Before setting up an offshore team, the question that should come up is: How are we going to manage, or more accurately, who is going to manage and work with the new offshore team? In this two-part blog I am going to go over some of the pros and cons of going with the two most popular choices, which are: using a manager from your own organization or engaging a manager from your vendor.
Pros of using an internal project coordinator to work with your offshore team:
- An internal project manager knows how your company works and has internal knowledge of your systems or your processes, so they may quickly be able to answer any questions that the offshore team has.
- For the questions from the offshore team that the internal project manager cannot answer, given their knowledge of the internal structure of the company and its personnel, they should be able to very quickly find the correct person who can answer the questions.
- For those companies which are looking at offshoring as a strategic initiative, having an internal person involved with the day to day offshore team activities, will provide first-hand input as to the capabilities of an offshore team, how quickly they can get up to speed or how long it may take to get work done offshore.
Part 2 will talk about the pos for using a manger from your vendor partner and how you decide between the two options.
