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Employee Information
Offshore team is the foundation for
an outsourced project's building. Analyzing the following areas of offshore team would
increase compatibility and understanding between the two teams.
Technical Expertise:
Employees must be proficient in various technical skills
required during the course of project.
Having competent full-time manpower is one of the key to timely and successful project completion.
Training:
Offshore vendor should impart adequate training in technology and applications required during the course of project . More
complicated the project, more intricate the training required. Offshore Vendor's training policy should also incorporate training the team in
latest
technology from time to time so as to provide
augmented services.
Outsourcer's overall cost
calculation should include offshore team's training costs also.
Cultural Diversity:
Cultural differences, if overlooked, can backfire in spite of having sound technical support. Lack of
understanding of western culture can hinder outsourcer's efforts to ensure cultural compatibility.
Reconciliation measures, initiated at onset of project, would go a long way in successful project
completion. Cultural diversity should be projected as an opportunity rather than as an obstruction.
Hiring & Retention Policy:
Offshore vendor should be ready to immediately replenish the human resource, if it falls short,
at any moment during project execution. The retention rate is an indicator of the working
environment at the offshore location. Vendor's retention measures should include steps to
motivate and encourage the offshore team on a continual basis. High attrition rate is bound
to affect the project's deadline and overall costs involved.
Flexibility:
Are the employees ready to accept the change in work culture? They must be zealous and
flexible enough to accommodate the changes that outsourced project ensues. Imparting training in
soft skills can help to groom them for new environment.
Language Difference:
Check out if the offshore team is well versed in language that outsourcer's team intends to use
for communication. Having a common communication language, preferably English, is essential for
conveying and understanding the requirements clearly.
Team size:
Does the offshore vendor have adequate skilled human resource to meet the project deadline?
Or is the vendor dependent on a few skilled people for project's success? An ideal team size
implies having multi-skilled personnel capable of handling multiple tasks. Check whether the vendor
follows a global delivery model
or an entirely offshore model. Having
an onsite or offsite team facilitates direct interaction with vendor personnel.
Employee Evaluation Policy:
On what criteria does the vendor evaluate its employees? This highlights the level of work
(in terms of quantity and quality) expected by vendor from its team. Check if it complies
with outsourcer's expectations from the offshore team.
Being proactive in dealing with above aspects, related to offshore team,
would lead to better understanding between both teams, thereby cementing a strong relation.
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