Vol.7 More notices to an "India project"

Let's take a case that a company out-sourses a some of work packages in IT project to Indian company or that a company implements IT project by alliance with Indian company.

●Presence of Indian companies

Working in a project, it is getting more easy to feel the presence of Indian companies these days. It is not just because of the increasing number of Indian project members and businness partners selected by the clients, but it can be due to their can-do sprit for growth.

It can be felt by working with Indian project members who take growth of india as positive oppotunities for their growth and challenge to dive into the world. In fact, one top manager answered to a question "Why Indian companies as an allianced partner?" mentioning their poisitive attitude as the first factor.

●Growth of India
But it is also a fact that India economiy can not promise an optimistic outlook and that difficult periods can not be overcome by mere positive motivation.
Although India have got much attention by the world but actually is having thorny path. Actually Indian stock market is showing a tipical trend: to react an economic affair either extreamly positive or extreamly negative. For instance, it reacorded approx. 15% drop from February to mid of March in 2008 while a little decrease occured in the stock market in Japan and US. It seems that Indian economy is showing a dramatic trend like a roller coarster.

Considering the Indian economy in the long run, on the other hand, it cannot be denied that the growth of India will be continued. It is even forcased that India will be the biggest market in the world by the increase of people's buying power, by the plenty of working population supported by increasing number of young generation and by the huge total population that is expected to exceed the one in china.

Also the growth of IT industry in India is significant. According to NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies) in India, its sales reached 52 Bln dollar in 2007 FY from 6 Bln dollar in 1998 FY. Indian companies are increasing the precense in terms of its economic growth.

●Field of India project

How is the actual scenes in projects with India? Though we haven't seen everthing, unfortunately there are not few case that projects does't achieve expected goals and some of the Indian companies can not gain a good reputation according to our experience of alliance and out-sourcing projects with Indian companies. There may be some readers who have also experienced difficult time and suprising result as well.

Looking at such unfortunate reputation, one Indian manager told that it is pitty to see Indian companies can not make a performance as they can and get lower reputation.

Concerning such difficulties in projects with India, it will be really important to know the cultures in Idia and background of its rapid growth, and try to establish a sophesticated business relationship. However what must be really taken cared will not be in Idian side but is a project management ability of business partners in Japan or other foreign countries. It will include procurement management and monitoring & controlling management when outsourcing to Indian companies. Also it concerns about collaboration ability for project planning, team management and so on when making an alliance with Indian companies.

Of course, such management skills are fundamental for a project as projects always make outcomes by human-beings i.e project members. But it will be critical to focuse on fundamentals even in a project with India rather than look for a "magic" of a project.

(Takahashi)