It may be an idea to do more at the coming conference to discuss the practical implementation aspects of making high-end offshoring work.

Some of my observations in this regard are as follows:

• Many people think of outsourcing purely in terms of cost savings. The sole focus on saving money in the short term can produce underwhelming results. It’s useful to examine what successful program managers look to accomplish in terms of enhanced capabilities as well as the internal process of driving a successful engagement.

• The lock, stock and barrel shifting of an existing process offshore in its current form does not always deliver optimal results. Some of the most successful engagements exploit the expertise of the outsourcing firm to change the way work is done. Process redesign can enhance productivity and quality as well as drive the development of new services. We should examine how this is done in practice, noting that each firm faces unique circumstances in terms of culture, internal politics, market positioning, etc.

• The most successful practitioners of high-end outsourcing invest senior onshore time, especially during the early stages of the engagement, to ensure good communication and cultural fit. They recognize that not everything will be an instant success and many adjustments will have to be made in the initial few weeks. What is the optimal framework for making the initial adjustment period more productive?

If you have ideas on what you would like to hear about at our conference, please do drop us a line.

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