Comments on: Model for Indian IT Services http://6ampacific.com/2007/01/23/model-for-indian-it-services/ Basab Pradhan's weblog about business and life in a 'flat world'. 6 AM Pacific is the best time for a global conference call. Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:34:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: 6 AM Pacific » Blog Archive » The real deal with offshore captives http://6ampacific.com/2007/01/23/model-for-indian-it-services/#comment-6089 6 AM Pacific » Blog Archive » The real deal with offshore captives Mon, 07 May 2007 04:49:10 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/01/23/model-for-indian-it-services/#comment-6089 [...] The market for Indian tech professionals who work on corporate IT systems is very unlike the ones you will find in developed markets. I have written about it here and here in the past. The average wages will be low but the annual growth in wages could be well over 20%. IT Services companies offer the best deal for employees - career growth, leadership opportunities, international travel and a brand name employer (yup, Infosys’ brand beats any US corporate’s in India hands down). Bottomline - the captive will have to pay much much more to keep an employee compared to an IT Services firm - and will still have to deal with higher attrition. [...] […] The market for Indian tech professionals who work on corporate IT systems is very unlike the ones you will find in developed markets. I have written about it here and here in the past. The average wages will be low but the annual growth in wages could be well over 20%. IT Services companies offer the best deal for employees - career growth, leadership opportunities, international travel and a brand name employer (yup, Infosys’ brand beats any US corporate’s in India hands down). Bottomline - the captive will have to pay much much more to keep an employee compared to an IT Services firm - and will still have to deal with higher attrition. […]

]]> By: Mohan http://6ampacific.com/2007/01/23/model-for-indian-it-services/#comment-5438 Mohan Mon, 05 Feb 2007 22:54:27 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/01/23/model-for-indian-it-services/#comment-5438 Interesting post and analysis. Though one phrase kept coming to mind while reading the post: "Past performance is no guarantee of future results" .. and the phrase applies to both aspects of your argument Average experience of Project Managers: Yes, in the past people with a few years in the Indian software services sector would automatically get promoted to Project Management roles (dilbert’s law : being promoted to one’s level of incompetence?) However this may not be a sustainable model. Just look at the western IT model: a developer, for an IT shop may be content to remain a ‘hands on’ developer or programmer for years…as long as he is acquiring some new skills around technology and is well paid. Span of control in projects: There is only so many PMs an organization needs….and they better be really good. Which means that the span of control of better PMs will continue to increase. Again the phrase from financial investing "Past performance is no guarantee of future results" comes to mind. ;-) Interesting post and analysis. Though one phrase kept coming to mind while reading the post: “Past performance is no guarantee of future results” .. and the phrase applies to both aspects of your argument

Average experience of Project Managers: Yes, in the past people with a few years in the Indian software services sector would automatically get promoted to Project Management roles (dilbert’s law : being promoted to one’s level of incompetence?) However this may not be a sustainable model. Just look at the western IT model: a developer, for an IT shop may be content to remain a ‘hands on’ developer or programmer for years…as long as he is acquiring some new skills around technology and is well paid.

Span of control in projects: There is only so many PMs an organization needs….and they better be really good. Which means that the span of control of better PMs will continue to increase.

Again the phrase from financial investing “Past performance is no guarantee of future results” comes to mind. ;-)

]]> By: Satish http://6ampacific.com/2007/01/23/model-for-indian-it-services/#comment-5356 Satish Mon, 29 Jan 2007 18:24:39 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/01/23/model-for-indian-it-services/#comment-5356 Hi Basab, I am a direct/indirect victim of the model presented here. I work with one of the companies that post gravity defying growth figures and inside that, the unit I am with, has lil more than gravity that was pushed back to achieve growth and the targets for the coming years as you know are always higher... Problem: Average age of Project Managers Issues: Learnability is low Focus on process/quality is very low Expect faster growth & Pay packets Strong tech expertise/Less Management Skills Communication Issues - Language/Articulation skills Results in --> Attrition - Voluntary in nature Leadership - Average Project Manager is today not efficient, might be result oriented.. Low quality product/delivery Also growth has resulted in people who are not PM's doing PM Activites in 70% of the cases.. Would Love to quote what happened today.. I walked into the room of a Senior Project Manager to talk about few Quality related issues.. " Hey, I am not worried about the training program, tell me how can I get over it and you be happy, let me be happy.. " These are my personal experiences and opinions Hi Basab,

I am a direct/indirect victim of the model presented here. I work with one of the companies that post gravity defying growth figures and inside that, the unit I am with, has lil more than gravity that was pushed back to achieve growth and the targets for the coming years as you know are always higher…

Problem: Average age of Project Managers

Issues: Learnability is low
Focus on process/quality is very low
Expect faster growth & Pay packets
Strong tech expertise/Less Management Skills
Communication Issues - Language/Articulation skills

Results in –>

Attrition - Voluntary in nature

Leadership - Average Project Manager is today not efficient, might be result oriented..

Low quality product/delivery

Also growth has resulted in people who are not PM’s doing PM Activites in 70% of the cases..

Would Love to quote what happened today..

I walked into the room of a Senior Project Manager to talk about few Quality related issues..

” Hey, I am not worried about the training program, tell me how can I get over it and you be happy, let me be happy.. ”

These are my personal experiences and opinions

]]> By: 6 AM Pacific » Blog Archive » Where are All the Senior Developers in India? http://6ampacific.com/2007/01/23/model-for-indian-it-services/#comment-5349 6 AM Pacific » Blog Archive » Where are All the Senior Developers in India? Sun, 28 Jan 2007 18:49:37 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/01/23/model-for-indian-it-services/#comment-5349 [...] I hope you got a chance to play around with the spreadsheet that I posted last week. I finally got the embedded spreadsheet to work, so you can make changes and see the outcomes right there on the blog post. Isn’t that just a thing of beauty? [...] […] I hope you got a chance to play around with the spreadsheet that I posted last week. I finally got the embedded spreadsheet to work, so you can make changes and see the outcomes right there on the blog post. Isn’t that just a thing of beauty? […]

]]> By: raj http://6ampacific.com/2007/01/23/model-for-indian-it-services/#comment-5335 raj Wed, 24 Jan 2007 13:35:59 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/01/23/model-for-indian-it-services/#comment-5335 Not sure if this is true: Quote One assumes Managers to be of 4 to 6 years in experience. The other assumes them to be 5 to 7 years in experience. Senior people, over 6 or 7 years of experience, have been assumed to be in delivery management and non-billable. Unquote My experience and I quote out of the place where I work, Project Managers start at 7/8 years experience and Senior Managers at 10+ Raj Not sure if this is true:
Quote
One assumes Managers to be of 4 to 6 years in experience. The other assumes them to be 5 to 7 years in experience. Senior people, over 6 or 7 years of experience, have been assumed to be in delivery management and non-billable.
Unquote
My experience and I quote out of the place where I work, Project Managers start at 7/8 years experience and Senior Managers at 10+

Raj

]]> By: Siddharth http://6ampacific.com/2007/01/23/model-for-indian-it-services/#comment-5333 Siddharth Wed, 24 Jan 2007 04:53:30 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/01/23/model-for-indian-it-services/#comment-5333 Assuming that the Indian IT Services industry kicked off in 1995, the billable range extends upto 10 years atleast. This will increase everyone year. The % of non-billables is best esttimated as a fraction of total -- it has nothing to do with years of experience. As the industry ages, the average age of each role increases. So, Basab, if you upload this excel again, please have 2 tabs 5 to 10 years, and 10 to 15 years. The current ones are too close to each other anyways. Assuming that the Indian IT Services industry kicked off in 1995, the billable range extends upto 10 years atleast. This will increase everyone year. The % of non-billables is best esttimated as a fraction of total — it has nothing to do with years of experience. As the industry ages, the average age of each role increases.

So, Basab, if you upload this excel again, please have 2 tabs
5 to 10 years, and 10 to 15 years. The current ones are too close to each other anyways.

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