Visit to Harvey Nash Offshore Facility – Vietnam – March 2009

I thought I would give you a change and for once stop singing the praises of the Vietnamese technology work force. Instead I have published a document produced by Steve Dowle who recently visited Vietnam to assess the skills and capabilities of Harvey Nash’s development facility. For Steve’s article read on.....

To put my comments and thoughts into context, my previous experiences of using offshore resource was at Charles Schwab Europe and Egg, where we used a group called Global, with Indian resources in Chennai and Mumbai, since bought by Sword.

I’ve never been a great one for wanting to use enterprise level offshoring, like TCS or Wipro, because as with large UK consultancies, you’re never quite sure of what you get for your investment in terms of experience and seniority. Global never aspired to be a TCS and instead referred to themselves as “boutique” aiming to give good service and satisfaction to a small number of clients, and this they did well.

So, how did the Vietnamese facility measure up when compared to my previous experiences, ventures that I feel were successful? Quite simply, extremely well.

Start with language. The Indian folk were good. Their standard of English had to have achieved certain levels to be recruited. When they were onshore in the UK, their language came on leaps and bounds. However, when they returned home, it did deteriorate a little. The randomly selected staff that I spoke to in Vietnam had excellent fluency in English. We were told that English is taught as a second language in schools. I believe it. Even folk in the street, cycle-taxis etc. displayed an exceptional level of fluency.

Next, awareness of their context, the purpose of what they were individually working on. I’ve spoken to developers in the UK, asking them what they were writing and why. Having an answer of “because I was told to” or “because my analyst gave me the spec” is not uncommon. The random handful of Vietnamese developers that I spoke to, explained not only the component, but who the client was and what the overall project objectives were, showing great awareness and empathy with the project.

Their technical capability seemed solid. Difficult to assess from only a random view, but again, they talked knowledgeably, the architects seemed switched on and smart. The numerous leaders who came to speak to us were confident and assured, and carried themselves well. The project and reporting capability as explained and shown to us, was of a high standard and they seemed to be making offshore agile development work and work well, which is no mean feat.

Final point. The average age of the offshore unit was young, reflecting the country demographics. This youthfulness should not be confused with immaturity, lack of confidence or a shortfall in ability. As I’ve already noted, they came out well in those areas. What it does mean, is that they are incredibly enthusiastic and committed. Their excitement about what they were doing was almost tangible.

The acid test in these situations is always “would I use them though?” I would always start with a pilot project, no matter who the offshore company was, but in their case, I would have a high expectation of success and a continued and growing relationship. Yes, I would engage them.

Steve Dowle

Steve has a vast experience of offshoring and has delivered many successfully project for household name companies. With no "axe to grind" his views can be valued has real opinion. If anyone wanted to touch base with Steve feel free to contact me and I will forward your information to him.

Further information on Vietnam: The Lotus Blooms

April 14, 2009 01:39 PM | Permalink