Table of Contents
Hitoshi Goto
Ukihiko Takagi
In the previous article, we covered key points when ordering from overseas vendors. This time, we will look at the keys to succeeding in multi-vendor global projects.
Pre-Processing Issues Before Communicating Them Is Important
Once you enter the test phase, you will be busy fixing defects and bugs in parallel with testing. Since the purpose of testing is to find defects and bugs, this is natural.
Since our work is supporting global projects for Japanese global companies, it is important to accurately communicate defects resulting from User Acceptance Testing (UAT) conducted by Japanese user companies to overseas vendors.
If we could simply hand over the UAT result reports from Japanese user companies to the bridge SE, it would be simple. In reality, however, language issues can prevent intentions from being communicated properly, causing difficulties in correction work.
When we asked a Chinese vendor for offshore development, correction work also stalled. So we stepped in to pre-process the issues (bug and defect details) before passing them to the bridge SE.
Specifically, we clarified the necessary response for each individual issue. This required considerable effort, but we created diagrams and charts and attached them to correction requests.
Chinese development team members respond extremely quickly when actions are clear. The client also recognized the high capability of the Chinese vendor and approved additional staff, so the backlog of stalled issues was resolved in no time.
Creating diagrams and charts requires considerable effort. Recently, we have been improving efficiency by using remote meeting applications to explain while drawing simple diagrams on the spot, keeping meeting conclusions as evidence that both parties agreed.
Direct conversation makes things progress faster. Even if you cannot meet in person, remote meetings can substitute quite well.
Direct Contracts Between Single Vendors and PMO Are Preferable
In Japan, medium-sized and larger projects often proceed with multiple vendors, and I feel the coordination between vendors is good. Perhaps because it is a small country, there is a sense that they might work together again on the next job.
However, you cannot expect the same level of coordination between overseas vendors as between Japanese vendors. Sometimes vendors conflict with each other, and when they communicate in the local language, we Japanese cannot understand what they are even arguing about and sometimes cannot mediate.
A particular problem is coordination when there is no contractual relationship between the PMO (us) and vendors that our client (the ordering party) has contracted directly. In this case, vendors contracted by the ordering party are beyond our control.
Given these circumstances, it can be said that in global projects, single vendors and PMO should contract directly whenever possible.
That said, there are times when a multi-vendor structure is unavoidable due to required technologies or business knowledge. In such cases:
- Unify the commercial flow and place everything under the PMO
- If that is absolutely not possible, exchange memoranda with the ordering party delegating authority
Proceeding while keeping these two points in mind is the key to project success.
<< Read Part 17 of the Series | Read Part 19 of the Series >>
