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Offshore FAQ
- Why outsourcing?
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Why outsourcing?
Outsourcing of software development has different strategic
benefits for a company:
In a context of intense competition, organizations can concentrate
on utilizing their internal resources to activities where
maximum value addition can be achieved: the core business
processes. IT staff can focus on the business analysis and
improvement of the business critical processes by designing
and managing business automation, rather then spending time
in coding and testing, which can be outsourced to be done
at a lower cost.
What type of commercial models
do you offer?
We can offer different types of contracts.
We are quite flexible and ready to consider your suggestions.
The following are the most common options:
• Fixed
Price
The project is taken up at a fixed price or at fixed person-hours
time effort at a pre-fixed hourly rate. This is done on
the basis of the complete design and specifications sent
by the client. The estimate done by Nous' estimation team
and the project will be taken up by Nous on approval by
the client.
• Not-To-Exceed
The "Not-to-Exceed" (hours) model is a variation
of the Fixed Price model. Here the client estimates the
project and gives Nous the maximum possible time the project
could take for completion.
• Time and
Material
In this model the customer is charged for the actual number
of hours that Nous takes to build the application. This
model of functioning is normally followed when the clarity
on the specifications is low.
• Dedicated IT
Teams
Among our development models, we have the concept of Dedicated
IT teams or a Virtual Office setup, wherein clients can
use our resources (office space, consultants, and other
facilities) at our development center. This model is becoming
increasingly popular with many clients, who have their
Project Leaders visiting Nous, Bangalore, during the course
of the project.
What kind of quality control do you use?
Nous follows quality standards in line with
CMMI® Level 5 and ISO 9001:2000. The Quality Assurance
(QA) department at Nous Infosystems provides the framework
and ensures that the entire software development process
follows an established standard. It is their responsibility
to ensure that all deliveries conform to the quality requirements
according to the customer specifications. Nous has software
development, verification and validation experience on a
wide range of platforms.
Click here
for more information on our Quality Procedures and Standards.
What sort of job descriptions/specs
do you normally work from?
We have a great deal of in-house expertise
in system analysis, requirement gathering and documentation.
Therefore, we do not need elaborate specifications from
the client. In the absence of proper documentation at the
client end, our analysts can do a detailed system study
and specification documentation. Then the designers take
over to prepare the high-level and low-level design. A short
onsite system study is all that is required to set the ball
rolling.
How do you manage and monitor work
progress?
Estimates are based on a definite understanding of the
client's requirements. This reduces the probability of a
variation in the time and cost estimate of a project. MS
Project is used to monitor and control the progress of projects
and this allows for a tight control on the project estimate.
With regards to quality - we are a CMMI® Level 5 and
ISO 9001 company and follow strict quality standards. This
enables us to minimize a deviation from the expected quality
standards. Weekly reviews are conducted during the progress
of the project to keep a tight control on the progress.
The findings of the weekly status report are sent to the
client. This allows the client to keep abreast of the progress
of the project and also have better control over the project.
Variance reports are studied and proactively used as projects
progress. This helps us to continuously improve as an offshore
development partner.
How can a customer
follow up on his project?
Nous understands that successful technology
projects depend on clear communication between the client
and the offsite/offshore developer teams. A strong, face-to-face
client relationship helps both the client and Nous create
exactly the right solution. For improved communication,
we employ the following methods:
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Our offshore teams usually work in the
client's time zone. This ensures availability of the
team members whenever the client needs to communicate.
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We recommend the onsite-offshore
combination model, in which a small number of consultants
is deployed at the client location. Their job is to
facilitate communication between the offshore and
onsite teams. |
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Whenever a project requires frequent
discussions or exchange of ideas, we provide dedicated
telephonic links between the client and our offshore
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The onsite team interacts daily with the client
to:
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Discuss requirements |
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Manage project scope changes |
The offshore team provides the following
on a regular basis:
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Development reports |
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Current source code and application demos |
We can also give you FTP access to all source
files. Also, we plan so that the customer may see the application
framework, demos and user interfaces at any stage of the
development process. This gives a chance to the client to
make early corrections to the design, shorten the number
of design-development iterations for large and complex projects,
and considerably save funds as the result. The clients may
also suggest other ways to monitor the process to make yourself
feel confident.
How do I get started with Nous?
All you have to do is to send us your request
for proposal. And if this information is sufficient, we
will respond with a quote. An offshore software development
or testing engagement may start with a trial project, and
can progressively develop into a fixed price project or
a dedicated team. In the long run, we recommend a dedicated
team as that is the most cost-effective option for the client.
A dedicated team is retained by the client throughout the
project, and it ensures maximum continuity and knowledge
retention for the project.
I have concerns about Intellectual
Property Ownership. Who owns the final product?
The customer owns the copyrights and the final product.
What sort of coverage for bug fixes
and maintenance?
We will fix at no charge to you any bugs brought
to our attention which deviate from the agreed on design
specs. Bugs that are due to omissions in the design specs
will be fixed on a Time & Material basis. We will be
delighted to provide maintenance for all work we have done
on a Time & Material basis.
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