Strategic Review

Client Overview

ExcelSource was asked to help formulate a more flexible way for our client, a market leading UK financial services company, to deliver its future software development services.

Challenge

Our client had made the successful transition from a waterfall-based development method to an agile scrum-based approach. It had moved its development teams into a number of development pods, but much of the project-based development had to be carried out by local contract resource. This was costly and left the client with a business risk of reduced skills and knowledge retention.

Solution

A team extension model was formulated that would see some development roles being outsourced to a specialist agile development company. The scope was tendered and much emphasis in the RFP was placed on the softer aspects of communication, cultural match and development productivity. An Eastern European company was chosen as the preferred supplier.

Benefit

The key benefit of having a flexible development resource was achieved. The resource pool can be expanded and contracted as development needs increase and decrease. A secondary benefit of a 60% cost reduction from local resource to the outsourcing provider allowed the initial investment of communications infrastructure improvement to be readily funded.