Among the various alternates to scale, if the option is having an Offshore Product Development (OPD) setup to prepare an organization to handle the expected growth, a decision to establish one is a good starting point. However establishing an OPD center requires some ground work and preparations to realize the vision.
From inception to embedding it as an integral part requires an Organization culture enabling participation (openness, transparency, trust). As the OPD embarks on its journey making the first steps, it needs continuous support in shaping up to its vision. An OPD transforms from a start-up to a partner in progress over a period through the nurturing in its growth phases and embedding in the overall organization.
The critical success factors (CSF's) for an OPD are the build-up of the required levels of knowledge and the formation of a stable and critical mass to be able to independently operate and deliver its value, establishing collaboration with the other counterpart units of the organization.
During the ramp-up phase, a defined approach for knowledge build up is needed. The approach should enable applying the technical/domain skills on the various product areas and build a good understanding of the various work processes. Apart from the initial training, establishing team based mentoring helps in Team formation (new recruits becoming a team) and Integration across geographies (distributed development, cultural integration, co-existence), balancing skills, experience levels to give a head start and enable team collaboration.
After the initial ramp-up as the OPD moves into its stabilization phase, the CSF's change to managing the additions in people, assimilation of knowledge, settling down with the chosen way of doing work, balancing aspirations with growth opportunities apart from knowledge management and knowledge retention. In this phase, there is a need to prepare for some churn out and its impact on the short-term and medium-term plans of the OPD.
In the next part, I will share my experiences on the aspects of Organizational preparedness for establishing, working with an OPD and working with smart knowledge workers and their influence on the success of the OPD.
From inception to embedding it as an integral part requires an Organization culture enabling participation (openness, transparency, trust). As the OPD embarks on its journey making the first steps, it needs continuous support in shaping up to its vision. An OPD transforms from a start-up to a partner in progress over a period through the nurturing in its growth phases and embedding in the overall organization.
The critical success factors (CSF's) for an OPD are the build-up of the required levels of knowledge and the formation of a stable and critical mass to be able to independently operate and deliver its value, establishing collaboration with the other counterpart units of the organization.
During the ramp-up phase, a defined approach for knowledge build up is needed. The approach should enable applying the technical/domain skills on the various product areas and build a good understanding of the various work processes. Apart from the initial training, establishing team based mentoring helps in Team formation (new recruits becoming a team) and Integration across geographies (distributed development, cultural integration, co-existence), balancing skills, experience levels to give a head start and enable team collaboration.
After the initial ramp-up as the OPD moves into its stabilization phase, the CSF's change to managing the additions in people, assimilation of knowledge, settling down with the chosen way of doing work, balancing aspirations with growth opportunities apart from knowledge management and knowledge retention. In this phase, there is a need to prepare for some churn out and its impact on the short-term and medium-term plans of the OPD.
In the next part, I will share my experiences on the aspects of Organizational preparedness for establishing, working with an OPD and working with smart knowledge workers and their influence on the success of the OPD.
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