Performance Analysis of US to India Software Development Migration Process

1. Performance Analysis of US to India Software Development Migration Process L. Roxanne Russell April 18, 2007 IT 7150

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Report examines migration of software development and maintenance from US to India by Custom Software Solutions, Inc. & Diversified Support Services India, Inc. • Data gathered through: • Interviews • Surveys • Document reviews • Suggested interventions include • Improving project management and organizational communication practices • Establishing new protocols such as web-based project bulletin boards and interactive learning modules

3. BACKGROUND INFORMATION • CSS provides client-server and web-based development services to private and government clients • CSS became subsidiary of DSSI, an IT solutions provider headquartered in Western India • DSSI and CSS began migrating development of projects to teams in India 1 year ago • US client relations and project management remain in the US

4. GOALS OF THE ANALYSIS PROJECT • Identify performance gaps in migration of development and maintenance tasks from US to teams in India • Discover root causes of performance gaps • Recommend strategies for improving the performance of participants in the migration process.

5. TARGET POPULATION ANALYSIS • Targets all DSSI & CSS personnel in the US and India working on the following five projects involved in the migration process: • NSCIS: Northeastern State Compliance Information System • SECIS: Southeastern State Compliance Information System • SGMS: Southeastern Grant Management System • BEGMS: Biomedical Engineering Grant Management System • NSOMS: Northeastern State Online Management System

6. STRATEGY & PROCESS FOR ANALYSIS • Discover performance gaps by comparing Timeliness • Look for root causes at the following levels: • Strategic • Tactical • Logistical • Identify need for environmental supports and personnel practices to be: • Established • Improved • Maintained • Extinguished

7. METHODS AND INSTRUMENTS • Interviews • In person • Over the phone • Surveys • E-mailed to India • Document Review • Project Plans • Migration Plans • Communications • Analysis Tools • Levels of Vantage • Behavior Engineering Model

8. DATA GATHERED FROM ANALYSIS • Timeliness

9. DATA GATHERED FROM ANALYSIS • Data can be misleading because of scope • SECIS team includes 16 team members for an application that serves 11,000 daily users • BEGMS team includes 2 members for an application that serves 100 daily users

10. DATA GATHERED FROM ANALYSIS • Root causes of SECIS time delays • Inefficient sequencing of stages • Impractical method of knowledge transfer • 850 page document • Lack of clear guidelines on roles and responsibilities of team members • Communication barriers and delays • High turnover of personnel in India

11. OVERALL COST OF THE PROBLEM

12. CONCLUSIONS

13. CONCLUSIONS • Methods for interactive training on applications should be established • Accessible forums for centralized storage of project information should be established • Fears about job security at the completion of the migration process should be extinguished

14. SUGGESTED INTERVENTIONS • Upper management should consult with personnel about roles, responsibilities, and the future of the organization. • Project management office should set collaboration and communication between US and India teams as highest priority and begin progress towards the following urgent objectives: • Project documentation templates and guidelines • Project management mentorship program • “Taking initiative” protocols • Cross-team partnership program • Interactive learning modules of large scope, long term projects • Project managers should provide team web-based bulletin boards to: • Archive project memory in searchable database, • Disseminate questions and answers at time of creation • Build virtual project team community

15. Evaluation Plan • Interventions may be assessed at levels of: • Reaction • Learning • Behavior • Results