In recent years, the level of offshore development has improved significantly. In many developing countries, the number of highly skilled engineers is increasing, and their ability to handle the latest technologies is also strengthening. In addition, the adoption of development processes in line with global standards and thorough quality control are progressing, so we can expect higher quality deliverables than before. As a result, offshore development is attracting attention not only for cost reduction but also for the utilization of specialized technology and acceleration of development speed. However, challenges such as cultural differences, communication barriers, and project management difficulties remain, and it is true that there are still many failures in offshore development.
So, what can you do to avoid failure in offshore development?
Why offshore fails
Failures in offshore development are mainly caused by the following factors:
- Lack of communication
- Communication problems can occur not only due to language differences, but also due to differences in cultural backgrounds and business practices.
- Unclear Requirements
- Many times, project requirements are not communicated clearly, leaving the development team unable to understand exactly what the client expects.
- Lack of project management
- Projects go off track due to lack of proper project management techniques or poor management of remote teams.
Conclusion: Choose based on offshore management talent
First of all, you need to clarify your requirements (requests). However, this is important not only for offshore development but for all development. In addition to this, when it comes to offshore development, you should also place importance on personnel who manage the offshore, such as bridge engineers. That's all. One of the reasons for this is that offshore development has a large number of excellent engineers, and replacement of engineers in charge is relatively flexible. In other words, almost everything is decided by the management personnel who face the client and have the role of controlling the offshore, rather than individual skills. Be sure to choose a company that guarantees management rather than a company that boasts high engineering skills.
Why are offshore management talent important?
Below are some important points to avoid failure in offshore projects. You can see that all of these are issues that go beyond the skills of engineers. Each item may be assigned to a project manager or bridge engineer, but they must understand this and manage it appropriately.
-Establishing clear communication
- It is important to have clear and consistent communication between both the client and the engineer, using communication tools and regular meetings.
- Understand and respect the culture. It is important to understand the culture of your offshore team and build relationships based on mutual respect.
- Create a detailed project plan. It is important to clearly and concisely communicate project goals, expected outcomes, and deadlines to prevent misunderstandings and ensure efficient progress.
- Using and Operating the Right Project Management Tools. It is important to select and properly operate tools that facilitate task management, progress tracking, document sharing, and more.
- It is important to identify project risks in advance and take measures to improve the ability to deal with unexpected problems.
How to identify offshore management talent
- Can you speak Japanese?
- Is there smooth communication?
- Are you actively trying to understand what is being said?
- Are your questions and suggestions on point?
- Are you able to verbalize what you hear and think?
- Are risks and conditions clearly stated?
- Are you conscious of deadlines?
- Is the response quick?
Offshore development, by its very nature, entails different types of challenges than domestic development, but with proper management, it is possible to overcome these challenges and lead the project to success. When offshore development is proposed, the role and costs of management personnel tend to be underestimated, but you should evaluate the costs after understanding a solid management system. As a result, you will be able to improve quality, obtain cost benefits, and be sure to succeed.
Leave your offshore operations to cloco for success
Cloco Co., Ltd. has established a subsidiary in Nepal, taking advantage of the offshore development know-how it has cultivated with its offshore partners since its establishment. This has enabled stable recruitment of personnel and guaranteed skill sets, and has enabled us to provide a development structure that matches the needs of our customers. If you are looking for offshore development that will not fail, contact Cloco.