I like to believe that I was at the starting point of software product offshoring to India way back in early 90s when we setup the AT&T Bell Lab’s R&D operations in India. Now most technology companies have large R&D centers in India. While there has been a lot of headcount growth, I feel that the maturity hasn’t grown as much as should have. This series of 7 articles, written over a period of three months, tackles some of the issues that need more attention. Check them out if you have missed any.
Bursting of the India R&D Offshoring Bubble
I believe that India shoring of R&D is going through a “trough of disillusionment”. There are unmet expectations on both the US and the India sides. Many feel that the model isn’t working. But this phase is good for the future. It will recalibrate expectations and will lead to a more thoughtful and sustainable growth in India shoring going forward.
This R&D Boom Now Needs a (Temporary) Bust
Demand for experienced people outstrips supply. Wage inflation is taking place. Work ethic is disappearing. Mediocrity is stepping in. Entitlement mindset is creeping in. And short-termism is dominating. The problem is acute. Is a bust round the corner?
5 Reasons Why R&D Offshoring is Maturing So Slowly
Effective R&D offshoring remains a black art. While individual success stories exist, they haven’t yet become repeatable. This article talks about the 5 reasons why India-shoring of R&D is maturing so slowly.
A Practical Framework for Successful Product Offshoring
The product offshoring failures don’t get discussed publicly and the same mistakes are made again and again. This article discusses a practical framework for success.
India R&D Footprint: Time to Evaluate and Fix the Portfolio
India R&D footprint of every MNC has uneven quality. What’s more there are significant variations across MNC captives. These variations didn’t matter when the times were good and growth was easy to come by. But now times are changing… it’s time to evaluate the portfolio. This is how it can be done…
Managing the Tension between Product Offshoring and Incubation
There is strong business case for India-based product offshoring and product incubation. Doing both surfaces the inherent tension between them. Good performance with one of them doesn’t automatically result in good performance with the other. If anything, the odds are that doing one of them will weaken the other. So what’s the way out?
5 Sacred Cows of Product Offshoring
Sacred cows are ideas that are exempt from criticism or questioning. Here are 5 common sacred cows that get in the way of product offshoring…
Excellent work on Product offshoring.Your blogs are thought provoking and very helpful to people like me who are working in OPD space.
I am curious to know your views and observations on Offshore Product Sustenance. Thanks