Long time no see....

Hmm.. quite a time since I have posted here and I am not going to do so now either. Neverthless, collecting lots n lots of info to post and will do it soon !!!!

Multi-Sourcing in Out-Sourcing

I find my current engagement quite unique. My past experiences have been centric on my employer being the sole solution provider with no dependencies other than the client. But here, TCS, Infosys, Cognizant, IBM..... U name it..its there...., work for various functions. All sit on the same floors, attend the same meetings with similar agenda, participate in similar town halls. Often, I hear a Indian name from the other side of the phone and wonder which company is he from. Furthermore, I find Type 1 Outsourcing a fun. To act as decision makers for the client rather than just doing what they want is encouraging. I recollect, the client often asking us “From your previous experiences in other accounts, how can we handle this”, “In other peoplesoft accounts that TCS handles, what implementation process is used”. The window of opportunity is wide yet narrow. As pro-client, we are expected to provide best recommendations. As pro-TCS, we are expected to keep ourselves better than the competition and provide revenue generating recommendations. The line in between is thin and difficult to adopt.

What this process has resulted in is a two fold sword. We have to keep on engaging with the cross functional teams. This has propelled increased efficiency and communication on one hand and blame game on the other. There have been instances where each party plays pass the buck game. Now is it healthy for the clients and for the vendors?

Evaluating the client side, I would take a personal example. As a customer, the more choices I have the better decision and better deals I will get. For instance, if there are 4-5 different telecom operators, I can expect each one offering a wide range of services and I can conveniently find more than one operator offering a genuine deal. Furthermore, it is quite likely that I can negotiate with one operator since he runs a risk of losing me to his competitor. Extending the same philosophy to clients, they have employed the similar strategy at Corporate Level. If we have multiple vendors serving various part of our applications and infrastructure, we stand a better chance of getting improved services at lesser costs.

On the vendor side, If I have more competitors, I stand a better chance of re-inventing myself. In short term, I might run at a risk of losing a part of my clientele or business but in longer term I will have better processes and efficiency from the constrained margins. As a TCSer, I observe an extra sense of commitment and effort from the senior leadership for a particular project that involves cross functional teams of different vendors than when the other team is from TCS. Even at team member level, there is an hint increased efficiency conforming to preserve the image of the company. Certainly there is an extra effort to synergies the best practices to achieve greater efficiency. In all, the impact is positive though sometimes it feels like dealing with unnecessary roadblocks , multiple status reports, and multiple entries in vendor applications at operational level.

In retrospect, I guess this is going to be the way large corporate house will engage the vendors let alone the software services. Hmm, I thought I should have used the title as -- Competition at the cube level -- :) !!

Measles Initiative [ Humanity binds humans - part 2]

It is disheartening to note the number of children dying just because they did not get proper vaccination, which can be obtained at cost of less than a dollar for a child.I got a chance to Volunteer in the Measles Initiative of American Red Cross's Twin Cities Chapter. I am glad to have made a contribution to save atleast 10 children.

I hail Red Cross’s participation in this resounding initiative that has saved 360 million children globally in 5 years. I feel a part of this process today. I implore you to be a part as well. For more information about the intiative please visit this page:
Measles Initiative Information


Go online, call 800 number or send a check, if nothing at least forward this message to your friends. Check this page for the same:
Measles Promotion

Furthermore, I also recently read about Arun Sarin’s candid gesture to establish $10 million Charity Establishment in India out of which 1 Million pounds is directed towards Measles Initiative in India, a largest corporate initiative in the region. You may want to read the full article here:
Vodafone Charity Establishment

Never before did this thought crossed my mind that $1 = 1 Life !!!

When is the last time you just did something?

I had an interesting realization this morning. How often do we stop for a moment and think what we are crossing by, what moments we are living? How often is it that we realize the importance of present, an anonymous to Gift? Today, traveling to my workplace in a misty and rainy weather, I heard my friends complain about the weather. “It is so difficult to drive in such weather”. “Arey, this is nothing. Come in December and see, it will get worse”. Somehow my ears were passing these comments perfectly through the hollow channel in my mind. [ I know you just wondered whether I have any non-hollow channel !! Please concentrate]. I was feeling heavenly, divine for something was happening to me, giving me sheer bliss. I was living that moment. I was letting my thoughts wander, farther than the realms of logic and analytics, nursed by emotions and imagination proprietary of a 3 year old kid.

Observing the tiny droplets silently force the mighty cars and buses labor to put the wind-shield wipers on, I thought how the tiny droplets would be feeling: proud or miserable? They were operating in tandem, one after the other, persistently and passionately. But I wondered whether there objective is to hit the cars, the buildings, and numerous other structures or to touch life, a unique prospect, on this unique planet. Furthermore, I wondered whether all the blessed living creatures ever realize this. I know Peacocks for one do. But does the most intelligent creatures do? I wanted to go out and help at least droplets touch me, touch life. I wanted to feel the tiny drops, to get wet in rain, by getting out of the car. Just as I was about to design a strategy to do so in such a way that no one sitting in car notices me, the car took a sharp turn and I returned to mortality.

Suddenly, hundreds of ropes tied me. How can I go out and get wet, I have to attend a meeting within next 20 minutes? What will happen to the cell phone in my pocket? The laptop bag is also not water-proof and TCS will owe 3000$ in an event the laptop breaks down. And dude, you cannot just stop and step out on a highway. I was tied, left, right and center. I was tied from top to bottom. I struggled to return to my fantasy world, to my world. I wanted to defy all the logical crap and live my dreams. But, I had a meeting in next 20 minutes.