[Shrivallabha Redij]

I found one interesting thread started by cj.abhijit on India – Workshare Hub
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2620
What we really get to see in such topics is diametrically opposite opinions about everything. So I tried to be objective and put it in a perspective. Hope to see some addition to it?

1. When the work is “shared”?
There are mainly two reasons:
a. Shortage of skilled manpower within organization to meet the demand in the stipulated timeframe.
b. Possibility of getting the part done at costs lower than the current (and thereby increasing the profit margins). The work-share is also euphemism if you compare it to outsourcing. Sometimes both could be the reason.

2. Who decides it?
The management who are less privy with the day to day headache that a piper has to go through. The number crunching shows enough zeroes being added to the profit so the workshare decision is made.

3. How do they go about it?
Almost all the big names (consultancies) that have offices in UK, US, Canada, Ireland, Perth, Aberdeen or some other place where piping is an established profession have an office at High Value Location. Anyone can confirm that. So do they set it up from purely philanthropic perspectives? No. Commerce drives it.

4. How does the work progress?
Probably this is the one that remains the bone of contention between pipers and keeps cropping up across all public forums. We pipers don’t really have to look at the Greenside (money that is) of the deal. So all the pipers especially from the established countries immediately see the RED (could be literally the amount of correction that they might have to do) when given such type of assignment. So no love is lost during the execution and it sometimes leads to bitterness. The adjustments that one has to do are not plain design related but to the innate cultural differences, ideologies and work pathos.

5. What do I do if I am in “High Value Center”?
I have to work hard at understanding the things (the way they work there). Two or three years back we were working on one such project. We would receive Material Error-Files from the main office. The lead engineer here would read the mail and save those files at one location (that was the wise part). Soon there was a whole big bunch of files. And up there, someone was really upset that NOTHING was happening on those files or if at all it was mere trickle. And one (not so) fine day, the lead received SERMON and boy he was livid. His contention point (which he did not tell to SERMON – giver): they should have explained what was to be done with those files. And they said : it is all there (explained) in the documents given to you. I was then ad-hoc assigned to solve it. All I did was:
a. Read the document and sent queries to related personnel (received satisfactory answers).
b. Consolidated the status together for better control and prepared weekly updates (initially when it was really HOT) and then reduced frequency as it went backburner.
c. Prepared some presentations on probable causes of the error and their prevention. People up there were really pleased with PPT so much that they took a copy along with them.
Here obviously, there are few things that are different: We are used to “TELL” things and whereas others “READ”. The main thing was communication gap.

6. What do I do if I am NOT in “High Value Center”?
I have not been to one. But you will have to understand the differences in the systems to address it effectively. And probably since it was your management you will have to live with the decision so maybe you will have to push for that extra yard initially to save future ones. And maybe make them aware of it.

In the end, the trend is here to stay whether we like it or don’t.

[Author]

Posts