Q.When should one outsource?
A. When any one or more of the following is happening significantly and with consistence…. When you’re losing focus on your core business because you are too busy handling questions
When you’re facing a time money and human resource crunch.
When you have a mission-critical project that needs all your time & energy, plus specialized skills which are either expensive or not readily available.
When you are making a first-mover step to gain the edge in the market. Back to Top Q. What is the internet potential in India?
A. India has become a highly favoured outsourcing destination primarily due to certain very pressing factors which are highlighted below… - Abundance of knowledge professionals
- Affordable IT education
- Government support & commitment
- Influx of talent from other educational streams
- Country with the largest English speaking population
Q. Given the business environment of the Client, does outsourcing of VFX accrue benefits beyond the short-term?
A. Outsourcing benefits are not merely monetary, but extend to operational and strategic aspects as well. Some of the key long-term benefits can be easily appreciated when one looks some of T9L’s inherent strengths, against the backdrop of the usual outsourcing benefits. Some of the key merits are enlisted below… - Online content greatly enhances the efficacy of a business Organization with its external environment. With the continued stupendous growth of the internet, a rational technology adoption would continue to get increasingly critical for ensuring such effectiveness. Thereby, a holistic technology engagement with the most suitable vendors can translate into a powerful organic growth enabler/catalyst. Incidentally, T9L’s technology-services and consulting practices are very well suited to support proactively, such a continuing transformation, bringing about a highly positive impact on competitive advantage.
- As the Client’s business (and hence, technology and consulting requirements) continue to grow, progressive cost-reduction and greater value-addition would become two highly compelling reasons for expanding the contractual scope of business cooperation with technology-vendors
- The optimization of human resources (client-side) in an outsourcing engagement greatly helps in ensuring better workforce utilization as those resources can then be utilized for a multitude of business requirements, which only adds to better efficiencies and cost-optimization.
- In customer-dictated marketplace which is replete with alternatives, customer-loyalty is critical to business continuity, apart from that is, new-customer development. Innumerable, and highly compelling cases can be found around the world that endorse the profound improvement in customer-satisfaction when customer-related processes are outsourced. VFX-outsourcing is not a direct customer-process, but apart from coming just one layer below it, impacts it however, very profoundly (and hence, it’s importance).
Back to Top Q. How do the SLA clauses influence the overall success of an outsourcing initiative?
A. Quality is a philosophy that is followed in letter and spirit at T9L. To ensure consistency in terms of actual implementation of our quality policy (so that what we commit is what you get, if not better i.e.), we ourselves encourage inclusion of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) in our contract with the customer-partner. The service level agreement defines the level/magnitude of service-quality in terms of delivery metrics, quality of support, quality of deliverables (along with adhered timelines as mutually agreed), and scope for modification of the engagement. The SLA is a part of the work contract, and not really a document as a separate statute or for that matter, having a separate status from the contract. Having a well-defined SLA ensures:- - Maximization of compliance to expectations of the client-partner.
- Minimization of shortcomings if any.
- Smooth workflow.
- Minimization of cost-overruns and delays.
- Highest possible client-satisfaction level.
- Better and faster value-realization.
Back to Top Q. Does it make sense to segregate the overall requirements and distribute it to multiple providers?
A. Both the one-sto- shop, as well as the multi-vendor arrangement options have their merits and demerits based on the overall business case. The decision regarding which one to adopt for what needs to be done against the backdrop:- - The short, medium and long-term objective(s) of the initiative;
- The scale of the requirement (investment, level of mission-criticality, human involvement, budget, etc.)
- The ability of the vendor(s) to meet/help meet those objectives in an optimum and cost-effective manner.
- The magnitude of client-protection plus client-indemnification, mutually agreed upon in the service-level agreement(s).
On the vendor-capability front, currently T9L competencies stand in web-solutions, IT-services, and consulting (IT-consulting and business consulting). Within these two domains, we have the know-how, resources, and capabilities to provide you with a very wide array of answers to your problems – right from a piece-meal prescription to a tailor-made panacea! Back to Top Q. Do the infrastructure, human resource skills and tactical capabilities of T9L match up to deliver what is assured?
A. Force majeur is the only exception to our ability to put our commitments in action. The stupendous rate of growth, the rock-solid commitment of our team-members, our customer-orientation, and our core work philosophy has held T9L in very good stead with all of it’s clients - from sole-proprietorship concerns to giant multinational corporations, not to mention, the government and the United Nations. We express our commitment to customers through well-defined service contracts that clearly define our role and our responsibilities; so there is almost never, any ambiguity. We truly believe in the often maxim relating to graphic user-interfaces (GUI) - WYSWYG (what you see is what you get)! Back to Top Q. How to rate potential vendor-partner(s)?
A. The following broad guideline emulates the same… - Commitment to quality
- Price
- Reference/market-repuation/past-experience(s)
- Flexibility in contract-terms
- Scope of resources
- Additional value-adding capability
- Cultural match
- Existing relationship
- Geographic location
- Top-management team profile & caliber.
- Examine the development partner/service provider for good documentation practices. Good Documentation is very important for effectively managing and implementing projects. For an effective development and delivery, a Requirements Gathering document is highly desirable.
- Examine your service provider's requirements document and verify that it truly reflects your needs.
- Evaluate the development methodology for good processes and effective design. A project milestone plan, along with details of the methodology always helps.
- In outsource models, communication is a very crucial aspect. Please ensure that your developer has clear and effective communication channels.
- Ensure that project scope is clearly defined. Often, there are conflicts resulting out of poor understanding of the scope by either party.
- Evaluate your development partner to see if they understand your business model. A service provider who sees the bigger picture of your business is always the better choice. His value additions can go beyond your specifications.
Back to Top Q. How can existing relationships be leveraged to ensure mutual win-win for both Client & T9L (vendor)?
A. T9L’s Business Consulting practice helps clients to make informed decisions that helps them accrue that all important competitive advantage. Benefit maximization can get coupled with cost minimization only when there are very clear plans laid out regarding transformational processes to be effected in environments within, and well as related to, the client. At T9L, we provide compelling reasons for expanding the dimensions of doing business with us… - We are a total solutions provider; in that light, simply put, we (can) provide, total peace of mind as goes enabling technology to power your business is concerned. As a customer-partner, as you expand scope of doing business with us, in tandem, we continuously improvise on leveraging our expertise, network and capabilities, to support you through and through on an ever-progressive framework.
- Our strategic approach to working with our customer-partners is almost never piece-meal nor for that matter, product-focused; rather, it is his business objective(s) coupled with the business environment applicable, that forms the core basis of our entire process. Therefore, we see things, the way YOU do/like to do.
- Information is key, and knowledge at the right time is Power today. For far-sighted strategic reasons, we ensure that our Consulting and IT-Services practices work hand-in-glove to help provide to you, not just an actionable knowledge base, but quality-services that deeply impact the stakes behind organizational success.
Back to Top Q. What is the profile of the senior-management at T9L?
A. T9L is managed by executives who possess above anything else… - Deep industry knowledge
- Mature level of techno-managerial skills
- Cross industry exposure to understand real impact of technology interventions across verticals and diverse business environments
- Very high passion quotient towards the Organization and it’s customers
- Sound breadth of industry network to leverage business relationships
- Sizeable magnitude of work-experience to ensure a mature level of command over the entire course of the project.
- Solid success stories that bear testimony to their individual as well as collective capability (as T9L members).
- Hard-core team-spirit attitude and cohesive style of management.
A run-down on individual profiles is annexed to this approach note document. Back to Top Q. How does T9L compare with numerous other vendors operating in this geographic domain?
A. Confidence in a vendor can be evaluated using a diagnostic check which though generic, is quite effective…. - Existence of comprehensive, but Requirements Gathering document that genuinely reflects your needs, while ensuring your investment is to the extent possible, “future-proofed”.
- Existence of a well-document project plan – it should clearly exemplify the efficacy of development methodology and outline all processes involved – manpower deployment, technologies & platforms, methods, etc.
- Implementation of a clear-cut communication channel for both internal as well as external (client-related) interactions.
- Clarity on scope of project, deliverables, service level agreement, arbitration, etc.
- Clarity on financials, timelines, and statute clauses.
- Foresight and ability to understand business angle of the initiative, rather than viewing it in singular technology perspectives.
The above, of course, is over and above quality of human resources, capability, competence, integrity and past history. Back to Top Q. Can penalties be imposed by Client to the vendor for delays?
A. T9L has rock-solid commitment to time & budgets set upon. If there are specified clauses that allow for penalties to be imposed by the client, the same can be admitted, provided, such penalty does not exceed (in any circumstance), 15% of the overall investment in the project by the Client, as goes it’s engagement with T9L. Back to Top Q. Are the financials negotiable?
A. The financial investment details laid out and eventually agreed upon in the contract are sacrosanct, except where special clauses have been added and mutually agreed upon, which may, depending upon the case, facilitate (re)negotiation. However, in no circumstances whatsoever shall either party have a right to revisit the monies formally agreed upon without express consent from the other party (client or vendor, as the case maybe). Back to Top Q. Typically, how is payment to be split and what is the mode?
A. Unless agreed upon explicitly, our standard payment terms are 50% advance, with entire balance payable within 30 (thirty) working days post the completion of the project. Working days are deemed to be from Monday to Friday, excluding only national holidays applicable to the Client.
Payment mode is either via crossed cheque or bank draft favouring “Technology 9 Labs”, payable at New Delhi, India (only Indian currency payments can be made via cheque/bank draft), or via wire-transfer (both INR as well as foreign currency is acceptable in this particular mode). We do not accept any other form of payment whatsoever. Back to Top Q. How can an RFP/RFQ impact the engagement or overall process?
Q. When you draw out an RFP, you will have your planning done right It will help you put across your thoughts and requirements in terms of detailing With an RFP, you will have a written documentation of what you really expect from a project It gives you and your vendor a clear picture of the scope of the project. This will ensure that nothing goes unforeseen With its detailed description of the project, it will be easier for your vendor to tell you their estimated cost. An RFP will act as the basis of reference throughout the stages of project execution Here are some of the most common details that usually are given in an RFP/RFQ… - Disclaimers
- Company Background
- Project Purpose & Scope:
- Current Process Overview
- Project Details
- Audience
- Project Verification
- Target Hardware, Software & Platform – Server
- General Software and Hardware Standards to follow
- Software Source Code
- Training for end users
- Recommended Hardware
- Vendor Instructions:
- Price Quotation
- Schedule for Evaluation Process
- Proposal Submission & Contact Information
- Proposal Format
- Confidentiality
- Questionnaire to get an overview of Vendor Company
Back to Top Q. Can changes be made to a RFP/RFQ at a later stage?
A. Affirmative! But once the final contract is signed, any changes shall have to go through a formal process of mutual endorsement/consent. Back to Top |
